December 9th, 1892 @mdash; Winnie’s Boarding Room, Pennyworth
Bronwyn Moony

There was little use denying the extent to which Dory was struggling. He wasn’t sure where or when it had happened but somewhere along the way his feelings for Mabel ran deeper than a simple passing fling. He’d known any involvement with her outside of friendship would ruin them and still Dory carried on with the affair. Still, he carried on making mistake after mistake until there was nothing left between them but ashes.

Somehow, Winnie was able to recognize he was going through something as she had seemingly disappeared into the shadows. He hadn’t ever said anything about Mabel, but she had to have known there was someone, right? The same way he knew she had regained her confidence and had found another partner shortly before his fling began. Telling her about Mabel felt strange though, as if he would be crossing a line he didn’t know existed until now. Would he want to know if she had fallen for someone else? Dory immediately knew the answer to be a resounding no. Still, Winnie deserved some sort of explanation for the distance. Some sort of reasoning to justify how they’d gone from practically living together to going days without speaking.

Determined to at least say hello to her, Dory floo’d to her place shortly after arriving home from work only to find her room empty and fire cold. Earlier this year he would have simply waited for  her, sprawled out on her bed with his novel until she came back. However, now waiting felt awkward, like this wasn’t his space to occupy anymore. Perhaps it wasn’t. They’d never had the talk they were building towards in June, they never specified what their relationship was to be. Winnie had every right to fall in love with someone else, just as he had. No, he couldn’t wait in her room, for if she arrived home with a lover he wasn’t sure how he’d react.

Penning a quick note to leave on her desk — proof that he’d been here, proof that he was trying to bridge the distance he’d created — Dory headed back to the fireplace and was seconds away from grabbing a fistful of powder when the small space lit up green. “Er - hi,” he awkwardly greeted, taking a few steps back to allow her room.

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   Gus Lissington

Winnie was, for all intents and purposes, quite content with how she lived her life. Her work was important to her and to those she worked with, she was fulfilled in that respect. Personally she was a bit in shambles these days, but didn't let on much. She had distractions and now that Gus was home for good, she had him to pester when she needed someone close. His being at Hogwarts was a bit of a hindrance most of the time, but they still managed to make time.

Like today, she had harangued him into accompanying her on some Christmas shopping for her extended family. Not to mention she had finally gotten those clothes back from him from their late August downpour adventure. She'd flooed home with Gus right behind her, the lure of cocoa as her ruse to get some human contact out of him. Winnie was a simple creature, she enjoyed physical touch just a bit too much and at least Gus was willing to accommodate her need for snuggles without any strings attached. Just two friends spending time together.

Coming out of the fireplace in a bright green rush, Winnie stepped forward so Gus could follow through, but she stopped short when she found Dory standing in her empty room. She stood with his clean clothes in hand, face flushed from the cold outside and from all of the laughter today. The smile slipped from her face into something more akin to surprise, forgetting to move further into the room to allow for Gus to exit the fireplace. "Dory," She managed, rearranging her face into something more neutral.

The fireplace lit up green once more behind her and Winnie felt Gus bump right into her, which finally propelled her to move.

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When Winnie asked if she wanted to do something, Gus wasn’t one to say no if he could help it; they’d been friends for so long and whenever they shared a bed, it was for platonic cuddles. He didn’t care if her legs were tangled in his or if her head was against his chest – hell, sometimes he ran his fingers through her hair because he could. It was nice not to have expectations of what was going to come from it – Winnie knew all his secrets.

Today she’d roped him into some Christmas shopping with the promise of hot cocoa at the end, and he was ready for it. His fingers were cold  and he had a wicked plan to stick his fingers against Winnie’s back while she was heating the water just to watch her yelp; it was payback for making him march around in the frigid weather. His toes too, were numb. They curled in his shoes before he stepped forward to step out of the fireplace as he stepped right into Winnie.

Instantly his hand went to rest against her hip to prevent her from falling over, although his eyes were trained on the man in front of them. He kept his hand against her as he raised his other hand to rub the back of his head before he let out a slightly nervous laugh; Win hadn’t mentioned having any company over and he wouldn’t have followed her home if he’d known. “Uh, hi.” He said and then he cleared his throat.

“You okay Win?” Gus murmured as he finally cast his eyes toward her.

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Despite his sudden awkwardness, Dory felt a tidal wave of relief wash over him as he took her in for what felt like the first time in months. They weren't meant to be apart this long, last winter and spring had taught him that. "Hey Win-" he began to greet, a lengthy explanation already forming in his mind when the fireplace lit up green once more.

Fuck. Fuck.

Another man stood only inches from her. Another man had his hand on her hip — too intimate a place for any mere friend to touch. There was another man here, and Dory was obviously intruding on what was meant to be an otherwise enjoyable evening. "Sorry, Win." Dory apologized in a rush, already stepping out of the way to allow them room so he might escape. "I left you a no-" He stopped dead in his tracks, his brows furrowing in immediate irritation and confusion.

In her hands was a neatly folded bundle of instantly recognizable clothes. His clothes. Dory realized it'd been some time since he was last here, but never once did it occur to him that their personal property was to be seized. Should he have given Mabel her things then? Should he have lied about who the ring was for? The irritation bubbled into something angrier. "Are those my clothes?" He asked instead, all apologies gone from his tone.

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If it wasn't Gus behind her, with his hand on her hip, this could have been a sticky situation. She passed Dory a half-smile, wondering just what he was doing here, but she supposed they didn't and hadn't ever really needed a reason. Except it had been a while; she'd gotten the hint he was going through something that required space from her and that was fine, but it had left a hole that Gus filled nicely since his return. Minus the sex of course. But snuggles and cocoa were almost as good. Plus she could always call on Beck or her neighbor down the hall if she was feeling that lonely.

The tone with which Dory's question hit her ears was curious. It was accusatory and out of the blue. Instinctually she leaned back into Gus, away from Dory, unsure how to handle him right now. Gus was constant, Gus was safe, whereas Dory right now was uncertain and it left her feeling uneasy. "Yes," She aimed the first answer at Gus. "And yes," She turned back toward Dory with a raised eyebrow, suddenly on the defensive for some weird reason. "Gus borrowed them after we got soaked in the park some months ago, it took a while to get them back." The explanation was the truth, she didn't see why it would be a big deal. This was Gus they were talking about.

"Keep your voice down or we'll all be in trouble," She warned after the fact, thinking that her neighbors didn't need to hear she had two someones she was not supposed to have in her small room.

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Gus watched the pair with interest, his head tilting as he took in the other man, wondering what in the world he was doing here; surprising Winnie at her place sounded like a terrible idea, but he was guilty of doing that a time or two when he really needed to see her. His face twisted into some akin to anger and Gus tapped his fingers against her hip as she leaned back against him. He fidgeted when he was nervous  and he definitely wasn’t trying to mark Winnie as his – she wasn't, for sure. Their snuggles were purely platonic.

Instead he flicked his gaze back up to Dory and offered him an easy smile. Winnie had the told in what happened. “Ah, sorry. I meant to give them back to Win a lot earlier but life just got busy.” He’d moved back into Hogwarts and then the term started; having clothes that didn’t belong to him hadn’t crossed his mind until Winnie had brought them back up recently. “I hope you don’t mind?” At least he hoped he didn’t because whoops, it’d already happened and he didn’t have a time turner to stop himself from changing into them.

Gus winced then and mumbled an apology; he was loud by nature so keeping it down was going to be interesting. Part of him felt like he should leave because whatever they needed to hash out he probably shouldn’t see, but the protective part of him wanted to make sure Win was safe. (More so he wanted to be able to hold her if she needed emotional support.)

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There was no mistaking her step backwards or the strange (but familiar, where did Dory know this guy from?) man's moving against her hip. It was as though he'd fallen asleep and awoken in some mystical dream land where nothing made sense. When had he ever given Winnie the impression that she ought to fear him? Fuck, hadn't he proven the lengths he would go to for her? And she had backed away as though he would do anything more than argue.

"Right, yeah sure." Dory nodded, not believing a word of the story. What did it matter if he believed them or not anyway? Winnie had every right to invite whomever into her bed, just as he had. Another man had (quite literally) filled his shoes in her life, even growing as close to her as to have access to her floo. Dory had no right to feel as irritated as he did, a fact he was constantly reminding himself of as he kept his gaze from the hand on her hip.

He had to leave before he said something foolish.

Dory stepped to the side, completely clearing the path into her room so that they might leave the fireplace. He'd walk right out the door, but the matron of the boarding house wouldn't take too kindly to his presence. More than that, she might retaliate by evicting Winnie. "Right. Well, I'm sorry for intruding on your evening. I uh- yeah. I'll see you soon, I guess?"

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What was happening here? First he seemed angry and then deflated and now he was leaving. Winnie's head hurt already and she didn't even know what was going on. She had no idea what Dory was thinking, but his tone suggested he did not believe her. What, did he think she and Gus were together? That thought had her nearly laughing aloud, but she thought better of it. She needed to know what it was Dory was here for and so she had to just make the time now.

Sighing, she made up her mind rather quickly. "You stay put." She pointed a finger at Dory. "I'm sorry but you will have to take a rain check on cocoa." Winnie looked up, over her shoulder at Gus with a wry sort of smile. Sure would much rather have cocoa and snuggle in bed with Gus tonight than fight with Dory right now, but Win worried if she let Dory floo out tonight, that would be the last time she would see him. Despite their prolonged distance from one another, she rarely thought it would ever be permanent. Tonight she had the sinking feeling there was a serious reason for his visit.

"Let me know when you get home for your holiday break." Win hated to boot Gus now, because she hadn't the foggiest what was up with Dory and she did owe Gus for his company today, but she would certainly make it up to him another time. At least one of them men standing here with her was easygoing.

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Oh boy was this getting awkward. Gus could only quietly chuckle as he rubbed the back of his hand wondering what in the world he’d gotten into. He’d really just come for the hot cocoa and snuggles and now he was being stared down by Dory like he was a predator to Winnie; on the contrary, there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do to protect his best friend. He tilted his head and observed him for a moment before deciding that yes, he could probably curse him faster if he needed to. (Not that he wanted that to happen.)

He tried to smile at the other man but it was forced and awkward, but luckily his focus was pulled from him when he felt Winnie shift against him. “Yeah, of course Win.” Gus felt uneasy about leaving them alone, but whatever they needed to hash out was between them. It didn’t stop him from pressing a kiss to the top of Winnie’s head as he stepped back away from her. “I’ll owl you later. Let me know if you need me to come by sooner?” Because he’d come back to her side in an instant if she needed him. He had a gut feeling she might need someone tonight.

Then Gus raised a hand back toward the other man and offered him a better, less awkward smile this time. “Have a um, good night.” And without that, he stepped back and grabbed a handful of powder into his hands to toss into the fireplace. Maybe he’d see if Honeydukes had any hot cocoa out yet…

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It was the kiss on her forehead that broke his commitment to staying put as she had firmly instructed. The kiss was so soft and familiar that there had to be more to their encounter than just hot cocoa. It was a kiss that Dory himself had given her thousands of times over their decade of friendship. A kiss he had envisioned giving her after tonight even.

"No Gus-" his voice catching on the other man's name, his frustration evident. Had Winnie begun to fear him somehow? Had she confided in some other man? Is that why Gus was posturing as if she needed protection? Dory was further agitated by the very thought. When had he ever hurt her? When had he ever given her cause for fear?

"You stay. I have nothing to say anymore tonight anyway." The note said otherwise, the note explained that he'd come to finally work through the underlying tension between them, that he hoped she would come to his tonight. She would find it or she wouldn't, with any luck it would be morning when she discovered it and he would already have left for work. Perhaps another three months of infrequent and missed meetings was for the best.

Stepping around Winnie, Dory reached for his own fistful of floo powder, determined to abandon all plans for the night.

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What the ever-loving fuck was going on right now? Gus was hesitating, Dory was still determined to leave and Winnie was growing more agitated by the minute.

"Fine, both of you go." She growled, in no mood anymore. She threw Dory's clothes at him angrily. Her relaxing evening with Gus was shot, she would just be sour and petulant, so he may as well salvage his evening with better company and Dory, well he could fuck right off if that was what he wanted to do. "For the record, he probably has far more interest in sleeping with you than I do right now. I'm allowed to have friends I don't screw, Dorian." She looked from Gus briefly to Dory, hoping he wouldn't be too upset with her for tossing that out there so carelessly. It wasn't as if Dory could talk. They probably would have a good time together if this wasn't so messy. "If that's what you think is going on right now."

She was all riled up now and it all came spilling out in a hurried, forceful whisper, trying to heed her own warming about volume; they were both was about to get more than they bargained for this evening. "But excuse me for needing a little human contact in your absence while I gave you the space you needed to figure out whatever the fuck it is you needed to figure out. Forgive me for still having nightmares and for flinching in the presence of an angry man, no matter who it is." She fucking hated it, that raw instinct to retreat in self-preservation. She had nearly asked her brother to teach her to box in the aftermath. "That's all I have to say on the matter." Win pressed her fingers to her temples. She would owe Gus a lot of cocoa for this and probably a whole box of those damn peppermint chocolate frogs he liked so much.

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Gus paused as his name left Dory’s lips, the floo powder still clutched in his hand; he felt like he was intruding on a moment he shouldn’t be in and he knew Winnie was capable of taking care of herself. The very fact that he was here with her seemed to grate on the other man’s nerves but surely he had to understand that he and Winnie were friends. (And had been for a very long time.) “I’m sorry for intruding on whatever erm… this was meant to be.” Even though he’d never be apologetic for spending time with Winnie.

He winced when she growled, the agitation she was feeling evident. Maybe he shouldn’t have hesitated and let whatever they needed to say happen without prying ears. Turning to leave, he shuffled backward as Dory came near the fireplace. Then his entire face flushed red, and Gus laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. “She is uh… right. In that aspect. I’m not here to sleep with her. Honestly just came by to spend time with her and you know… drink some cocoa. Winnie makes the best and knows how to melt the chocolate just right…” He chuckled underneath his breath again as he reached up to deposit the floo powder back into its place.

His heart dropped into his stomach at the thought of her being frightened of anyone. Then he reached forward to take Winnie’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze before he let it go, just to silently show his support; at this point he knew how much he touched Winnie must grate on Dory’s nerves, but Gus had always been a tactical person, especially with his friends.

“You should stay if you need to talk to her.” Gus turned his eyes toward Dory then and gave him a little shrug. “I can make us some cocoa while you guys hash some things out?” It was more of a question than a statement and he turned toward Winnie with a small grin and a shrug; he'd leave if she asked him to, no questions asked.

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The shock of the revelation lasted all of a second before Dory was distracted by Winnie's outburst. Of course she could have friends she didn't sleep with — everyone did, didn't they? — only such friends didn't typically visit a bedroom at a boarding house. (They also didn't show up in tears at a flat, but Maple ultimately wasn't only a friend.) He abandoned the floo powder and instead leant against the brick of the fireplace. Leaving, while still the best option to prevent misunderstandings, simply wasn't possible when Winnie was fuming like this.

He would have shouted back at her had Gus not intervened. Instead, a muted nod came from him as he stared down at the floor. The hand holding, the cocoa, it was all too much for Dory to process while still turning over the blame she placed upon his head. Hadn't she begun the distancing first? His growing loneliness was what sent him down the path with Mabel. It was the catalyst that made their short lived affair rational. Winnie had been moving on - the random man she saw him out and about proved that. So, naturally, he was then allowed to move on himself. Dory never would have gotten involved with Mabel (ruined Mabel) had he thought Winnie was still at all invested in whatever was happening with them.

"You stopped coming by first." Dory stated after a too long period of silence on his part, his gaze finally lifting to lock on hers. The frustration was still there, only it was now being tempered by his fear of hurting her. He knew all about the angry man, said man's blood still stained a pair of his trousers. Fuming or not, Dory would always do his best to not hurt her.

Explaining this with Gus present was awkward at best. Dory still didn't like the man; he could scarcely look in his direction without glowering, and he'd yet to offer him a full sentence in response to anything said. But, Gus was going to make cocoa and Winnie was obviously upset and Dory couldn't leave with her like that. "I was planning to ask you to move in with me and then we just ... stopped seeing as much of one another." He offered in a low voice.

The hands that had been shoved in his pockets instead folded across his chest. The next bit he was meant to explain was Mabel, which he simply couldn't around Gus. Dory knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Winnie was trustworthy, that what happened with Mabel would be safe with her. Gus on the other hand was an anomaly who might not have as tight of lips. Sighing, he frowned deeply. There was no way to explain his recent absence without mentioning Mabel, fuck.

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With nothing in her hands, she balled up her fists by her sides. Even Gus' compliments were not enough to quell the swirling storm of emotions she had let surface. She and Dory were going to need to hash this out and it couldn't be done with poor Gus in the room. Bless him and everything he had done and continued to do for her, but he really didn't want to be here for this. She and Dory were messy and mean and it got personal, which she didn't want to subject Gus to. The squeeze of his hand was enough to ground her for a moment and she lost some of her bite. She couldn't address what Dory had just said to her, was hardly processing it, and she needed Gus to not be tinkering with cocoa while they did this.

"Gus, I love you, get out, please. I will owl you later." Win would too, she knew she was going to need him in some capacity in the next twenty-four hours. She rubbed her hand across her forehead, sighing softly. Winnie was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Dory had just said something about asking her to move in at some point and she couldn't even think about when that could have a happened. They needed to lay it all out on the table, their way, without distractions. She feared this might break them, but she only had one way to find out.

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Some people wanted to be a fly on the wall for conversations, but that wasn’t Gus for this situation. Dory began to talk and he all but ducked his head to pretend that he wasn’t there, because this didn’t seem like something he should be privy to. Winnie would, if she wanted, give him the details if she felt he needed them, and really as long as she was safe and happy, it didn’t matter how much she shared with him. It was her life to live and Gus was happy to be apart of it.

He let out a breath he’d been holding; nothing in him wanted to be here while the two hashed out their differences, and at Winnie’s insistence of leaving he figured she’d be ok without him. He turned toward her and offered a gentle smile before he shuffled to stand in front of her. “If you need me, I promise I won’t be far. Love you too Win.” He wanted to press another kiss against her forehead but her hand was in the way, so instead he squeezed her arm and stepped past her.

There, he stopped next to Dory and offered him an awkward grin. “Erm... have a good night, I guess.” He wanted to add to not be too harsh on Winnie, but he didn’t have a dog in the fight. Instead he shrugged at him. Then he grabbed a handful of the powder to floo to Hogsmeade, because now he had a real hankering for Honeyduke cocoa.

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   Daffodil Grimstone

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Gus' tenderness and assurances took the last of the fight out of Winnie. Maybe it was a good thing he'd stuck around for a little while so she was forced to cool down. She'd needed him more than she realized lately.

Once he was gone, she pinched the bridge of her nose one more time and took a deep breath before turning your blue eyes on Dory's handsome face. "He's my best friend and he's not going anywhere, so either get used to it or don't, but I can't keep doing this anymore." They were up, then down and the highs were really high and the lows were really low. Their once very casual sex had turned into something else entirely and she wouldn't mind if it didn't change with the frequency of the tides.

"This is a mess, we're a mess and something has to give." Winnie would never forget what he did for her in the wake of the attack, but it seemed like the moment she had started to get on her feet again, back to her independence, they had drifted far apart once more. She had eased up on her visits, he was right about that, but she felt like she was overstaying her welcome and suffocating him. Then the stretches went longer and longer and the floo worked both ways. And then, just like last time with the potion, he shows up out of the blue, months later and they were fighting yet again. It was exhausting.

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