Frank doesn’t know what it is about Peter Pettigrew that makes his body go all wonky. Any time Peter does something unexpected or cool, Frank’s brain just completely short circuits. Whenever Peter wins a chess game(which is very often; Frank has noticed), or at a party when he drinks and gets extra vigorous, he starts singing, and shows that he has a surprisingly nice singing voice. Or when they’re allowed to go to Hogsmeade and he wears cool muggle clothes; blue jeans and graphic t-shirts, that Frank doesn’t know whether to envy or not.
He’s just so bloody cool, and interesting, and Frank doesn’t really know that much about him, other than from what he’s observed. They haven’t really talked all that much, haven’t had the need or reason to; they are in the same house, but they have different friend groups and Frank is in the year above. So technically, it would make sense that they haven’t really had a proper conversation before, but that does not mean that Frank is happy about it.
Which is why he is currently lying about transfiguration to hang out with him. Frank has seen Peter tutor a few people; in transfiguration mostly, though he also helps some with Herbology. Frank had then come up with a brilliant plan - in his opinion - to ask Peter to tutor him in transfiguration, so that he could hang out with him.
And it isn't a problem, really, that Peter is in the year below, and would therefore technically have different learning levels of the subject, because Peter is apparently so smart that he takes advanced transfiguration, and also gets extra work from McGonagall herself, so. Frank didn’t half-arse this plan, either.
“So,” Frank is currently saying, standing in front of Peter, who is sitting at one of the desks in the common room, “it would be really great if you could help me with Transfiguration. At least with homework and tests. You see, I find it all kinda difficult.”(This is a lie; Frank got an Exceeds Expectations in the subject last year.)
Peter takes a second to respond, but he smiles and says, “Uh, yeah, I’m sure I can help. Is there any specific part of it that you find difficult? I can help you easier if I know.”
Here, Frank pauses, because he hadn’t thought about this part; there isn’t any specific part that he finds difficult. Maybe his plan wasn’t as well thought through as he thought.
Though, he is very determined to make it work, so he just makes something up on the spot; says he ‘finds the wand movements hard to do’. Peter seems to believe it, and he nods, and then proceeds to tell Frank when he’s free, though Frank isn’t really paying attention; he just noticed that Peter has a few freckles on the bridge of his nose, and it is very distracting, as well as very cute.
“Frank?”
Frank blinks. “Sorry, what?” Shit. Caught.
“I said I usually have time on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Do either of those work for you? Or both, maybe?”
Well, the point of this entire thing is to spend time with Peter, so Frank quickly says, “Yeah, both works.” He smiles, though he’s sure it probably looks a little awkward. He feels his face heat up.
Even if it does, Peter doesn’t react to it. He smiles back, says, “Brilliant! Meet me here some time after dinner tomorrow, then?”
Frank nods enthusiastically - probably a little too enthusiastically, but he can’t help it. He is very happy about his plan working. So happy, that he feels the need to tell Gideon and Fabian, so he blurts out a quick “Great, thanks, see you!” and then jogs through the common room, up the stairs, and into the dorm room he shares with the twins and Preston.
***
Preston isn’t there, but Gideon and Fabian are; they are currently trying to stick something up Fabians nose, while he’s standing upside down.
Frank doesn’t have time for their antics, so he interrupts them. “Lads.”
They must hear the tone of his voice, because Gideon stops trying to put the thing in Fabian’s nose, and Fabian goes back to being upright(as much as he can; he’s not very proper.)
“What?” they say in unison. Godric, Frank hates it when they do that; it’s creepy.
“My plan worked,” Frank says, and he tries not to show how happy he actually is about it; they would tease him relentlessly.
Fabian and Gideon share a look, and then look over at him.
“Pettigrew?” Fabian asks.
“The Peter Plan?” Gideon checks.
“I- yes, the plan about Peter,” Frank says, exasperated.
“Right,” Gideon says.
“Just double-checking,” Fabian nods.
Frank nods back, moving to lay down on his bed; on his back, his head hanging over the edge.
“He’s gonna’ tutor me on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. We’re meeting after dinner tomorrow.”
“Wow, so romantic,” Fabian teases, smirking.
“Piss off,” Frank retorts.
“Well,” Gideon cuts in, “he’s not really tutoring you, is he? I mean, you’re one of the best in Transfiguration in our year; at least out of the gryffindors.”
That is true, but there’s a reason Frank chose Transfiguration to be fake-tutored in, and not Herbology.
Because Frank Longbottom loves plants. Any kind of plant, every kind of plant; he loves them all. He has plants placed over the dorm room, he hasn’t gotten anything less than an Outstanding in Herbology since second year, and he was the only one who knew what to do when faced with devils snare, when they got asked about it in third year. All of this is common knowledge to most people here, so, you see, Frank couldn’t lie about being bad in Herbology, because Peter would never have believed him.
“Well, duh, Gideon, but that’s not the point,” Frank says, obviously.
Gideon frowns a little, then shakes his head. “Okay, then.”
Fabian cuts in, “What is the point, then?”
“Well, to hang out with him, of course,” Frank says, “You know, get to know the guy.”
“We have gone to the same school as Peter for six years,” Gideon says slowly. “Why ‘get to know him’ now?”
Fabian points at Gideon, as if to say, Well, he has a point.
“Well, because,” Frank stammers, “because I feel like getting to know him now.”
Gideon and Fabian glance at Frank, then at each other. They smirk a little, then both shrug, and then they start talking about something else.
Frank knows that they know. They know why he’s doing this, why he’s come up with The Peter Plan. But he doesn’t want to outright admit it, because, well- it’s quite embarrassing isn’t it?
He’s Frank Longbottom, for Merlin's sake; he’s on the quidditch team, he’s gotten the best Herbology grade in his year, for three years straight, he kissed Alice Fortescue in third year - this was before they became good friends, of course, but still(everyone who knows and who he’s told, have been jealous.) And he is bloody Head Boy. He really shouldn’t be this infatuated with a certain sixth year - who he almost hasn’t even talked with- that’s good at chess and has a nice smile(though, in his defence, it is a really great smile.)
Still, he doesn’t really mind that they know. They would never judge him about it, and they haven’t yet, other than light teasing. And, even if they did judge him for it, he would still go through with the plan, because he is determined to get to know Peter Pettigrew if it is one of the last things he does.
***
It’s Wednesday, some time after dinner, and Frank left early to get to the common room before Peter did, so he could prepare(both mentally and physically.) He’s saved a desk for them, at the edge of the common room, and he’s just finished setting up his study supplies(Alice called it that first), when Peter walks in. Frank looks up, meets Peter’s gaze, and Peter smiles at him. Frank smiles back before quickly looking down, so Peter won’t see how pink his face is.
“Hey, Frank! You doing well?” Peter sits down at the other end of the table, and summons his things, a few books and quills flying down the stairs and lying down neatly on the table in front of him.
Frank looks up at him, saying, “Yeah, I’m good, thanks.”
Peter looks back at him, still smiling, and he says, genuinely, “Good, I’m glad.”
That’s also a thing about Peter; he’s so bloody nice. Frank knows that he himself is pretty nice - he tries, at least. But Peter is just so effortlessly good. He clearly wants the best for everyone, and he shows kindness whenever he can, and he actually sounds sincere when he does it, not fake at all. Frank admires that about him.
“So,” Peter is saying, “I thought we could go through the topics and then choose which ones we’ll go over. Does that sound good?”
Frank just nods. “Yeah.” He doesn’t really care for what they do; as long as he gets to spend time with Peter, he’s satisfied.
So, that’s what they do. They go through topics and Frank chooses a random one that they expand on. He’s not really paying attention, though; he’s just looking and observing Peter’s face while he talks.
Peter has a small mole, right over his cupid’s bow. This is both lucky and unlucky for Frank, as it does make it easier to look at the mole, while also staring at his lips. It does also, however, unfortunately make it look like he’s staring at Peter's lips. Which he is, but that isn’t the point. This doesn’t stop him from doing it instead of paying attention, though.
“So, if we’re talking about the switching spell, then the wand movements vary depending on the objects, and that can make it a wee bit difficult to remember and- Frank?”
Frank blinks and meets Peter’s eyes, which are staring at him slightly curious. Peter has very nice eyes, Frank notices. His face reddens. Caught. Again. Bollocks.
Frank clears his throat and mutters, “Sorry, uh- just finding it hard to concentrate.”
“Right,” Peter says, staring at him for a second, smirking slightly, before he repeats what he said. Frank, again, does not pay attention to what Peter is saying, but to his eyes, now. His eyes are clear, and a sort of in-between colour of blue and green, and his lashes look long in the low light of the lamp on the desk.
Peter asks him if he understands the material he’s explaining, so Frank just mumbles, “Yeah, yeah, ‘course.”
Peter looks at him sort of suspiciously when he does, but he doesn’t he doesn’t say anything or push the matter, just continues to explain something about the wand work… Frank can’t remember; he’s too busy staring at Peter's face.
***
“So, you like him,” Alice says, matter-of-factly.
“I- what?” Frank stammers.
He and Alice are at the astronomy tower. They’re both there for different reasons; Alice, so she can smoke in peace without getting caught. And Frank because he likes the view, and because he likes talking with Alice.
Alice takes a drag of her cigarette, before repeating, “You like Peter.”
Frank’s eyes widen slightly, and he lets out an awkward laugh. “Well, yes; sure I like Peter.”
Alice blows out the smoke in her lungs, eyeing him closely.
Frank looks away from her gaze, because sometimes it seems like she can see into your soul, and it’s a little scary. Even if Frank thinks that she’s one of the nicest people he knows - after Peter, of course.
“I mean you like like him,” Alice says.
Frank scoffs. “What, are you eight years old?”
Alice just hums, “You’re deflecting.”
Frank looks at her for a second; Alice’s face betrays nothing. He takes a deep breath, and then blows it out all at once.
“Yes, okay, maybe I like like him.”
Alice smiles slightly and takes one last drag of her cigarette, then throws it off the balcony. “Now, was that so hard to admit?”
Frank glares at her weakly.
Alice just snorts a little. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Frank. I don’t know why you’re so hesitant to admit anything.”
Frank sighs, “I don’t know, either, really.”
“Is it because he’s a bloke?” Alice asks, a little blunt.
“Well, no, I don’t think so,” Frank says, “I think it’s just..hard? I’ve never really properly fancied someone since…well. You.”
Alice huffs out a small laugh through her nose. “That was in third year, Longbottom.”
“Yeah, exactly,” Frank says pointedly, hoping Alice will understand.
She does, if the knowing look on her face is anything to go by.
“Frank,” she starts, “it isn’t, you know, weak, or anything, to have feelings for someone. It just shows that you’re capable.”
Frank frowns a little. “Capable of what?”
Alice just shrugs, as if to say Figure it out for yourself or Does it really matter?
And, looking out over the view, Frank decides that it really doesn’t.
***
Peter continues to ‘tutor’ Frank, during the next few weeks. Sometimes either of them are busy - Peter has a test to study for or Frank has extra quidditch practice - but they usually make it work. Sometimes Frank just sits with Peter while he studies for his charms test(Frank said he didn't want to be a bother, but Peter insisted, saying he likes Frank’s company; Frank blushed almost crimson at this.)
Somehow, tutoring and studying together turned into hanging out; which is what they are doing right now. Well, they’re hanging out together at a party, with other people, but Frank thinks it definitely counts.
He and Peter are by the drinks table, Frank nursing a small drink and Peter taking small sips from his firewhiskey, though he doesn’t seem to be enjoying it very much. In fact, Peter has acted a little differently all night. Frank has turned to overthinking(he can hear Alice tutting him in his head) so he thinks it might be his fault, and that he should maybe let Peter be, so he can go to his other friends. Frank knows he probably wants to hang out with James and the others, anyway.
He’s just decided to leave, and go talk to Gideon, when Peter turns to him and says, “D’you wanna go outside with me?”
This is not exactly what Frank was expecting, so he takes a second to respond. “Um- yeah, sure,” he nods, his lips twitching up.
Peter nods back and then gestures with his head toward the entrance. They both leave their drinks on the table, and head out through the door of the common room. Peter leads them to the courtyard, and he sits down on one of the benches, Frank following suit.
Peter seems to just breathe for a moment, and Frank gazes at his face, looking at his features. He breathes with him.
Then, Peter reaches into his sweater pocket, pulling out a white blunt. He reaches into his other pocket, frowns, and turns to Frank, asking, “You don’t have lighter, do you?”
Frank, conveniantly, has a lighter on him at almost all times(he spiritually sends thanks to Alice for always forgetting to bring a lighter to the astronomy tower), so he nods and pulls an orange and red lighter out of his pocket.
He hands it to Peter, who nods in thanks, saying, “Thanks. Bloody cool lighter, by the way.”
Frank nods and blushes(it wasn’t even that big of a compliment, Merlin), as Peter lights the blunt and takes a deep drag. He holds it in for a few seconds, before letting it out, the smoke whirling around his face.
Frank processes this, only managing to stare at Peter stupidly for a second.
He finally gets out, “You smoke?”
Peter looks over at him, a slight quirk to his mouth, while smoke blows out of his nostrils.
“I have a Potions test tomorrow,” he says, as if it’s fucking obvious.
Which- yeah, okay. Frank gets that; Potions is fucking difficult.
Frank blinks. “Right. Where’d you get it? The blunt, I mean.”
Peter takes another drag before answering, “Moony gave it to me.” Then his eyes widen, and he says, little frantically, “Fuck, don’t tell anyone I said that. Remus will kill me.”
Frank nods, but frowns a little. “For telling people he sells weed?” he asks, “Pretty sure that’s common knowledge; even I know that Lupin sells.”
Peter smiles a little, then.
“No- he’d kill me if anyone knew I got it for free,” Peter says, “It’d ruin his business reputation or whatever.” He shakes his head a little, huffing out a laugh.
“Oh,” Frank says, and then bursts out laughing.
Peter startles a little at his outburst, then looks at Frank, a funny smile on his face, before he promptly bursts out laughing as well.
It’s not even that the story is very funny; it’s just that Peter makes everything, quite frankly, hilarious. And maybe Frank has breathed in some of the second-hand smoke.
Frank laughs harder when Peter does - his laugh is very infectious - and he leans slightly against him, their shoulders knocking together. Frank feels a distant spark at the touch.
They eventually calm down enough for Peter to ask, “You want some?”
He offers the blunt, and Frank accepts it, taking a drag. He, thankfully, does not cough - he’s smoked enough with Alice to be used to it(he, again, thanks her spiritually.)
Frank leans his head back to blow out the smoke, and he feels Peter’s gaze at the side of his face.
Frank turns to look at him, and Peter meets his eyes. They hold eye contact, and Frank is too busy holding his breath to blush. Peter licks his lips, and Frank instinctively looks down. Peter’s mouth opens, then closes before he clears his throat, breaking eye contact. Frank blinks back into reality, and looks away, awkwardly.
“So,” Peter starts, “how’s Alice?”
Frank is so baffled by the sudden mood and topic change that he just stares for a moment.
“Alice is fine,” he says slowly, and hands Peter the blunt back.
He doesn’t know what Peter’s point is.
Peter accepts the blunt back and coughs a little. “Right. And how are you two?”
Frank frowns. Peter isn’t making any sense.
“We’re good? Um- sorry, I don’t- what’s your point?” Frank stammers out.
Peter takes another drag of the blunt, before saying, “Well, you know- your relationship. Aren’t you together?”
Oh. Oh, that. Well, fucking hell.
Frank stares incredulously, and then laughs, covering his face with his hands, shaking his head.
He hears Peter say, “Um- what’s so bloody funny?”
“We-” Frank says, still laughing, “we aren’t together.”
He removes his hands from his face. Peter stares at him.
“You’re not?” he asks dubiously.
“No, bloody hell. Me and Alice are not together. We’re just friends.”
Peter nods, but he still looks a little doubtful.
“Well, I just thought, you know- you seem very close, is all.”
“Yes, well, we are,” Frank says, “just not like that.”
(In other words, Alice is a lesbian.)
“Right,” Peter says, looking away.
Frank can see tension leave his shoulders, though he’s a little too intoxicated to know why there would be tension there in the first place.
“Right,” Frank says back, and Peter smiles at him, offering him the blunt again.
Frank takes it, and they sit there for a while, smoking and talking. It’s comfortable; more so than it was before - hanging out with Peter is never really awkward, but still. Frank can feel that a sort of shift has happened. He thinks he likes it.
The moon is almost full and it’s extra bright tonight, but with Peter's face right in front of him, Frank doesn’t feel the need to look at anything else. Peter’s face is brighter, anyway.
***
Frank is going to murder Fabian. Really, he is.
He, Fabian and Gideon are in their dorm, Fabian and Frank on his bed, while Gideon sits on the floor.
Frank had been telling them about him and Peter’s last tutoring session. The shift that Frank felt the night of the party hadn’t been imagined; Peter acts differently now. Frank doesn’t even feel like he’s being tutored anymore; it’s more like they’re just hanging out. Peter has also become more touchy, in some ways - not that Frank is complaining. Whenever he demonstrates something, instead of just telling Frank to move his wrist to the left or pointing, he physically takes Frank’s wrist and puts it in the correct position. He also squeezes Frank’s arm whenever they’re done with a session. Frank blushes every time.
So, Frank had been telling them about the recent developments, because they now know what Frank’s intentions with The Peter Plan are; when he came back from the party, high off his arse, he had apparently started rambling about Peter and how they had smoked and laughed, and then he had come onto the topic of Peter’s mouth and basically blurted out that he fancied him quite a lot, actually. Fabian and Gideon hadn’t even batted an eye. Frank is grateful.
However, what he’s not very grateful about is the fact that Fabian and Peter have apparently snogged.
Frank had been saying that he has looked at Peter’s mouth enough to know for a fact that it’s soft, and Fabian had said, casually, “It is.”
Frank is pretty sure his eye had twitched.
“What?” he said, because what?
“Yeah, we’ve kissed,” Fabian had said, still bloody casual.
Frank’s eyes bulged out of his head. “You what?”
Gideon had then looked at Fabian a little frantically, clearly using fucking twin-telepathy or whatever to communicate that Fabian should stop talking.
“When?” Frank demanded.
Fabian had then clearly understood that revealing this was extremely stupid, and he had smiled a little sheepishly, which is what he is still doing now.
Frank is still silently demanding an answer with his eyes, so Fabian clears his throat.
“Last year. At a Hufflepuff party,” he answers.
Frank’s other eye twitches, and takes in a deep breath.
Fabian looks a little scared.
“You kissed Peter,” Frank starts, surprisingly calm, “and you didn’t think to tell me.”
“Um,” Fabian says.
“I’m getting bloody fake-tutored for this bloke, and you didn’t think to tell me that you’ve snogged him?!” Frank shreikes, not so calm now.
“I- sorry?” Fabian gets out, “it really didn’t cross my mind, I swear.”
Frank glares at him. “You are going to tell me everything, now.”
“Okay, okay,” Fabian says, holding his hands up in surrender.
Frank looks at him and gestures with his hand, as to say I’m waiting.
“Okay. So, it was last year-”
“Yes, you’ve said,” Frank interrupts impatiently, “now, tell me what it was like.”
“Right, right, sorry,” Fabian apologises, “well, I don’t really remember anything; we were both properly pissed, to be honest.”
“But you said you said you know his lips are soft,” Frank says, because he is getting every bit of information about that snog that he can.
“Well, yeah,” Fabian admits, “though, I can tell you, that it was good enough of a snog for me to not be able to forget about it completely.”
Frank feels his mouth water.
“Right, right,” Frank nods.
“It didn’t mean anything, though,” Fabian continues, “I mean, as I said, we were both pissed and it was just for some fun, really.”
“Right,” Frank says again, because, honestly, his brain stopped working completely at not be able to forget about it.
He starts to stand up, and Gideon asks, “Where are you going?”
Frank only says, “Alice,” before he opens the door and leaves the dorm.
He finds Alice after a little looking, in the library. She’s chewing on the end of her quill, and Frank can see at least four people staring at her with their mouths open. Get a grip people.
“Alice,” Frank says, the moment he sees her.
Alice looks up from her books with a frown that smoothes out when she spots him.
“Frankie,” she greets him.
Frank is too determined about his question to care about the nickname.
“Am I a bad kisser?” he asks.
Alice blinks and looks at him blankly. “Um,” she says.
“Am I?” Frank insists.
“I- what? Why do you wanna know? Why are you asking me?”
“Because we’ve kissed,” Frank says obviously.
Alice looks incredulous.
“Yeah, in third year.”
“Well, is your memory so bad that you don’t remember?” Frank asks.
“I- well, no my memory is perfectly fine, thank you,” Alice says, a little offended, “but that was years ago, Frank; I’m sure you’ve improved.”
“So, I was bad. Oh, shit,” Frank says miserably.
“Well, I- Godric, Frank,” Alice says exasperated, “I’m sure you were a good kisser, but it was in third year, and I can’t truthfully be the judge of that, now can I?”
Alice gives him a look, that says I am a fucking lesbian, why are you asking me about this?
“Right, okay, of course,” Frank says, sitting down opposite of her.
Alice looks more amused now, and she asks, “Why do you need to know, exactly?”
Frank looks at her, and just says, “Peter.”
Alice nods understandingly, huffing a small laugh.
“Of course.”
They just sit there for a few minutes, before Alice asks, “So you think you’re gonna snog him?”
“I- um,” Frank stammers, “well, I don’t know.”
Alice purses her lips, in an attempt to not smile so broadly, though Frank can still see her lips quirk.
“I hope so,” Frank admits. “I want to. A lot.”
“I see,” Alice says, amusedly, “well, why don’t you do that, then?”
Frank’s eyes bulge. “Are you insane? I can’t just snog him.”
“Well, why not?” Alice says, simply.
“I- because,” Frank answers.
“Because?” Alice repeats, patiently,
“Yes, because, Alice,” Frank says, “I can’t. I don’t think he wants that, anyway. Wants me,” Frank continues, more quietly.
Alice gives him a pitying look, and Frank can’t stand it.
“No, it’s fine, Alice, really. I’m happy to just be his friend. If that’s all I can be.”
Alice sighs quietly, opening her mouth, but she doesn’t say anything, and closes it again.
They sit there, then, quietly. Alice continues her studying after a moment, and Frank just sits there, enjoying her company. He tries not to think about Peter, and how he wishes with all his might for Peter to want him as more than a friend. He fails.
***
Frank finds himself thinking about Peter so much that it’s becoming an actual problem. He thinks about him before he goes to sleep, and when he wakes up. He thinks about Peter in class, so much that he’s almost gone down a whole grade in Herbology, of all classes. He thinks about him when he’s bloody with Peter, as if being with him isn’t enough; he also has to think about him while doing so.
This is especially awkward, as Frank gets caught more often than not, staring at Peter’s face. And it is very awkward, when most of the times he’s caught staring, it’s at Peter’s lips. Peter never says anything about it, never mentions it, but he does smirk slightly, and raise his eyebrows. Frank feels so mortified when it happens, he just wants to be swallowed into the ground.
Frank also thinks he has a blushing problem. No, truly; whenever Peter so much as smiles at him, Frank feels his face heat up, and has to look away, because it’s almost too much to look at. Frank thinks Peter probably has the most beautiful smile he’s ever seen.
Peter had asked him during their last tutoring session if Frank wanted to keep him company while Peter studied for a History test. Frank almost never misses out on an opportunity to be with Peter, so he said he would. He also, conveniently, has to study for a Charms test he has next week.
That’s what he’s currently doing, studying notes he’s taken in class, and practising wand movements. They are sitting in a secluded spot in the library, and Peter is beside him, studying his own notes. He doesn’t know when they went from sitting across each other to always beside each other. Again, Frank isn’t complaining.
Frank frowns a little at a note he’s taken; he almost can’t make out what is says. Is his handwriting that bad? Frank bites his lip in concentration, trying to work out the words, but it’s very hard to do so when Peter is staring at him.
Frank looks over at him, and Peter doesn’t look away, just keeps on staring.
“What is it?” Frank asks.
“Nothing,” Peter shrugs, “you just look cute when you concentrate.”
That’s also new; random compliments. A great job, Frank here, a You look nice today, Frank there. It makes Frank go insane. He tries to not let it get to his head.
Frank flushes, and says, “Shut up.”
Peter grins, dimples forming on his cheeks.
Frank feels his face heat up even more. He should really go to Madam Pomfrey about that; it can’t be normal to blush this much just because a pretty boy smiled at him. Peter has dimples. Fucking hell.
“Really, though,” Peter says, “do you need help with anything?”
Frank hopes his face has turned less red, and says, “I just can’t understand my own bloody handwriting. Can you make out what it says here?”
Frank points to the sentence he means, and Peter looks at the line, clearly trying to see what it says.
“Can you just move your hand a bit?” he asks, “so I can try to read it properly.”
Though, instead of waiting for Frank to move his hand himself, Peter does it for him, covering Frank’s hand with his own and moving down, slightly.
Frank forgets everything about studying in a second, all of his focus on Peter’s hand touching his hand.
Their faces are close, and he looks at Peter, but Peter is actually trying to read the sentence, and is apparently not focused on where they’re touching.
Frank looks at Peter’s face; his green-blue eyes, his round cheeks, his long, blond lashes, his soft, pink mouth. He looks at Peter’s beautiful face, and he thinks that if he doesn’t kiss him right this instant, he’ll die.
Frank takes a deep breath, and then lets out in a rush, “Can I kiss you? I would really like to kiss you, please.”
Peter looks up at him, slightly stunned, but only for a second, before he breathes out, “I thought you’d never ask.”
Peter places a hand on the side of Frank’s neck, and moves closer. Frank places his hands on Peter’s face(oh, his cheeks are soft) and leans in. Peter meets him half-way, and their lips touch softly at first, before Peter places his other hand on Frank’s neck, and deepens the kiss. The first thought that pops into Frank’s head is Peter’s lips are really fucking soft. And when Peter’s hands pull on him a bit, to pull Frank closer, Frank’s brain short-circuits, and he doesn’t think anything.
Frank sighs into the kiss, and he vaguely registers that he probably isn’t a bad kisser, because Peter seems to be enjoying it; if the way he keeps trying to pull Frank closer, and the soft noise he makes in the back of his throat is anything to go by.
They pull apart naturally, and Frank sucks in air, feeling a little stunned. Peter leans their foreheads together, and Frank stares at him, his lips slightly parted. Then Peter smiles, so beautiful and bright and brilliant, that Frank can’t do anything except smile back.
He realises, then, that he doesn’t have to restrain himself, so he pulls Peter back into another kiss; because he can. He feels Peter smile against his lips, and he smiles back. The studying is long-forgotten.
***
It’s been two days since Frank has seen Peter. Two days since the kiss.
Peter has a test, so he’s pretty busy, and Frank still has to study for Charms(he still hasn’t figured out what the sentence said.)
Frank thinks it’s probably a little pathetic, and his friends would bully him relentlessly if they knew, but he misses Peter a little. A lot.
He’s walking from his last class before lunch, when a hand taps him on the shoulder and he turns to see who it is.
He turns to see Peter, who’s biting his lip in a smile.
Well, think of angels and they flap their wings, he guesses.
“Hi,” Peter says.
“Hi,” Frank says back.
He’s trying not to smile too broadly.
“Can I walk with you?” Peter asks.
Frank fails, and smiles big.
“Of course. I’m just headed to lunch.”
“Great,” Peter says, and they start walking towards the great hall.
They walk closely and their fingers brush. Frank tries not to freak the fuck out.
“I just had my History test,” Peter tells him vaguely.
“Oh, right, that was today,” Frank says, pretending he doesn’t basically have Peter’s schedule memorised. “Do you feel it went well?”
“Yeah,” Peter says, “yeah, I think I did good.”
“I think so, too,” Frank smiles at him.
Peter smiles back as they continue to walk in silence, before he slows down, Frank slowing down with him. Peter then completely stops, in the middle of the hallway, and Frank turns to him, questionly.
“You know how there’s a Hogsmeade trip next saturday?” Peter asks, and he looks a little coy.
Frank nods. “Yeah, I know about it.”
“Do you wanna go?” Peter asks, and smiles at him hopefully.
Frank smiles back, because he can’t help it - Peter’s smile is very contagious.
“Well, yeah. I was gonna go, yes.”
“No, I meant-” Peter blinks, and huffs a small laugh. “I meant do you wanna go with me? Together.”
Frank blinks, and then he breaks out into a big smile, saying, “Oh, I- yes, yes, I would like that very much.”
“Great,” Peter says, smiling back, “it’s a date, then.”
Frank nods, still smiling broadly, even when Peter starts walking again.
Frank is too stunned to do anything but stand still, so Peter turns around, laughing, and he takes Frank’s hand to pull him along, not letting go when Frank starts walking. They walk to lunch together, and Frank just knows he’s blushing, but with Peter’s hand in his, he finds he doesn’t really care.
***
So, on saturday the next week, Frank Longbottom finds himself on a date.
Peter told him to meet him at the entrance to the common room, at twelve, so Frank did, if a little early. He was too excited, you can’t blame him. When Peter arrived, Frank smiled so hard his cheeks almost hurt. Peter’s face matched his.
They had started walking, along with the others that were going to Hogsmeade, and Frank thought it might have been a little awkward, but it wasn’t, at all. Actually, being with Peter is one of the most comfortable things Frank has ever done. They had talked as if nothing was abnormal, but they both knew something had changed, for the better.
Outside, their hands kept brushing against each other, until Frank took it upon himself to lace their fingers together. Peter had only stopped talking for a second, before he continued, a bigger smile on his face than before.
Now, Frank squeezes Peter’s hand, because he can, and because he wants to.
He hears someone clear their throat behind him and he turns around, seeing Alice, Gideon and Fabian. The twins both have shit-eating grins on their faces, and Alice looks amused, yet fond. Frank just smiles broadly at them, giving them the finger, before he returns his attention back to Peter. Peter saw the exchange, so he grins at him, amused. Frank blushes, but this time, he has no plans to look away.