Tunnels (Lucy!)

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



And if the snow buries my neighborhood

Merle led Lucy from the Hospital Wing, her shoulder all fixed up. She might have a little pain in her shoulder now and then, but hopefully it was going to subside. There was something different about the two though, mainly, they were basically attached at the hip, their fingers intertwined as they walked. He led her from the Wing all the way back to the Common Room.

She had asked him what that made them. He wasn't sure, to be honest. He hadn't done anything like this himself, but he had a pretty good idea of what society expected of them. But was that what they needed? He thought about it only for a few moments, before saying, "Wherever we want it to leave us." he said with a light shrug of his shoulder.

Soon, they were back in the Common Room, back to the roaring fire and the welcoming couches and the books and all the tapestries and flags and what not. He smiled down to her and released her hand. He walked over to where his chair was and picked up his satchel he had left. Moving over to one of the couches, he plopped down on it and began to rifle through his satchel.He pulled out a rather worn looking journal and a pen, setting them on his lap. He stretched his arms out and glanced over to the fire, and then back to her.

"Go get your book. Sit with me and read. You need to rest." he said, offering her a warm smile. The chance to just sit and be close to her was good enough for him.

[Lucy Ferrier]

Lucy nodded her head as they both of them went into the Hufflepuff Common Room. It was nice to be back in the old room and have the warmth all around her again. A part of her wanted to curl up and go to sleep peacefully, but another part of her wanted to stay up with Merle and be in his company.

"Let me get my book and join you out here." Lucy said to him in a small smile. She then left him and went to her room, grabbed the book she was reading and walked back over to him, sitting on the bigger couch and get herself comfortable. Lucy then grabbed the blanket that was on the back of the couch and wrapped herself up in it, more warm coming through her. She smiled, her red hair framing her face and the fire making her face lit up in the darkness. She was back at home, back where she belonged.

She liked having the content silence between the two of them and nothing too awkward was never going to come out. Merle would never let that happen to them, which was nice to think about. She loved being close to him already, and since they were already attached before she kissed him, who knows is they would be attached even more.

She felt her sleepiness get to her, but she tried to stay awake and read her book some more. For her sleep would be a bad idea since she wanted to be with Merle and enjoy his company. But with all that happened with them both within the hour, her stressful practice and another day at school, sleep wanted to take her over and let her relax. The couch wasn't helping since it was so comfortable and the blanket was soothing on her skin.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



And if my parents are crying, then I'll dig a tunnel from my window to yours

As she left, he opened up the leather bound journal to where he had left off and picked up his pen. Placing it to the paper, he began to write. He never let anyone see what he was writing in the journal, not even Lucy. If questioned, he'd insist it wasn't a diary at all, nor was it a story. It wasn't fiction, but then again it wasn't non-fiction, either. What he was writing seemed to be a mystery even to him, until he had finished it. He assumed himself that he would let someone read it when he was finished. Probably Lucy, if he finished it in time. But what if he was in Cornell when he finished it? Would he be able to send her a copy by owl or something?

As she returned from her dormitory, she sat down beside him and curled up with a blanket. He paused only momentarily at his writing to allow her to settle in before smiling lightly and continuing. It was peaceful and quiet. He could feel the warmth pouring off of her, their arms and shoulders brushed up against each other. How in the world did they not get together before this? People seemed to always assume they would be perfect for each other, but now that they were together, what did all of that mean? He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to do! Heck, were they even together? Was that what he wanted? More importantly, was that what she wanted?

She did kiss him, after all.

But it was only a kiss.

He looked down at the pages, to the ink on the paper. His writing was some strange hybrid between cursive and manuscript, legible but not exactly pretty. It sufficed! It got the point across. This particular page he was focused on did not contain large paragraphs as the other pages obviously did (as the ink had somewhat bled through -- at least enough to tell he had written a lot on the page before!), instead, it featured some large mathematical problem that he was working out apparently within his mind.

It was a big project of his, or something, it must have been. Most people didn't do math in their spare time for fun.

But then again, this was Merle we were talking about. Like she had said before, he was a bit odd.

A big project indeed. He likely wouldn't finish it until college was ending. Would he send her a copy? He turned his eyes to the girl curled up next to him. Wait a minute. He had to think about this for a second. What would happen to her? He already had his destiny laid out for him. After he left Hogwarts, he was going back to the United States to go to a Muggle College. She was going to be all alone. Did he really want to get involved with her, only to have to leave at the end of the year?

Leaning over, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"Getting sleepy?" he asked.

He'd worry about that later.

[Lucy Ferrier]

Lucy shook her head and smiled slightly, acting almost like a child in a way in which she didn't want to go to bed just yet, wanting to stay up a little but more. But it was so soothing where she was at that moment, it was almost therpotic to her to have. And with the kiss Merle gave her on the forehead, it was ten times better. It was like a cooling sensation going over her face within a instant from that kiss.

She looked over at him and saw what he was working on: his diary. It was a personal thing for him to have, and he showed no one. Lucy never even read it, and she was glad she didn't. People needed to have something to hold onto, something to write in, and that diary was for Merle. He was private in that sense, wanting to keep that part of his life to himself and no one else. Lucy respected that, she never wanted to pry into certain parts of his life that he wasn't willing to expose.

"I just like being here with you." Lucy replied back to him, reading a couple of more lines and just placing the book back down on her lap. Her mind was too occupied to think about her book, all she could think about was that kiss. She scooted over a bit and leaned her head on his shoulder, finding some comfort with how close he was to her.

"How about you? You getting sleepy?" She asked him in a soft tone, looking up at him slightly from her spot on his shoulder.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



You climb out the chimney
and meet me in the middle of the town

She wasn't sleepy. Somehow, he sensed that was a bit of a white lie. She had to be tired! She had a hard day of practice and it was getting late. He was getting a little sleepy himself. He couldn't help it. There was a roaring fire and he had Lucy practically curled up next to him. She leaned and rested her head on his shoulder, causing a faint pink blush to come to his cheeks. He froze for a moment, but then relaxed, looking down to her. His eyes met hers. This was all so new to him. Even looking at her was different after that kiss in the hospital ward.

But it was only a kiss. Right?

"Yeah. Me too." he managed to murmur, smiling lightly.

She asked if he was sleepy. He was. But he didn't want to go to bed so soon, either. Then again, they had potions together bright and early in the morning. "Maybe a little." he said with a gentle smile, his head leaning down to nuzzle against hers softly as he wrote a few more lines of the equation. Apparently, he had the entire thing memorized and was just copying it down from memory! His head continued to rest atop hers, his left hand busily scribbling at the journal. Yes. Merle was left handed!

"We have Potions tomorrow morning, you know." he said, grinning somewhat. He was actually good at Potions. Pausing in his writing, he closed his pen inside his journal, closing the book. "And Defense Against the Dark Arts... and then we have to stay up for Astronomy." he said with grin slowly creeping up on his face. He nudged her lightly. "You sure you'll be able to stay awake through class if you stay up longer?" he teased. She had had a big day today, what with practice and her injury . . . and they had an even longer day tomorrow. At least, Merle did. But he could deal with it. He could stay up late and be fine. He'd come back to the Common Room and crash on the couch tomorrow if it was really bad, but he doubted he'd be that sleep deprived if he stayed up just a little while longer with her.

[Lucy Ferrier]

Lucy smiled and closed her eyes when he nuzzled against hers and felt more warmth coming through it. He had somewhat a beautiful effect on her, from a small smile on his face or their physical contact with one another, that effect was becoming addictive as she laced her fingers with his on his spare hand.

"Don't remind me about tomorrow." She replied in a mutter and then giggled, knowing that he knew she was kidding. She always had a long day ahead of her, turning into long weeks and long months. Sometimes it was fine with her, other times it was horrid. She just wanted to relax with her book, or with Merle. That kiss she gave him, it was burned into her brain for the rest of her life. She knew that for certain, as she looked up at him once again.

"You know, I've wanted to kiss you for awhile." Lucy said to him in a soft tone, sitting up and looked at him on the couch, "And I do want to be with you, as silly as it sounds. But I feel.....normal when I'm with you." She did want to tell him the truth instead of kissing him again and again. Talking was another factor in a relationship, she did love talking to him about anything and everything under the sun and over the moon.

She just hoped he felt the same way about this.

How could he not? He did kiss her back in the hospital wing on the bed, right? It felt like he did, and that itself made her go crazy in a positive manner. She was so glad he kissed her back, but now that lead them in a situation: whether to be a couple or never speak of it again. That would crush Lucy and her spirit, making everything else in life seem less bearable more painful.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



And since there's no one else around,
we let our hair grow long

He chuckled lightly as she mentioned not wanting to be reminded about tomorrow. He rarely ever dreaded days, except for a scarce few that brought back bad memories, but those days were few and far between. Most of the time, he was happy. He didn't let things get to him. She had a long day ahead of her, what with all her classes and practice. He just had classes and the rest of his time to himself. She laced her fingers with his and he smiled gently, but shifted as well as she moved to sit up and look at him.

Her words caused a blush to come back onto his cheeks -- it was looking like that was going to be a constant feature of the boy's face! Hopefully, someday, he'd become used to this sort of contact with her. Well, perhaps not "used" to it, but accustomed. He'd stop blushing over every little touch or word. He'd warm up to her physically eventually, right? He squeezed her hand lightly in return and then her words caused the blush to deepen once more. How long had she been fanning the flames on that little crush of hers? For that matter, how long had he been steeping his?

Was that even what it was?

He was certainly attracted to her on a physical level -- she was very pretty. She had a certain brightness in her eyes that he adored, and that was quite clear in his eyes whenever he looked at her. It was a wonder that people hadn't been buggering them to get together. Even if they had been, Merle let it slip from his mind, filing it under silly jokes that people tease each other with. After all, Lucy was just a friend, right?

Not anymore.

"I know. I feel the same way, I guess. I feel like I don't have to make excuses or explain myself with you. " he offered her a light smile, his eyes trailing from her own eyes down to her lips, and then to their laced fingers. His thumb caressed over her hand lightly. "I'm... not sure what I'm supposed to do. I've never really been in a relationship before. " he said. "I mean, not that we have to be in a relationship, unless you wanted. I mean. . . I wouldn't mind." he said.

[Lucy Ferrier]

"I've never been in one either." Lucy said to him in a honest tone, a small smile on her face. She never had one really, no boy ever wanted to get to know her. She was more into her books and quiiditch than flirting and trying to seduce boys like her classmates. It was all new to her, like learning a new language or a new art form. Maybe it was like flying all over again, learning how to fly and when to dive or when to climb on the broomstick.

Everything was new.

"I do want this, with you. I can't think of anyone else I want this with, and we can take this slow, real slow if you want. I don't mind taking it slow with you." Lucy explained to him, since she knew the both of them rushing into it when they could take their time and get comfortable. And it wasn't a huge leap, only small steps that they could take together. Lucy would be scared if it was going to be rushed, but something she also knew they Merle wouldn't want to rush it either. The two of them already knew it other very well, and they could sense if the other was having a hard time or going through something very rough.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



And forget all we used to know

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"Somehow I don't think we'll have to worry too much about that." he said with a smirk. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. This was a bit different from what he had seen portrayed on muggle television. Usually, people met as strangers, asked each other out on dates and then got to know each other. But what about if you already knew someone? If you were already close friends with them?

What if the person was your best friend? Merle couldn't think of anyone else having that role in his life, at least, not of best friend. Maybe he'd meet more friends in college, but Lucy was his closest as of right now. And now, he was dating her. They wouldn't have to go through the whole getting to know each other because they were already close. So what did that leave them? Would they just continue on their lives as normal, except now they would kiss and hug?

And maybe more, down the road?

At least, that was what Merle assumed would happen. Rather, he assumed things would be pretty normal between them, save for the fact that they could 'legally' kiss each other. But where would they do that? In the Common Room? In the hall, stealing kisses behind the pillars? The poor boy didn't even know what a can of worms he'd open up once they started being openly affectionate with each other. He'd get attached, fall for her, and crave her attention more and more.

"So, now that I'm your boyfriend, I guess that means I can kiss you all I want to now, huh?" he grinned teasingly, leaning forward again to press a quick peck on her cheek, pulling away from her with that boyish grin of his. His eyes were alight with happiness.

[Lucy Ferrier]

Lucy smiled from his reaction and she snuggled a bit closer to him, loving how nice it was to be close and breathe him in. Somehow he always smelled like the shower wash he used, ever after a full day of school and other sorts. It was a soothing scent for her to breathe in. She felt his hand in hers and it made her heart skip a little bit.

"I guess we can kiss, if you want." She replied back to him, only yo stick out her tongue in retaliation and then just smiling up at him. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, holding it slightly and feeling her inside melt all over again. She then looked back at the fire in front of them both, seeing it dancing in the fireplace. When it came to kissing him, she was going to have to used to having that wonderful feeling go off in her stomach over and over again, it was a wonderful and soothing and exciting and fiery feeling, like flipping in the air or tasting a new chocolate that came into the store. She wondered about the next day and how it was going to go.

She had four classes tomorrow, which was normal for her, and then some down time for a little bit and then some more practice to work through. She then hoped that her shoulder would stay at least decent until the weekend where she was free from practice, a least a little free since practice was cut short for the weekend. Her first game was coming up for the school year, so it was going to be a exciting game. Lucy was beyond excited to get ready for the game, being able to play against another house and dominate. When it came to competition with quidditch, she was rather competitive.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



then our skin gets thicker
from living out in the snow.

[/color]

He actually used homemade soap to bathe himself. It was made from cactus flowers, or something like that. It smelled sweet, but also fresh and his skin was always smooth and clear. Occasionally he had to write home to request more soap from his mother, and he'd end up using store bought soap and he hated every minute of it. He just didn't feel as good using other soap. For his shampoo, he used tea tree shampoo.

You wouldn't think it, given it's somewhat shagginess, but Merle was quite attached to his hair. Secretly, he loved having it played with, or touched. His scalp was quite sensitive, and sooner or later, Lucy would find out it was one of his sweet spots. Drove him nuts -- in a good way. They parted from the kiss and she turned back to the fire.

Scotland was a bit on the cold side for ol' Merle. He was used to hot, humid summers. Not this sweaters all year stuff. But by now he was starting to get used to it. He'd never quite enjoy not having the blazing hot sun during the summer, but he tolerated it. Soon, he'd be going to a far colder place. New York. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close as they sat on the couch. That was what he was supposed to do, right? Put his arm around her? It certainly felt nice. He could feel his heart thundering in his chest, quite certain that she could probably hear it if they were quiet enough.

They had three classes together tomorrow, plenty of time to spend together. Merle was looking forward to it, at least, until class was over. Tomorrow was also the anniversary of his grandmother's passing. She had passed away during his third year, so it had been a few years but he was always a bit sensitive around that time of year, hence his homesickness earlier that evening. He rested his head atop hers, letting his eyes slide shut for a moment as he relaxed with her.

"You'll tell me if your shoulder starts hurting again, right?" he murmured. He didn't want to have to take her back down to the Hospital Wing, but if it was still hurting it needed to be done. She couldn't be playing on an injury, it might get worse.

[Lucy Ferrier]

Lucy nodded her head, her head still on his shoulder and his hair was a bit close to her eyes. She looked up at his hair, seeing how soft it looked and how she wanted to touch. It sounded so silly, so childish, but who says that she wasn't? So Lucy, being very careful and moved her spare hand that wasn't attached to Merle's hand, reached up and moved some of his hair away from his eyes that were blocking him from looking at her.

His hair was very soft indeed, making her wonder what he was using to shampoo his hair. It was so nice to just feel it between her fingers, another anchor she can use in their relationship. She rang her fingers through the hair that was close to him, making her smile to see his reaction. She knew from her brother that running through the hair was soothing when one was stressed. She would do it to herself, but it wasn't as big as a deal as it was to some people. Maybe it was different for Merle.

"Maybe, I could kiss you again?" She asked him in a sheepish tone. Well she was new to this, and that last thing she wanted to go was kiss him and totally throw him off. Well, she must of already done that before in the hospital wing, but it turned out to be better since they were....together. Yeah, they were together officially then. It was totally new for her, to call him her significant other, her boyfriend, but at least they didn't have to jump through hoops to get to know him well enough. She knew him well enough already. She knew his favorite food, color, and others as well when others didn't know at all.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



You change all the lead sleeping in my head to gold

[/color]

If she wasn't careful, she was going to reduce him to a drooling, incoherent mess piled up in her lap with the way she touched him.

As soon as her fingertips brushed through his head he froze for a moment, his eyes shooting open at the surprise. As she brushed her fingers through his head he practically melted into her touch, leaning into her hand. His eyes closed and he nearly shuddered as she continued to brush through his dark hair. He couldn't even form a cohesive response to her question, for science's sake! His heart was pounding faster and faster, the hairs on his arms standing at attention. She gave him goosebumps.

"D-darling..." He managed to murmur out, his free hand coming up to take her wrist gently in his hand, pulling her hand down to his lips to press a kiss to her palm. His eyes slowly fluttered open, his cheeks red with . . . well, it wasn't embarrassment, what could it possibly be? The redness seemed to travel down to his neck and shoulders, too! He bit his lip softly as he looked at her, a light smile on his face as he regarded her.

"You're playing with fire now, you know. I think... I think I might like that a little too much." he murmured somewhat sheepishly. He had no reason to be embarrassed around this girl, but it was all so new, so different. This girl knew even the most miniscule details about him, like that his favorite color was green and that his favorite food was crawfish etouffée (which he could never eat during the school year!) and that he was left handed. His nose was so close to hers, practically brushing against her own as they sat there. He nuzzled his cheek against her hand, the one that had just been in his hair. He had a dreamy sort of look in his eyes that seemed to beg for her touch, for that connection with her. He felt like he was about to choke on his heart, which was now thundering up in his throat, finding it a little hard to breathe.

"I feel like I've just woken up." he murmured, his eyes locking on hers. "I mean... I just... It feels so good, my brain can't even process it all." he grinned, pressing another kiss to the palm of her hand. He had never quite felt this way before, and certainly, her gentle touch was part of the reason why he was feeling this way. Physical touch was an exceedingly strong way of bonding, especially when there was already the emotional bond there as a foundation. Part of him wanted nothing more than to just melt into her lap as she played with his hair, but then again, it was definitely something he could see getting the best of him. She might also like the power she had over him. To be honest, he liked it, too.

He had it bad.

[Lucy Ferrier]

Seeing Merle unwind in front of her, seeing him close his eyes and practically melt in her hand that was against his cheek then, it took her breath away. Merle was always a bit predictable, and he always knew what to do and was always in one piece: until that moment. It was like something inside of him clicked on, something that made him so vulnerable and so exposed. How could she do that to him? Was it something she did with her fingers, she wondered as she did it again to her hair. Her fingers found his scalp and she smiled leaning towards him and pressing her lips to him firmly.

It was hard only stay still with him now that they established that they were a couple. He was always there to ground her if she went too high, hold her when her heart would break from her grandparents, make her laugh from a joke he heard from a book he read, everything about him made her so happy and so real: it was hard to see things without him in it.

It was hard to see life without him in it. She was so gone in him it was bad.

She kept her lips pressed to him, her other hand holding his squeezed slightly to silently show him that she meant this kiss, she truly meant it. She wasn't a experienced kisser, and she hoped to god that Merle wasn't either. But that kiss shot through her like electricity and made her toes curl.

Since she was never a forward girl, this was new for her to encounter and do. But she never wanted to let go of him, not after that kiss inthe hospital wing. She loved the closeness, she loved the touch of his skin that made her own skin crawl and freeze over.

[Merle Shepherdson]

M E R L E
s h e p h e r d s o n



As the day grows dim, I hear you sing a golden hymn

[/color]

Yes. Yes it was something she did with her fingertips that was causing him to melt into her touch. She continued her gentle ministrations, his eyes closing and his lips quivering, trying to stifle a moan as she touched him. Her lips soon muffled the sound, though, his hand squeezing hers tightly in response. This was getting to be a bit much for Merle. He was always the rational one, the one whose seat was planted firmly in reason. He could help others with their problems, allaying their fears with logic and a bit of compassion.

But this?

There was no reasoning or rationalizing that could calm his heart, which felt as if it were going to explode and spill boiling hot blood all through his chest. He couldn't reason with himself why he felt that way. Sure, there were hormones definitely present, drawing him to be close to her, but that wouldn't account for the way he felt, would it? Emotionally, at least. He pressed his lips against hers, just as inexperienced as she -- those shy, awkward first kisses that still felt amazing because they were with someone with whom you shared a connection. And he definitely had chemistry with Lucy. How had he not felt this before, he would wonder later on. It was still a mystery to him.

With her hand still buried in his hair, he pulled from her kiss -- though not by much. Their noses still touched and his eyes locked on hers. He felt incredibly close to her as he nuzzled his nose against her own, his eyes locked on hers. He couldn't help but smile gently, his own hand shakily coming up to brush through the bright red strands of hair, tucking them behind her ears. "It's . . . going to be hard to sleep, now, thanks to you." he couldn't help but tease, planting another chaste but affectionate kiss on her lips. "Too busy to sleep. Thinking about you." he grinned wider, his hand brushing through her hair. His hand trailed over her shoulder, down her back, resting at her waist.

"If I miss potions class because of you, I'll be in big trouble, you know." he said, his nose nudging hers playfully.

"I'll get detention, and then I won't see you allllll night. You know how mean Professor Bryce is. . . " he continued teasing. His fingertips lightly dug into her side, tickling her.

No matter how mean Professor Bryce was, Merle was ten times more evil, especially with tickling.