(A/N: Well, I decided to type this up much quicker than I had expected… I think it was the inspiration bug nibbling away…)

(A/N: Well, I decided to type this up much quicker than I had expected… I think it was the inspiration bug nibbling away…)

Title: I Don’t Want A Cliché

Chapter 3: Do You Believe In Magic?

Sapphire eyes gazed across the beautiful stretch of scenery, the sunset dyes dancing on the lush, green hills, the cool and crisp highland air causing the boy’s hair to flutter away from his face, filling him up with a feeling, a sensation so amazing, his breath was taken away. Pure serenity coaxed him to take a step forward and he was at peace, the world felt as if it was a million miles away, Charlie was at the level of complete and utter satisfaction and the male beside him, his friend, simply chuckled softly at the sight of the now distant and faraway gleam in his classmate’s cobalt optics. Sharing his head as the boy didn’t seem to take notice of his laughter and simply immersed himself deeper in the magic of the highlands.

Deep brown eyes caught sight of the fair-skinned and delicate hand hanging by his side, simply swaying to and fro as he felt the urge to dance with the wind now. Harry didn’t laugh at him again, he simply stared at the exposed hand, whose fingers twitched from time to time, showing that he was quite chilly. Chocolate orbs softened and he was so tempted to reach over and grasp that hand and encase it within his, and maybe that magic that seemed to be able to fill the young boy up so easily might channel over to him and maybe even Harry, the male who didn’t believe in happy endings and fairytales, would be able to dive into the abstract and beautiful world of Charlie Dawson…

What exactly was in the land in which he lived in everyday? How would it be like, to look at the world we know it through another’s eyes? The eyes of his best friend, he should be able to understand and imagine what it would be like, but the male was clueless, utterly clueless at what occurred in that distant faraway ‘once upon a time’ fairytale.

The amazed boy simply continued to look at the highlands as if it was his very first time seeing them, and it was indeed. Harry couldn’t blame him for being so swallowed up by the place and he took a fleeting glance around, wondering where his other classmates were. Probably still at the bottom of the hill, he guessed, remembering how the girls had screamed out loud upon seeing the ‘gigantic mountain of doom’ and had shook their heads, begging the teacher to reconsider. But Charlie had simply let out an awed ‘Wow’ and had taken the first few steps towards the hill all by himself. It was Harry’s instinct to follow and, feeling the second presence behind him, the other male had ran up all the way, quite eager to see the top, with his friend tailing him quite easily. It wasn’t like Charlie was the ‘master champion of sports and climbing mountains’.

Giving up on the whole debate on whether or not he should hold his hand, Harry simply looked away, staring at the vast sky with a spark of interest at the large clouds and how the sunset dyes painted them with intricate patterns, lighting them up from below as the sun slowly began to disappear from the hilly horizon, faraway. Trying to go to the same place Charlie was, the male simply tried to believe in fairies, just for a split second, and attempt to venture into lands unknown.

“Harry! Charlie! Teacher says it’s time to go now!” came a female voice, shattering the soft silence they had and soon, a girl with a red ponytail appeared behind them, panting loudly and huffing under her breath. Harry simply nodded his head as Charlie was left to fill himself up with the slight disappointment that was bubbling within him.

‘I should’ve took his hand when I had the chance,’ he thought with regret before he forced a smile, trying to cheer himself up for Harry, bounding over to him and walking by his side, curiously looking around, the distance between them was just mere inches.

-

Draping an arm around his friend’s shoulders, Harry drew the smaller frame to his body, blinking as the soft scent of strawberries and honey danced to his face, his brown eyes looking at the top of the soft, fawn-coloured hair with much interest, chuckling softly as his lower face was buried into the delicate locks now, the fragrance now more prominent as he walked down the hills. A deep red flush had taken refuge on Charlie’s gentle face and the boy was lost for words, deciding not to say anything as he guessed only stuttering would slip out, confusing both him and his best friend, and would probably make Harry take his arm off him, which was something he didn’t want… surprisingly…

Closing his sapphire eyes, he let himself be led like a little sheep blindly, putting his trust in his friend to help him all the way down, a bold arm reaching over to curl around the male’s body, giving the impression that he was a little boy and was clinging so tightly to his older brother, reluctant to let go.

“The highlands are nice, aren’t they?” was the soft muse that slipped into his ear and Harry looked around with much interest now, the smaller teen quite happy that his best friend was able to see the fairyland too. That little haven where imagination ran free, released from their shackles and unconfined within their high fences.

Charlie simply nodded and let out a soft sigh, giggling softly.

“Yeah, nice…”

-

Curled up into a small ball on the soft armchair, the light from inside spilled out into the starry, starry night. The hotel room’s balcony was comfortable, quite comfortable and Charlie closed his sapphire eyes, pressing the side of his face against the cushion, pulling the blanket even more tighter around him, his petite frame barely filling up the chair, so he was quite chilly despite the quilt. Nature sang it’s best choir for him, the crickets and the frogs and all types of other creatures speaking in rhythmic melody and beautifully composed songs. The wind still made the dark trees sway and it sang as well, a soft soprano singing her part while the altos continued the tiny beat.

“Scoot over,” came a soft voice and those cobalt eyes fluttered open, to look up at the towering figure of his friend, holding two warm mugs of hot chocolate, a clear smile painted on his lips. Curiously eyeing the other armchair across from him, the small boy moved all the same, giving him some space to sit on, his ‘be nice to Harry’ instinct acting up again. The warmth was pressed so abruptly to him, it made him jump and his sapphire eyes shot over to the larger male who was now pressed up against him, sitting don calmly with the mug in his hands as he handed over the other cup to him. His slender fingers curled around the cup and he took it gratefully, his eyes glancing back to the starry sky, but he was unable to concentrate now, the closeness of his friend quite distracting…

Carpe Diem…

Leaning into the warmth which was Harry, Charlie sighed softly, a soft bit of laughter closely following, the boy in utter bliss at the whole school trip thing. “I like the highlands…” he murmured softly under his breath, sounding quite sad to part with it in a few days, quite liking the cool air and the pretty sky. “I want to come here every chance I get…” the soft mumbles slipped from his lips as he took a few sips of the hot chocolate, the warm liquid filling him up with a more comfortable sensation. Licking his soft lips, he closed his sapphire eyes once more, nuzzling the side of his face into Harry, close to falling asleep.

“You can, if you want,” was the gentle reply he got as the mug was coaxed from his hands and placed on the small coffee table before them, Harry’s cup joining the lonely mug as well.

“It’ll be too much money if we stayed in a hotel every time…” Charlie retorted, voicing out his complaints and worries like a little child.

“You don’t have to go to a hotel…” Harry answered and that roused the attention of the smaller male, his sapphire eyes now flickering open and looking at him with curiosity now. “My father owns a small cottage around here, close to the little shopping town,” was the explanation that left his lips. Thos cobalt eyes were instantly lit up with strong, burning hope and a grin couldn’t help but appear on those lips. “It would be a long taxi ride, but I don’t think you’ll mind as long as it’s here, right?”

Harry had taken the words out of his mouth…

It was a wonderful prospect, going up here every time they felt like it, just the two of them, taking longer walks around the shopping district and being able to look at more things along the way, unlike the 5 minute browsing time they were allowed when they came with their class. It would be a very, very, very nice holiday…

His amazed look was returned with Harry’s gentle smile and he was brought even closer, curling up like a little cat on his lap, quite ready to fall asleep now.

“Night, Charlie…”

“Goodnight, Harry…”

-

It would be so easy to just kiss you to sleep. I’m sure that you’re quite happy now that my dad has a house here… Should I just top it all off with a cherry on top and passionately kiss you under the starlight? And maybe we would be able to make love the next day and it would be ‘and they lived happily ever after’. But I don’t think it’s the right moment now. That would just be cliché, wouldn’t it?

(A/N: Read and review, it helps me type…)