What It All Comes Down To

[Felicity Hjort]

Spring was definitely on its way. The smell in the air was changing almost rapidly, the snow was slowly melting away, and the sun shine was giving away to a whole new meaning for the year. On top of everything else, the rain was everywhere. It was only at a light mist that morning, four o'clock to be exact, and it slowly picked up speed in coming down by five when she was to meet Drew.

It'd been ages since she'd gone for a good, long run, and she thought it would do her some good, and him as well. A run would let her clear her mind, keep her concentrated on things, and let her exert her body like it hadn't been since the last good bit of exercise she'd had before. Drew, well, she didn't know about him, but she knew she needed the run.

Dressed in light clothing, knowing that if she over-dressed she'd end up losing clothing along the way just from sheer over-heating. Running shorts, yes shorts, the colour of her House colour, in the cold that still surrounded, and a pale blue tank top under a stonewash gray zip-up hoodie that would be sufficient enough to keep her from losing too much body heat. Her blue trainers were old and worn, but not falling apart at least. No, she didn't really match, her hair was thrown into a pony tail that trailed down her neck, and her light brown eyes were still nearly closed.

It didn't matter, none of it.

Felicity wasn't a fashion diva, she couldn't care less how she looked half the time, though she did try to put forth effort for Drew now and then, and she doubted anyone would come in from the rain looking like a Goddess. So, it didn't matter.

The mud, the forming puddles, the pellets of droplets falling, none of it.

[Drew Thornton]

Drew jogged down the front steps and stopped at the bottom, turning his face up at the rain. He wasn't exactly sure what made it better than snow, but in his mind, it was. It was still wet and cold, but maybe it was a reminder of winters at home, or possibly the promise that warmer weather was on the way.

The attire he had chosen for that morning definitly matched better than the Gryffindor's outfit, but that didn't say much-- most of what he owned was blue. Blue warm-up pants over a pair of blue basketball shorts, blue hooded sweatshirt over his Ravenclaw practice t-shirt. A pair of white running shoes and clean white socks finished the outfit and while it all went together nicely, he really hadn't set out to make a fashion statement. It was just a morning run after all.

He went for morning runs regularly, but definitely not religiously, finding they were a good way to burn off some energy and clear his head. The rain was an added bonus and the fact that Felicity wanted to combine their morning workouts, even more so.

He saw her and smiled, thinking she looked awfully cute. Of course he thought she looked pretty cute no matter what she wore. He sidled up next to her and wrapped his arms around her, preparing for her jump, but hoping the startle didn't last long. "Good morning," he said softly, kissing her right above her ear.

[Felicity Hjort]

The hint along the horizon was shining spectacularly. Colours that were arriving, chasing the clouds as they danced along the morning sky. It was a sight to behold, one that she quite enjoyed, and while her dad wasn't there to enjoy it with her as they'd done for a whole week while she was home on break, she still loved the endlessness of it all. There was just something so beautiful about it. Her plan was to run toward it, almost like chasing the non-existent end of the rainbow. Run quickly, stretch her legs as she made contact and another bound toward a new footing, anything to keep her mind clear.

The rain coming down in drums as it was drowned all sound, everything but the pitter-patter of the splashing droplets as they made contact with the force that gravity was teaching. It was near to perfect, and just as perfection can never be learned, her bubble popped.

Jumping, and quite high, she felt the arms before the presence, was locked in before realizing who was on the key end. The arms were comforting, as always, were warm and strong, but they didn't stop her beating heart from jumping up the scales in speed.

The gentle whispering, the feel of contact and warmth of breath kept her from hitting him, but didn't slow her breathing to normal. At least it was a good jump start to their morning run.

"Morning," she answered, her voice contained the note of the startle she'd received. Turning her head to look up at him as best she could, she smiled brightly. "Are you ready for this?"

[Drew Thornton]

"Sorry," he told her grinning back at her. He hadn't wanted to startle her, but it had just been too big of a temptation, putting his arms around her like that. The sunrise trying to break through the clouds, the patter of rain falling, he would have been perfectly happy staying just as he was... but that wasn't what they were there for.

"Question is are you ready?" he asked, letting her go and taking the leap off of the steps to land in a puddle. He grinned up at her and bounced on his toes, really not caring that his socks were already starting to squish in his shoes.

[Felicity Hjort]

Shaking off his apology as it wasn't really needed, she stuck her tongue out at him. Felicity doubted he was really sorry about it, but she didn't mind because it was probably pretty funny. And had she been given the opportunity, she would've done the same thing he had. After all, she liked it when he jumped because he always put his arms around her right after.

When he jumped, she stretched his arms well above her head to give the indication that no, she wasn't ready. However, even with her eyes closing and the yawns coming at a rapid rate, she was. Jumping from the stairs herself, she landed in the puddle next to him, shivering slightly as the cold water made contact with her bare legs. It was a problem with wearing shorts in the rain, but at least it was something likely to wake her.

"When am I not?" she asked him fairly before starting off. A nice slow pace first, or at least she thought that would work. Of course, plans hardly stayed in tact.

[Drew Thornton]

He was sorry for the startle, but he wasn't completely sorry for the tease. It was just a shame they had to come together.

She jumped down next to him (he had half-expected her to jump in his arms in which case he would brace himself for a catch). He was already pretty wet, but he still flinched at the splash, laughing as she ran off. He pulled a cap out of his back pocket and flipped his sweatshirt hood up before sprinting after her. His long legs bypassed her quickly and once he was a few steps ahead of her, he turned around and jogged backwards, grinning over the fact that he was winning even if it wasn't a race.

[Felicity Hjort]

The feel of the rain trickling down on her fresh face, through her hair, was a wonderful feeling. While her hair would end up being matted by the end of their run, what did it matter? She would shower in time, and it would look nice again. And if Drew didn't have anything covering his hair his would be the same as well.

Grinning at him when he turned to face her, she rolled her eyes at the smile on his own face. It was quite obvious to her what he was turning it into and she wasn't about to let him think he'd get away with winning. After all, he was a long-legged freak and she'd told him previously her thoughts about him and his legs.

Was it her fault her legs weren't long? No, they fit her, or she thought they did. Even with the bits of splattered mud slowly climbing up the pale and slender things. It wasn't a hard run, not yet, but she wasn't pushing for one either. As long as she could save a bit of grace for herself at the end, she was content with being in second place for now.

"You should be careful," she told him, trying to be his eyes for a moment. "Smiling before really getting ahead may not end well, and you shouldn't be running like that. Turn around before you hurt yourself."

[Drew Thornton]

He actually liked her legs just fine, mud splattered or not. And just looking at her with the rain streaking down her face made him want to kiss her. He really didn't think there was anything to be concerned about by him running backwards, but he turned back around and fell back a bit to keep pace with her.

"You want my hat?" he asked, knowing that even though he liked the rain, he wasn't too crazy about it hitting him on his bare head. But he had his sweatshirt adn that was protection enough.

[Felicity Hjort]

He did as she requested, turning around so he could see where he was going, which pleased her enough. At least she didn't have to worry about being his eyes, hers, and her footing all at the same time, the list was narrowed down by one at least now.

Slow, soothing, cool. It was quite nice and she closed her eyes for just a moment before she heard his voice echo through the slicing water. Opening the light brown portals, she glanced upwards before casting her eyes on him. His hat?

Sure, she didn't mind her hair being matted, soaking in the grains that came from the clouds above, but was he offering her something that smelled like him? The slowly creeping smile was unable to be hidden as she made her way forward.

"I wouldn't mind it, if..." she trailed off, winking in his general direction. "You can catch me to put it on." Sticking her tongue out, she took off for a sprint.

[Drew Thornton]

She took off and he raced after her, not because he felt it all that necessary to let her wear his hat. The tease to catch her meant he would get to put his arms around her and, had the day been nicer, tackle her to the ground and give her a good kissing. Heck, maybe he would do that anyway. Felicity wasn't the type to let a little mud bother her.

She was fast, but he thought he might be faster. Even if he wasn't, he really hoped she didn't stick by that 'Don't let the other person win' rule.

[Felicity Hjort]

Foot after foot, nearly getting caught in the softening ground now and again, she kept on track. Gaging by the sounds from behind he wasn't far off, but she wasn't going to give in too easily either. No, she wasn't going to let him win, but she thought about the possibility of easing up on her running so he could catch her. After all, it would mean she got something that smelled like him. Keeping it was out of the question, but she liked the idea of wearing it while they were out there.

Slowing her pace just a little, she didn't slow down to an extreme. Rather, she kept up a pace that she figured he could overcome in a moment's time, but it was enough to keep her heart race moving along like nothing else. The reason for that very well could've been the fact that she was hoping he'd catch her, not just for the silly prospects of the hat, but for a number of other reasons as well.

The sun out in front of her was rising, taking its time it seemed, but the colours were dancing along the clouds and horizon like nothing else.

[Drew Thornton]

He sensed her slowing and whether it was on purpose or by necessity, it didn't matter to him. He stepped up his pace and knew he'd be able to catch her in a matter of steps.

As he reached her, he grabbed her around the middle and picked her up off her feet with a quick turn around, his momentum neccesitating the action lest they both ended up on the ground. When he was finally able to stop he looked down at her and grinned. She was wet and messy and absolutely beautiful.

[Felicity Hjort]

His pounding feet on the ground behind her were enough to let Felicity know he was near to catching her, which was kind of the plan. His hat was sure to smell like him and she wanted it. Keeping up the new pace she set for herself, not fast enough to be out of his freakishly long-legged reach, but not slow enough to let him in on the secret that she really, really wanted to be caught, she continued letting her own feet pound one after the other on the soggy ground.

Well, she did until she felt his arms around her and her feet were lifted from the ground. A screech that turned into a loud round of giggles was mingled with twirling and followed by solid soggy ground again.

Turning her head to look up at him, she thought she might actually like this scene better than the rising sun. His eyes didn't match the sky at the moment, but but it was easier to admire the colour of his iris' when they stood out against the pretty sky.

His face was hardly dampened due to the shelter of his hat, but she knew her own skin was crawling with beads of water that were forming and sliding down the curvatures of her face, melting into her clothing.

“You caught me,” she stated the obvious, smiling brightly and leaning her head back against his chest. Her breathing was regaining normalcy, but she was still waiting for the prize of his hat.

[Drew Thornton]

"Mmm-hmmm," Drew hummed back, gently wiping her wet face with the palm of his hand before pushing his hood back and pulling the cap off. He placed the hat on Felicity's head, bill to the back, knowing that she would probably turn it around later to protect her from the rain better while they were running. But at that moment she was just too irresistable not to kiss. She got his hat but he was counting this as his prize for catching her.

[Felicity Hjort]

The feel of his warm hand was a nice contrast to the cool rain, and it left a lingering trail when he removed it to get her prize for him catching her. Maybe it was a backwards way of going about things, after all, she did lose since he caught her, but the way she saw it she won. Felicity was in his arms, she was getting his hat, and she was pretty sure she was getting something else too.

When he put his hat on her, she felt it slip down further than it should and a number of teasing comments about him having a big head filtered through her mind, but she was forced to hold them back. There was another sudden warmth, giving life to her lips.

Along with many, many other firsts, he was now her first kiss in the rain and just like in movies, it felt as nice as it always looked. He always did nice things for her, tried to make things more romantic, but this was more her idea of romantic. It was spontaneous.

Pulling back, she grinned at him and tried to keep his hat from obstructing her view.