Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gryffindoll 
Braeden Stonem could not get his heart to be still in his chest; it seemed to be doing jumping jacks and trying to climb up his throat. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this nervous.
This was ridiculous!
What was he, a little boy visiting the doctor for the first time?
Calm down, Brae; you're just going to see an old friend, for Melon's Merlin's sake.
But how could he
not be nervous? It had, after all, been a while since he'd last really seen his best mate. Sadly for Braeden, he had fallen ill these past couple weeks, and hadn't been able to hang out with Deus as much as he would have liked to; not only that, but his friend was obviously busy himself with the popularity he'd gained over this past year. Suddenly, Brae felt like he might have become a nuisance, some bothersome obstacle to the very popular and handsome Ravenclaw quidditch player. However, when Deus invited him to this picnic, Braeden's insecurities washed away and he knew things hadn't changed - Amadeus Kipling was still his best mate, and he still loved his dorky Gryffindor friend as much, if not more than he did at the beginning of the term.
Braeden had to resist the urge to burst into tears of joy.
All dressed up in a suit with a bow-tie and his hair neatly made, Braeden couldn't help feeling like he was heading over to the prom party of some muggle American high school. And boy, was he excited and nervous to meet his date. And so, after the very short journey from the Gryffindor tower over to the Astronomy tower, Braeden came to an abrupt halt as he caught sight of Deus - looking like a stone figure carved by the gods - standing by the tower's entrance. Braeden's heart did a backflip in his chest and he flashed the Ravenclaw boy one of his goofiest and most lopsided of silly grins, one of those awkward chuckles of his escaping his lips.
"Deus," he spoke as he approached the young man, his brown eyes sparkling.
And it was hard to tell if they sparkled from the sunset light washing over his face or from his childlike excitement to see his best mate again after what felt like years.
"Brae," Amadeus breathed, grinning from ear-to-ear in an unbridled expression of joy, one rarely seen from the normally stoic, serious Ravenclaw. This was the most cleaned-up that Deus had ever seen his friend to be: bowtie, perfectly coiffed hair, and all. He could have wept from the perfection if not for his ever-present gentlemanly manners. Amadeus felt like a slob in comparison, with his v-neck that suited the warm weather and his hair a bit more mussed up than usual, his skin more tan after having been basking in the sun and playing on the quidditch pitch. He attempted to shake off his immature puppy love. It was only Brae and Deus, nothing more. Just in suits and having a lovely picnic. Nothing too out of the ordinary, right? Maybe it was simply their weeks of parting that had caused his swelling of emotion. Taking his hands out of his pockets, Amadeus turned and made a large, sweeping gesture toward the set-up. "Is it to your liking, Lady Stonem?" He smirked mischievously, his age-old nickname for Braeden lightening the mood a bit.
"I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect... as usual." He couldn't help but chuckle at his own admission of his pedantic ways, habits that had been loosened slightly upon his acquaintance with his free-flowing friend. Taking a few steps over to the blanket, he gestured for Brae to take a seat. It was only the proper thing to do, letting the lady sit before the man.