Taking the Medicine

Dylan knew his life has been great compared to the other Seven Devils lives. Lora sister had got killed, Lena was... well, he was not going to get started. Anya was the black sheep in her family. Kait grew up with a drug dealer. Rhy's family got killed. Dylan grew up in a family where nobody got killed, nobody did drugs. They were a loving family- even if Laura was a squib, Maya was a genius, Dylan was not that great with Magic, parents were strict. They all loved each other.

He still had stress. Dylan still had problems in life. Fifth year, had amnesia after Kait got him drunk. He helped Lora stay insane, while keeping his cool. Heck, in his fourth year Kait went missing. That was when everybody was talking to each other (Except for Lena and Rhys) and they were united. Now? They were a big mess, not united, not talking to each other. Kait was missing. Lena was in this weird mental state of mind. Anya was upset at Lena. Rhy's was recovering from his family's death.

So what to do with this stress that he carried and hid? He wasn't going to drink- seeing Lena and Kait made him scared. Dylan was up to doing heavy exercise, and that didn't work anyways for him.

When he had visited his family for the break, Dylan came across one of his friends smoking. Normally he would be upset... but the idea had appealed to him. If he gets sick from smoking, there was always healers after all. So he took a drag.

So now sitting in a tree, Dylan rolled a cigarette between his two fingers and lit it. Taking a drag, he closed his eyes and relaxed a bit.

Despite what people might say about the forest, Lora actually liked visiting it. A lot. It had been her hideout ever since fourth year, though by now, she had managed to find a lot of other places as well. And with all that was happening, she found herself residing frequently in those sacred hideouts of hers.

She was never the type to drink or do stupid things while depressed. In fact, all she did was cry and sometimes write. Of course, no one knew just how many nights her vicious dreams had troubled her sleep, not even Dyl. Sure, he knew a little but never the full danger it was causing. Once it had got so terrible, she almost snapped.

The German girl shuddered at the memories as she walked and shook her head, as though that would help get rid of it all. She suddenly got a sudden recall of meeting her half sister...Tanya...maybe..., but that instantly got flew from her mind by the sight in front of her.

Her boyfriend was smoking.

Lora just stood there, staring at him, not sure whether she should interrupt. She bit her lip, almost ready to take back, but her feet wouldn't move. Was she angry? No, she supposed she wasn't. At least he was not drinking, right? But she did know the dangers of smoking as well...

"Hey there," she told in a quiet voice, as she finally made her way to Dyl and sat down against the opposite, her now purple hair falling like waves. "Do you want me to leave?" She asked hesitantly, not really meeting his eyes. Maybe she was just surprised, shocked.

Yes, that was it. /Maybe.

Looking at Lora, Dylan was unsure what to do. He had been unsure how to tell his girlfriend that he was smoking, so it had went unmentioned. Until now. "Uh.. no," Dylan told her, sighing. The Slushatel took another drag, and jumped out of the tree.

"I was trying to figure out how to tell you," He mumbled sheepishly, rolling his cigarette between his two fingers. Dylan was nervous about her reaction. "I wasn't sure what to do with the stress. I was.. scared... of drinking, and heavy work outs doesn't work."

For a while, Lora wasn't sure what to say. She was surprised to realize that she wasn't angry at Dyl per se, though she did feel kind of bad that he had neglected to tell her that this had become a habit of his. Like she thought before, it was better than drinking, right? Especially since what happened last time, there was no way she would allow her boyfriend to consume too much alcohol.

"It's alright," she said in the same quiet tone, and gave a small smile to show that she was not upset...that much. "You deserve a method to relieve your stress as well. Just be careful, okay Dyl? Even though it feels good, smoking can lead to addictions..." she trailed off, trusting him to know the rest. "I'm sorry if I sound like the pushy girlfriend," she smiled sheepishly.

"I know, I know. I am being really careful with how much I smoke. I don't want this stress reliever to only cause more stress." Jumping down from the tree, Dylan snuffed out the cigarette. He gathered her into a hug and breathed in her clean, fresh scent. If he could spend every minute of the day with her, he wouldn't need a stress reliever.

The Slushatel murmured, "Your not being pushy. Your just looking out for me."

Lora hugged her boyfriend back tightly, and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Everytime she was in his arms, it was home. They could spend every single day together like this and it still wouldn't be enough for her.

He made her feel safe just by his presence.

"I'm also sorry for whining and not listening to you," she mumbled guiltily not looking at him. It did not seem fair that she was dumping everything on him. She hoped he knew that she was ready to listen to him. Always. She'd do anything if it means keeping him away from such dangerous habits.

She never wanted him to feel alone.

Kissing the top of her head, Dylan closed his eyes. "Lor, you have nothing to be sorry for." He stared into her eyes, trying to show her how much he meant by it. He knew that Lora thought that he wasn't good enough for him, so he tried come up with a way that showed showed her physically.

Oh yeah, he forgot what he had in his pocket. Pulling away from her for a second, Dylan reached into his pocket, searching for it. Oops, wrong pocket. Reaching into another one, his fingers touched a silver chain. Ah ha. "Now, I intended this to be your birthday present, but I figured that you needed it sooner. To show you how much you mean to me."

Opening her hand, Dylan softly dropped the locket in her hands. His mother had given it to him a few years ago, telling him to give it to his loved one that he felt was special enough. Little did she know, he was still with the same girl.

The locket was an oval shaped one, engraved with a spring setting. "An Veer tradition," Dylan started, shifted nervously, "Is to give this locket to his special girl. It basically symbolizes... well, that he planned on being with her for a long time. The Spring setting is another tradition- every Veer has gotten married during the spring time." He pointed to the three flowers on the locket, each with a different colored gem in the middle. "The first flower symbolizes March- the birthstone. The second one is the April birthstone, Diamond. And the last one is May- emerald."

"Though it was fitting, because your birthday is in March," Dylan added sheepishly, a blush creeping up.

Lora looked in puzzlement at her guy's comment, and before she could say anything else, he had dropped a necklace in her hand.

It was the most beautiful thing ever.

As her fingers trailed the locket gently, she felt tears well up in her eyes. But this time, the tears were due to happiness. Dyl had once again, managed to render her speechless. She didn't know what to do or what to say. It all felt like a dream.

"Dyl, I...oh gosh...." she trailed off, shaking her head in wonder and disbelief. "It's so beautiful," she breathed, unable to take her eyes away from the maginificant piece of stone. "A-Are you s-sure you want to give it to me, though?" She questioned and bit her lip. "I know we've been together a long time, but what if..." she didn't want to finish the question. "Thank you," she finally said, a smile on her face and blush on her cheeks.

At his further explanation, she blurted out, "Does that mean we'll get married in the spring also?" Her eyes widened in shock and she immediately clamped her hand over her mouth. "I mean, if you want to. I just thought, you know...it sounds nice," she finished with a sheepish smile, her blush deepening.

Lora put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I love it Dyl, and I love you," she murmured, before pulling away. "Can you put it on for me?" She asked shyly.

"Sshh.. don't question it, love," He whispered, kissing her forehead. "I am going by my instinct here. And my heart." Dyl softly stroked her cheeks, and suddenly grinned. "Sounds good. How does Alora Veer sound?" He knew exactly that it would make her blush. He said it for that reason, and wanting to test how well it sounded in front of her. The name rolled off his tongue so well.

Pushing aside her purple hair, Dylan marveled at how soft her hair was. "I love your hair by the way. Expresses you a lot." Clasping the necklace, he pushed back her hair and kissed her neck. "Looks amazing on you, love."

The blush still evident on her cheeks and slight deepening, Lora whispered, "I think it's an amazing name." And she knew then and there, she would only be with Dyl forever, and end up getting married to him, not to anyone else.

There are each others' forever.

"Expresses me how? I was not even thinking of that when I chose the colour," she giggled. Once he clasped the necklace, she stepped away from him, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers, "You're sure I look fine?" And even if she didn't, she was never going to take it off.

Wrapping his arm around her, Dylan really hoped he didn't smell like smoke. He nuzzled her hair, and admired her necklace. "Exactly. When you do stuff, you do it at random, and it never turns out to be a bad choice. You are that talented." Dylan gave her grin and twirled her around, causing her hair to spin with her.

"You look more than fine. Really, it tells everybody that you are mine. That no one can touch you, because technically," He paused, making her wait. "You are engaged. Now it's a bad reputation for a guy to mess with a girl who is already someones forever."

"As much as I would like to kiss you, I really don't want to be infected with that stupid smoke taste," Lora teased her boyfriend and rolled her eyes good naturedly. "It's mostly a stroke of luck Dyl, not talent," she corrected him softly. She giggled some more as he twirled her, wishing they had some music to dance too. Everything felt so perfect.

Even if it was just temporary.

"E-Engaged?" She echoed, not really looking at him and bit her lip once more. "I mean...really? B-But...." she didn't know what to say. All she knew was that the very idea of it had always made her smile, and now that it was real, she was speechless. "Merlin knows what I did to deserve you, because I really don't," she mumbled, smile on her lips. "Always the possessive one, huh?" She grinned, as she played with his hair.

"Ah- this is when I thought ahead." Dylan dug in his pocket again, and pulled out a mint and popped it in his mouth. He put a arm around her neck and kissed her forehead. "Don't doubt yourself love. You are talented." Dylan twirled her around, and scooped her up. He spun around, but didn't put her down when he was done. "Should I put you down?" Dylan asked, grinning.

"I think it has been proved over and over by now that we are both very possessive." His hands rested on the small of her back, and he gave her a mischievous grin. "I'm a lot to handle. You just happened to be able to handle me."

"Looks like you've done this long enough to think ahead, huh?" Lora joked, though her tone was slightly wary. "I just want to hear you say that about my duelling, since I plan on getting into the Ministry. I do not mind you calling me untalented in anything else, if there is," she chuckled. "You can put me down if you want, I'd be able to kiss you properly," she told with a grin.

"Of course I have to be possessive, some girl would just snatch you away if she could," she said, as though it obvious enough. "Oh yes, I should really go find a guy that is a lot easier, since I already have too much drama in my life," she sighed, pretending to be serious and shook her head. It was fun to rile him up.

"By the way, I better get a proper proposal, because I really want to stop calling you my boyfriend," the Slushatel murmured and blushed once more, not looking at him.

"Started towards the end of Christmas Break," Dyl told her, knowing exactly what her thoughts were. He put her legs around his waist, held her up by holding on to her waist. "I don't think you need my compliment. You must receive them from other people." Turning the mint around in his mouth, Dyl leaned forward and captured her lips in a light kiss. This was his remedy. This beautiful girl in his arms -kissing him- was his.

"Too much drama?" He growled, eyes flashing. Dyl knew that she was joking. He knew that she enjoyed getting this reaction out of him. He clenched on to her waist tightly. "Life would be boring wouldn't it? If I wasn't your boyfriend, how would life be then?" Dylan backed her up to a tree, and smirked. "Spill."

"Better proposal on the way sometime in the near future, coming right up."

"When you went back home, you mean?" The Slushatel questioned softly. She wrapped her arms around Dyl's neck, her fingers continuing to play with his hair. "But is more better to receive compliments from someone who knows all my bad things and yet has genuinely nice things to say," she mumbled. All other thoughts were wiped off as he kissed her, and she bit his lip, before responding to the kiss. Though it probably wasn't, she felt it was too long since they shared a kiss.

"Yes, too much drama," she breathed, her legs tightened around his waist. For some reason, she loved it when he got all possessive and angry. Pretending to think about the question, Lora leaned forward into his ear and whispered, "If you were not my boyfriend, I would have found someone who's much more sweet, nice and knows exactly what I want, when I want it. I suppose I could find some other guy to fulfill my needs, yes?" She looked at him innocently.

Lora clenched fistfuls of her boyfriend's shirt. "Life would have been very peaceful without you around actually," she giggled softly.

"I went back home, towards the end of Winter Break. My parents had took a trip somewhere, and got back right before Christmas. I think they wanted a excuse to go away for a little bit. They are not too pleased about Laura at the moment." His lips molded against hers, fitting perfectly. When they kissed, it was magic. There was no 'sparks' (At least to him) but he felt the heat. Dylan pulled away after a moment and replied, "The ministry should be on their knees, begging for your service when you graduate," Dylan kissed her neck and went on,"When you duel, you get this look on you. Like... you are enjoying yourself but you are taking it semi-serious."

He put her arms above her, and marveled for a moment at her beauty. Her soft purple waves of hair flowed over her shoulder. The hair wasn't perfect -there was a few knots and tangles- but that was they way he liked it. Gave her a sense of personality. Her eyes were bright and mischievous, the lips were swollen beautifully. His eyes traveled down, tracing every curve of her body. The shoulders, the waist, and the neck- his second favorite spot to kiss her. And she was his.

"Would he know exactly when you were upset?" Dylan mumbled possesivly, his face inches away from hers. "Would he know your favorite color, food, and surprise you with picnics after a stressful week? Would he comfort you in just the right away? Would he treat you just the way you want him to treat you?" With one hand still keeping her arms up, his free hand traveled down her body. "Would he... make you feel," Dylan leaned closer, millimeters away from her lips, just far away to pull away if she went to go kiss him. He wanted to tease her. "This way?"

"But shouldn't they be happy for your sister?" Lora questioned, confused. "I guess they could be upset because it's unexpected, but they are going to be grandparents after all, they probably shouldn't be so hard on her." As the Slushatel kissed him back, she wished she could be with Dyl all the time, just the two of them without a care in the world. Though it was impossible, it sounded amazing. She laughed lightly and shook her head, "Ministry on their knees? That'll be the day. Besides, I do not expect or deserve such a demand, alright?" The German girl looked at Dyl in mild amusement, "The fact that you noticed my expressions like that is kind of weird, you know. But it's also kind of sweet." She murmured and kissed him once more.

Lora felt as though her body was on fire under her boyfriend's intense gaze. It made her feel so needed and it wasn't something she was used to. The traitorous blush returned to her cheeks, as Dyl's gaze lowered.

But she was doing her own observation as well. The Slushatel figured she had an unhealthy obsession with her guy's eyes. He never had to speak, his eyes always said it all. And everytime she was with him, she longed to run her hands across his chest, the bare skin never failing to ignite a spark at her fingertips.

"He would definitely know those things after he spent enough time with me, and maybe even better" she whispered convincingly, though it was a lie. However, as his hands trailed down, she leaned her head against the tree, biting her lip to prevent the moan that was threatening to escape. Oh how badly she wanted to move her hands.

"My parents are a bit old-fashioned," Dylan admitted, not really caring. His parents were nothing really to complain about, and they care for all of their three children. They are not happy that Laura got pregnant when she was even married, but if she got married to the father and follow the Veer tradition, they will forget everything." The almost-adult messed with the ends of her hair, and added, "They will love the baby though. Especially my mother, she is always wishing for another child but father persuaded her to stop after three."

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong." He pulled her dangerously close and breathed in her scent. "You deserve everything. Nothing in this weirdly small world does not deserve you. When it comes time for you to become an auror, I am going to make sure they are on their knees."

Dyl stroke her blush, chuckling, and kissed her passionately. "I love it when you blush," He murmured, smirking against her lips. Then again, Dylan was sure that he loved everything about her.

"Why are you biting your lip?" He questioned, knowing exactly why she was. Dylan kissed her neck in her sweet spot, then nipped it. His hands messed with the hem of her shirt, and slowly stroked the skin under there. "You will never find someone who knows you as well as I do. After all, we have been together for a long time now."

"Why won't you let me meet your parents, Dyl?" The German girl asked with a frown. "And do not give me the same reason you usually give, which I really do not care about. I mean, is it because you are ashamed of me or you think they won't like me?" She shrugged her shoulders lightly, "I will do my best to make sure they like me."

She wrapped her arms around his waist as he pulled her close and placed a kiss on his neck. Something about the intensity of his statement made her shiver slightly, "That is the most convincing lie I've heard in a while," she teased softly and leaned her forehead against his.

Finally having Dyl's lips on hers, she relished the feeling and kissed him back deeply, one of her hands trailing down to the side of his face. "You say that all the time," she grinned.

"I'm biting my lip to stop myself from laughing," she replied, grin still in place. She closed her eyes once more as she felt his hands on her skin, needing more of it. He knew all her sensitive spots and exactly how to use it to his advantage. "Now that I have you, I do not need to find someone else Dyl," she murmured, her forehead still against his as he continued to pay attention to her neck. "Even if I did, I am sure you would beat him up."

Dylan stroked her cheeks, not sure what to say. After all, he wasn't sure himself why he didn't want her meeting her parents. Maybe because he was afraid what she will think? Maybe because what his parents might think? Dylan wasn't all too sure, but he wanted to give her an answer. Toying around with words, Dylan finally got out, "I think because how my parents will react, or how you might react," He whispered, not looking at Lora.

Sighing, Dylan thought, 'How can I raise her self confidence? It is starting to get a bit annoying'. He loved Lora to death, but Dylan knew she needed just some self confidence. The ministry can trample people who lacked it, and especially with all the devious people there. "I love you," Dylan murmured softly, erasing his previous thoughts. A problem for later.

"Laughing? I thought this..." Dylan started tickling her sides. "Made you laugh, not me touching you," He finished off with a big grin on his face. He was still tickling her, while laughing a bit himself.

"See? I win this," Dylan told her laughing, as his fingers crept up her shirt slowly. He kissed her sweet spot, then bit it, making a hickey. "I would beat him up. You are mine, and always will be mine," He told her fiercely. Nobody was to touch this angel except for him.

"Well, it's not like they would hate me, right? I don't think I'm that bad a girlfriend that they'd find a reason to dislike me," Lora said, frown still in place. "As for how I'll react, you don't have to worry. Even if they make jokes or whatever, I'll be happy to have met them either way."

"I'm sorry, I won't say anything," the Slushatel murmured guiltily. "I'm just used to being put down everytime. It's easy for me to think I'm not good enough."

All her thoughts were wiped away as he began tickling her and she laughed loudly, while trying to push his hands away. "Dyl! I hate it when you do that!" She said in between laughs.

"You don't win anything," she shook her head and gave a sly smile. "I'm not a piece of property you know," she remarked as one of her hands trailed under shirt and placed her finger in his belt loop, tugging him closer. The German girl bit her lip once more as he marked a hickey, though she loved the strength of his words. It made her feel more secure that he wouldn't leave her.

He merely shrugged, and his eyebrows crinkled together. "I don't know, I know I should take you to go meet them but I guess I am just... nervous? I don't know." Dylan gave her a crooked, sheepish smile.

"No.. no, it's not your fault," Dylan hurriedly told her, gathering her tightly in his arms. "Yes, I would like you to have a bit more confidence -to see how amazing you are just a little bi- but it isn't your fault. Look, I could use a bit help on my defense work, so how about you help teach me, so at the same time, you become a bit more confident at your work. You know how my spell work is." Dylan kissed her forehead, and rubbed her back.

"No you don't," He said, laughing along with her. The Slushatel continued his tickling for a few minutes before stopping. "You like it."

"You are so much more than a piece of property," Dylan roughly whispered in her ear, shivering as her hands ventured under his shirt. "Your the angel that chose me. Your necklace declares that you are mine, and no other shall touch you." His hands were on her back, under her shirt, stroking the soft skin as he leaned in to capture her lips in a rough kiss

"Look on the bright side, at least you'll only have to meet my mother," Lora pointed out, though there was a hint of sadness at the thought of her unknown father. "I should be feeling nervous really, not you."

She looked at him in surprise; the way he treated her with such patience always left her with the same reaction. "That sounds good," she told softly with a nod of her head. "You better be ready to work hard though, because I won't be an easy teacher just because you're my boyfriend," she grinned. "I know you need more help in Charms, so I don't mind assisting you with that either."

"Of course I'm yours, forever and always," she whispered back, gazing intensely into his eyes as her fingers continuted to trace patterns on his skin. "I don't want anyone else to touch me," she muttered against his neck as she claimed her mark on him as well, trying to erase the sudden memories of that horrified summer night. The Slushatel kissed him back hard and fast, their tongues battling for dominance and murmured against his lips, "Just so know, I am so very confident that I am the only one who can make you feel like this," and trailed her lips to his earlobe, gently biting it.

"Though, just for you, I wish I was meeting both. You deserve to have a dad in your life." He stroked her cheeks and gave her a fond smile.

"Thanks." A blush crept up on Dyl's cheeks about the Charms part. Honestly, his performance in that class was embarrassing. "Go as tough as you want, I don't care. As long as the information goes through the thick skull of mine."

Dylan hissed with pleasure as Lora marked him, something they tended to do when they became like this. "And just so you know, I will only let you do this to me." His eyes sought hers. "Only you have the right."

"Come on, I got a lesson waiting for me back at the castle," Dylan joked, knowing it was time to get back. Dylan sadly had homework waiting for him. And it was a last minute thing, as usual.