EIGHT I SEE THROUGH YOU

"Bram, can we talk?" Bram hears someone call him as he walked out of the Great Hall after breakfast. He figured he didn't have much of a choice considering a hand was wrapped around his upper arm and pulling him away from an unsuspecting Skyler. He didn't mind, it wasn't like they had classes since it was a weekend. The school was mainly just teeming with the excitement of the oncoming first task. However, Bram was anxious for an entirely different reason -- a reason that was now pulling Bram into the courtyard.

He hadn't spoken to Fred since their conversation in which a few unsavory things about Bram were revealed and he had honestly intended to keep it that way, but it seemed the universe above was against those wishes as this situation was rather unavoidable at this point.

"Can you at least not manhandle me if you're going to pull me against my will?" he started off, making a show of brushing off his sleeve where Fred had gripped in. In reality, the touch had made his skin warm beneath the other's fingertips, but that was something he was going to keep for himself. He had exposed himself to Fred enough.

"Oh, please, like I had any other choice," Fred scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning against the pillar. The air was cold, an effect of the oncoming season, so Bram crossed his arms as well in an attempt to keep him warm. "You've been avoiding me!"

The boy scoffed, "And can you take a guess as to why?"

"I don't hate you, Bram," the ginger revealed, his expression softening in a way that would have Bram weak in the knees if they were in any other situation. "I was just... I don't know. Taken by surprise. You surprised me."

"Oh, I surprised you? How do you think I felt when I found out, Fred?" He knew sarcasm and anger weren't the answer, but he couldn't stop the words from leaving his mouth if he tried. It almost felt good to stand up for himself, but he wished it wasn't Fred that he had to stand up to. In fact, he wished this wasn't happening at all.

Across from him, Fred sighed. There was something in his expression that Bram couldn't place and he wasn't going to waste his time attempting to figure it out. There was nothing he wanted more than to understand what Fred was feeling right now, but he was impossible to read in a way that he never had been before. This was wholly new for Bram and he despised it. Fred was supposed to be one of his best friends yet here they stand now -- feeling like strangers.

"I'm sorry," the words finally left Fred's mouth, catching the other boy by surprise. "I shouldn't have pushed you into accidentally telling me something personal like that, I had no right to know and the way I reacted must have made you feel..."

"Like shit?" Bram supplied when the boy seemed to be at a loss.

Fred laughed, a small smile forming on his face, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, like shit. Listen, Bram, I never want anything to come between us, this included. I know we all tease and push you around, but I really do... love you. You're one of my best friends."

"I can't believe it," Bram fought back the smile threatening to form as he tried to remain serious. The panic in Fred's eyes was absolutely worth the restraint, he'll admit. "Fred Weasley is a bloody sap."

"You asshole," the boy laughed fully, reaching out and pulling Bram towards him solely so that he could mess up his hair. Bram retaliated by trying to do the same, but he could barely get a good reach. Somehow in all the turmoil, the two of them simply ended up hugging. They didn't normally do that. However, when Fred wrapped his arms around him, the two of them sharing warmth in the cold morning, it felt natural. Bram never wanted to let go. He knew he was treading a dangerous line, but he couldn't stop himself.

Once they pulled apart, neither of them acknowledged it as they started to walk back into the warmth of the school. Once they began to pass other students, Fred whispered in his ear, "All right, be honest with me, yeah? Which bloke here was the one that made you realize it, huh? I know it's gonna be one of 'em, there's some handsome devils around here, I'd say."

Bram just laughed, looking up at him in a way that meant nothing to Fred but everything to Bram. This was one lie he couldn't let slip and he knew it, so he just let a gentle smile form, shaking his head in a way that was endearing without giving anything away.

"Oh, you're all shy now, I see how it is," Fred teased, nudging him with his shoulder, "Let me guess, Lee? Always been a heartthrob, that's why I'm friends with him. No, Oliver Wood? I've always admired a man who knows his way around a broomstick. Your cheeks are pink, it's totally Wood."

"It's not Oliver!" Bram exclaimed with a laugh, accidentally catching the attention of some students passing by, but all he had to do was shoot them a glare and their gazes averted. "It's some bloke back home. A muggle. Long gone now, though, I think he moved to America."

The lie came easy, which he hated, but it wasn't as if he had much of a choice. He couldn't very well look his best friend in the eyes and tell him he was utterly in love with him, now could he?

"You're lying," Fred retorted and for a moment Bram almost froze out of fear before he continued, "It's totally Malfoy. That's why you're not telling me."

"Oh, Merlin, I'm gonna hex you if you keep acting like this, Fred," he laughed it off once he realized Fred wasn't being serious. "He's like two years younger than me and an asshole, you've got my type incredibly wrong."

"Eh, it was worth a try," he chuckled as the two walked towards the library where Skyler was probably waiting for them with George. "Does Skyler know?"

Bram let out an audible laugh at this one, "Of course, Skyler knows. I'm a damn good liar, but even I can't lie to her. She always sees through me no matter how hard I tried."

"I see through you, too, you know," Fred quieted, his voice becoming more reserved with the statement. He turned his head so their eyes met just for a moment, "More than you realize."