pierce / loose lips

[erin esme simms]

if there was one thing erin hated more than school, it was being a witch. she hated charms, she hated spells, and she hated that 'muggle studies' was considered an alien subject. to erin, muggle studies was the only normal thing about the school, and for three hours each week, it was the only escape she had from the world she never wanted to be a part of. yet she couldn't leave, as much as she wanted to. without hogwarts, she'd never be able to control the strange occurrences that happened when she got too angry, or when she was stressed. no matter how much she hated the place, she needed it, but as much as she needed it, hogwarts was destroying the one thing she really loved about herself.

standing in the center of the room of requirement, feet braced on the mesh of a trampoline, erin lifted her arms above her head and let out a long sigh. with steady jumps, the thin-limbed girl twirled in the air, body twisting and contorting into intricate combinations with every leap. landing back on the mesh with steady legs, erin smiled sarcastically at the invisible crowd and dismounted the trampoline with a back flip. "congratulations, erin, you've made it to the next round." cartwheeling toward the mats, the girl sprung into the air, legs spread into an air-born split. "look at her form, ladies and gentlemen!" she screamed, landing with a light thud on the springy, gymnastic mat. taking a deep breath, the girl sunk to the floor and wound her thin arms around her knees, burying her head into the space between her legs and her torso. "but wait, folks, what's this? erin simms has been disqualified for foul play!" flinging her arms wide, erin fell back and spread her limbs like a starfish, eyes staring at the brightly-lit ceiling. "it's a shame... a shame. a real fucking shame."

[pierce alexander fitzgerald]

magic was going to be the end of pierce. his parents were sending him letters every day to make sure he was training, despite how many times he told them that he wouldn't be able to compete. the ministry just wouldn't have it, in case the boy charmed himself or cursed his competition. he loved to swim, and he loved competition. it was just pierce fitzgerald's luck that he would be the first wizard in the family. there was rumors that his great great grandfather had odd powers, but there was no proof in the matter, so pierce was stuck with loathing himself. yet however much he loathed himself, he couldn't grow the same hate for hogwarts.

sighing, pierce walked the halls in a pair of sweatpants and an australian olympic team t-shirt that his parents had sent him a few weeks prior. he pulled out his wand, flicked it, and whispered the soft spell that caused the room of requirements' door to appear. when he stepped inside, a smile slid across his lips, watching as the familiar blonde flipped about before laying on the mat. he clapped his hands when she stopped talking, the sound echoing. "well done, rinny. well done." pierce smirked before walking over and laying down on the mat next to her, hands behind his head like a pillow.

[erin esme simms]

she knew it wasn't hogwarts' fault, she knew she shouldn't waste the rest of her life resenting the place, but it was just so hard not to. not when her parents were constantly breathing down her neck, making her work harder and harder towards an unattainable goal. the pressure was almost painful, and there were days when erin almost couldn't bring herself to get out of bed, let alone get to the classes she hated. not when she knew another owl was around the corner ready to be disappointed. she managed somehow, though. because if there was one thing erin hated more than being magical and losing her chance to be an athlete, it was being weak.

turning her head toward the sound of his clapping, erin smiled. one thing that always managed to ease her mind was pierce, and there he was, blonde hair and all. "i hate it when you call me that." she answered, flipping onto her stomach as he laid down beside her. with any other guy, erin might have reached for her track-pants and sweater to cover up her practice leotard, but with pierce she didn't care. he'd seen her in it on more than one occasion, and being around him didn't phase her anymore, even though her parents were practically planning their wedding. "thank you, though." she smiled, blowing kisses toward him as if he were a judge. "but... what brings you into my little gym haven? you know you can't beat me on the mats."

[pierce alexander fitzgerald]

pierce wanted to hate his great great grandfather, but he didn't even know the man, let alone if the accusations were true. maybe it was fate that pierce was a wizard, that he couldn't follow his dream of being an olympic swimmer. maybe, just maybe, he was meant for something bigger. then again, maybe it was just bad luck. pierce was just glad that he wasn't going through it alone. even if his parents were pushing him constantly to spend the rest of his life with erin, seeing as they'd grown up together, it didn't bother him in the slightest. he wouldn't mind having erin around for his entire life. he just never pictured himself getting married. he was sure he would spend his entire life focusing on swimming and the disappointment his parents always saw toward him.

a teasing grin took over. "that's why i'll call you it until the end of time." pierce winked playfully at her, chuckling. he looked over her thin frame approvingly, before looking to the bright ceiling and closing his eyes to take in a deep breath. his parents had him in gymnastics since he was little, if only just to keep him in shape in the off season for swimming, not that there was such thing for pierce. he was pretty sure his parents just liked to torture him with too much to do. it was hard to even get up most days. pierce opened his eyes opened and he turned his head so that he could look at erin. "y'know.. i'm not quite sure. pure luck, i suppose. i was going to come for a little solitude, but your company is never something i'd walk away from." he smiled, slightly flirtatious, but also sincere.

[erin esme simms]

erin's family had no idea how she came to be a witch. no matter how much digging they did, nothing ever came up. her father liked to think it was because his daughter was determined and seemed to excel at anything she tried. her mother on the other hand, was simply confused and unsure of how to handle it. so instead of trying to come to terms with the change, she pushed on as if life was no different, acting like her daughter's dream of competing in the olympics was a reality. it hadn't bothered erin so much at the beginning, but when she was approached by the headmaster about stepping down from the competition, everything just got a little too tough to handle all at once. most days, though, the girl just tried to ignore all of it. yet gymnastics made her happy, and in some twisted way, it made her calm, even if she was crying from the strain. it was hard to explain, which was why she was happy she had someone like pierce who understood everything she was feeling.

"p, you're such as ass." she snorted, rolling toward him. when she finally felt her side collide with his, she stopped. "... but i appreciate the honesty." lifting her right arm, she rested it on his chest, and balanced her chin on his bicep. staring forward at the balance beam, the girl couldn't help but laugh. "i must be the luckiest girl around, then." dropping her gaze from the balance beam, erin squirmed until she was on her back again, head cradled in the crook of his arm. "got any assignments due tomorrow?" she asked, eyebrow raising curiously. "if not, we should spend the night on the tramp like we used to. i swear, it's gotten comfier. besides, i have a new flip i want to show off."

[pierce alexander fitzgerald]

one thing that pierce would always hold near was how uncomplicated things were before hogwarts. yes, there was a lot of training still, but pierce could remember the nights that he and erin would spend together, talking about everything and nothing. even then, his parents wouldn't allow him to eat anything unhealthy, but he managed to find a few treats for himself and erin. he'd had his first kiss with her at one of their sleepovers, when they were only eight. "why do grownups always kiss each other, anyway? what's so great about it? hey, i have an idea! how about we kiss each other, and then we can see what the big deal is!" pierce hadn't always been so concieted as he got sometimes now, and he was sure that erin was one of the only people who knew that.

pierce brought his hand from the arm opposite erin to rest his hand on hers comfortably. being this close with her was nothing new, but it settled him down in ways that he couldn't find anywhere else. nodding with a soft laugh. "yeah, it would seem that you are." sometimes though, pierce felt like he was the lucky one. nobody else quite understood what he dealt with like erin did. he began to think through his courses, before shaking his head. "nope, no assignments." he smiled, continuing. "that sounds perfect. i'm getting sick of the guy next to me snoring every night, anyway." he chuckled, looking down at her slightly. "oh yeah? let's see it."

[erin esme simms]

a lot of erin's firsts had been with pierce. more than she'd like to admit, actually, but none that she regretted completely. besides gymnastics, pierce was the only other constant thing in her life. he was her best friend in many ways, and the first boy she'd ever made a real connection with, even if it was over athletics. it was hard to regret doing anything with pierce, because at the end of the day, he was all she really had. growing up under the pressures of training, erin had never really made any other friends. "you don't have time to play around," was her father's favourite excuse, and after a while, erin had started to believe it. the only reason they'd allowed pierce in her life at all was because he was as focused as she was, and she needed someone that could keep her on track, someone that would keep her head in the game.

"the downfalls of sharing a room with twenty other people," she sighed, squeezing his hand reassuringly before she sat up. "for this to work, you have to stay perfectly still. just as you are now. it'll be a little hard to see since i'm starting from behind you, but... oh well." with a confident nod, she pushed herself up from the ground and jogged toward the corner across from him. with a deep breath, she lifted her arms into the air and propelled herself forward, body corkscrewing through the air before she landed square on her feet, only to launch herself back into the air in another twist. quickly approaching him, she carefully calculated the distance and ended the flip in a backward arch, slowing lifting her legs up and over her head dramatically to lower herself onto his broad frame. catching her breath in her throat to make sure she didn't collapse onto him, she grinned proudly as her body pressed against his gently and ended the move. "et voilà," she breathed, rolling off of him in one smooth motion.

[pierce alexander fitzgerald]

not many people saw pierce truly smile. he was constantly focused on either training or school, keeping his grades high as not to give his parents another reason to be disappointed in him, or to send him a screaming letter of sorts. the only person who he was able to just be himself around was erin. he'd dated a few girls, but it was usually nothing more than a hookup here or there, and even then it was rare. he was mostly all talk with girls. he flirted, but when it came down to it at the end of the night, it meant nothing, because all that was important was his training, whether he could compete or not. pierce hadn't swam just for fun in so long that he almost forgot what it was like just to float in the water and not think about making his time faster somehow.

nodding, pierce watched as erin walked off. he stayed laying how he was, head following her every move. he admired each curve of her body as she twisted about, a soft grin keeping place on his lips the entire time. his breath caught in his throat momentarily as erin ended directly on him, then rolled off. pierce sat up, propping himself up with his arms behind him and nodding in approval. "i could probably do better.. but that was pretty awesome." he smiled, knowing that he couldn't do better than that if he tried. he may have been enrolled in gymnastics for years, but he wasn't exactly great at it. he was much better in the water, more free. when he was little, he used to have dreams of being a fish or a shark or something, just swimming through the water without a care in the world. "i think my parents would find a way to capture me and train me, even if i was a fish." had been his joke when he told erin about the dream the first time he had it. the sad part was, now he was sure it would have been the case. the fitzgerald parents did nothing half-assed. it was gold, or nothing.

[erin esme simms]

erin didn't have much time to think about relationships, let alone romantic ones. if a boy looked her way, she hardly noticed. she wasn't oblivious to the advances by any means, she'd just learned how to ignore them in order to stay on the right path. the 'right path' being wherever her parents led her. in a lot of ways, erin's parents were sickeningly controlling, but erin never really saw it that way. sure, they made a lot of choices for her, but deep down the girl knew they were just trying to do what was best for her. sometimes things got a little too intense, and the fact that they didn't understand she could never be a gold-medal athlete was more than a little tiring, but erin couldn't tell them no. more than anything, she wanted to make them proud, and if that meant training day in and day out, working her ass off to get good grades, and enduring hogwarts, then she was prepared to do whatever it took. even if it made her miserable.

erin couldn't hold back the eye-roll that followed pierce's comment. they always seemed to be competing, but when it was between them, erin knew it wasn't serious. smiling up at him from her place on the floor, erin crossed her thin arms over her chest. "alright, tough guy. show me what you got." grinning, she blew the few loose strands of hair from her eyes and winked up at him. "i want to see something i've never seen before, something with dancing... something sexy." holding back the laughter that was bubbling up, erin couldn't stop her mind from wandering to the endless possibilities. "like an interpretive fish dance, with a back flip and a bit of hip stirring." lifting herself up onto her elbows, erin grinned mischievously. "think of it as initiation. if you want to sleep over, you've got to impress me with some moves. i'll even sing you a song if it makes things easier."

[pierce alexander fitzgerald]

creativity was never pierce's strong suit. his imagination had disintegrated when he found out that he couldn't compete, and if he did it had to be with other wizards, who would all be using magic. pierce didn't see how that was fair, really. he just wanted to swim. no complications, just laps back and forth in a swimming pool. it had been his dream since he was little; or maybe it had been his parents' dream, and he just never had time to come up with his own. either way, pierce loved the water. it was his safe place, away from everyone and everything else, pushing himself faster on each lap he did in the pool. pierce channeled that feeling as he thought of something to come up with, sighing. "of course it can't be easy, like old times." he shrugged and stood up, heading over to the corner of the mat.

pierce ran towards erin, pushing himself off the ground to do a back-flip over her. he moved his body in a teasing manner, a grin on his lips. he cartwheeled over her legs, dropping down to his knees and twisting his hips seductively. pierce stood from his spot without his hands ever touching the ground. he did a few more moves, then dropped down to the ground with a thud, propping himself up with his elbows to look at erin. "good enough for you? or am i going to have to do a strip tease like a poor lonely stripper with daddy issues?" he smirked, letting his elbows give out and laying back on the mat with his eyes closed. he hadn't danced in what seemed like forever. he had avoided going to the school dance in order to swim lap after lap in the pool that the room of requirements had provided him.