He hadn’t been in America that long. June. That was when he moved. Already Felix was falling for the small town that he now lived in. The school seemed nice too, getting a job there so quickly was truly a blessing right? Felix showed his knowledge and excitement for Ancient Runes and it seemed that the head master was happy that someone who was young was interested in such a subject and could possibly make it exciting to the students.

Felix had to get himself ready to go to a staff meeting the first of the year. He had never been so aware of his accent. In Europe sure he traveled. Spain was lovely, England was quant, France had his sister and amazing food. It was easy there, even if his French had always been shaky. Felix would read to himself in his room to try and get his English smoother. Really it wasn’t that bad he had been speaking the language his whole life. He was just wanting to make the right impression in his new position.

Rarely was he a man that worried about such things. It was something he wanted to be good at though and that meant doing his best at everything the job entailed. He had managed to keep himself focused enough to get ready in a timely manner, even if it did take him over an hour to pick something to wear that morning. Mostly Felix was worried about coming off too young for this. He knew his stuff but his father always told him that if you didn’t look the part it didn’t matter how well you knew your argument. It seemed silly because it was all under his robes.

Felix walked into the staff room and took a seat. They were waiting to start until everyone came. It was an important meeting after all. Felix set down his notebook and pen and took the time to look over the others. It seemed that most of the others were fairly young, not like when he went to Dermstrang. It seemed like all of his professors had beards down to the floor and hair like snow.

There was only one chair empty, the seat across from his. Soon the door opened and in slipped a red head was a rather adorable blush crossing his cheeks. There was maybe two times before he had ever felt butterflies fluttering about in his stomach. Neither of those two times had butterflies quite so frantic.

The other man sat across from him and Felix smiled at him. “Hej,” He replied no longer caring about how obvious his foreignness was. He was now more worried that his hair might be a mess and his robes might be on crooked. He now wanted to only impress this guy and not the rest of the professors sitting around him. Felix could easily say he had never been so nervous around someone before, let alone another man.

Crushes were not things that Felix had. Dances at school were just a travesty when he actually went to them. His third year he tired the dating thing with a girl who he thought was nice and could make him laugh. At the time Felix figured that was the weird puppy love thing that everyone seemed to be dealing with around then. It was just awkward and awful. The whole night his hands hovered over her waist, because he didn’t actually feel comfortable touching her. He hands on his shoulders made him shift uncomfortably and have to blame it on his jacket. Saying that ‘it didn’t fit right that was all’.

At the end of the dance she had leaned in for a kiss. Felix made a face. ”I don’t think so sorry…” The poor girl ran back to her room crying. Felix stood there dumb founded. It was safe to say that she wasn’t his friend after that. He didn’t try again until his fifth year. That was even more painful than the dance. It was another girl. Again it was a girl who he liked to be around and could make him smile. Though he had a hunch that a lot more should go into something romantic, maybe he was just thinking too much into it.

This time it was actually a date, over the winter break. He took her out to lunch. It seemed to go much better that way, there was no pressure to be touching her. After they went to her house because he parents were going to be gone until the next morning. Felix didn’t think too much into it. He figure it would just be a movie and snacks sort of thing. That was how it started, and then it moved into something more. He didn’t feel that this was right , the whole time the closeness of their bodies made him squirm. Still this was what kids his age did so it must be what he had to do. After Felix tugged his pants back on quickly and with a blushing face and speaking through his teeth he said goodbye and never said another word to her.

Sense then he had tried to have relationships a couple of times. Really they were just rushed things that ended in him leaving in a hurry and regretting putting himself through that. Felix figured it would be best from there to stick with books and wait to see if he ever actually felt all those things that people gushed about that love truly was. So far he was pretty sure that he never would and maybe the all so glorious love was just not in his cards. Or at least not until now.

Of course he wasn’t actually assuming love was what this was but a crush for sure. This was what he should have been feeling with those other people before when he was trying so desperately to see what all the hype was about. Because Felix had pretty much given up on the fairy tale that everyone else seemed to be enamored with he had never thought about what that person would be like. The one who finally broke through the fortress that was around his heart and got it thudding so loud in his chest that he almost didn’t hear the headmaster introduce him.

Felix was focused on that impossibly adorable smile. The fact that the red head was trying to stifle it by biting his lower lip was not at all helping keep Felix’s own stupid grin from spreading across his face. Harrow…that was his name. It fit him and Felix kept running it through his head hoping that if any one name would stick in his memory for the rest of his life it would be that one.

He returned the wave with a small one of his own. “It’s nice to meet you too.” It was like the rest of the people around them had just melted into the walls. The Headmaster went around introducing the other’s going around the table. The whole time Felix just kept glancing back at Harrow. ” And this is Felix Hedlund, the new Ancient Runes professor.” Felix smiled took a quick glance at everyone and lingered a little bit loner on the man sitting across from him. He knew he was being perhaps a little too obvious, but this was the first time that his head felt foggy and he couldn’t help but let the smile on his lips stay right where it was. Though a staff meeting was a frustrating place to finally meet someone who made him feel this way. Hopefully there wasn’t too much to go over and he could maybe get some time alone to talk to the Care of Magical Creatures professor.

Never had Felix thought about his sexuality. Sure he had only truly been with females but there was no bounds to who he would let himself linger on. It wasn’t the normal ‘what would I do to you if I got you in bed alone for a night’. It was a stir in his gut and then the question of how much nicer the world was because they were around. They were nice to look at, not nice to touch. People were like paintings in a museum. This was different though.

There was a stir that he had never really had before. Of course Felix understood it was lust, but his brain was having trouble grasping the concept that he was sexually attracted to this man. He would watch his lips as they struggled to hold back the stupid grin that Felix was sure was showing on his own face. Felix would glance at those eyes that were so adorable. Kissing someone was never something he had wanted to do so badly until now. This was all making his head spin and Felix was missing almost everything that the head master was saying.

What was the crazy part was that this guy seemed to be interested in him in the same way. Or at least he hoped to Merlin that he was. Normally Felix would be oblivious unless it was like a car crash, sudden and messy. That was because if he didn’t like the person in the first place then why should he even care what they thought of him? Oh but this man had him like the fireflies that he used to catch in the summers when he was little. They would hover over the lake that met up with his back yard when he was a kid. He would fill a jar with them, the lid poked with holes and spend hours just studying the bugs wondering how they glowed.

The other professor... Harrow, he was something Felix wanted to study. He wanted to know his favorite drink, and the way he said good morning sleep still heavy in his voice. Felix wanted to know what his favorite color was and if he was afraid of thunder. They could keep each other safe as storms raged on under the blue and grey flannel that was draped over his couch right now. As the thunder rumbled he would snuggle up closer and Felix would hold him safe and sound. He wanted to know it all and be everything for this man. His mind was getting ahead of himself and all those fantasies were unfounded. He didn’t even know if the man across the table was actually attracted to him, he could have just been helpless and trapped in the very thing that he had thought that he would never have to deal with.

It felt like the longest hour of his life as things that he should have cared about were rambled on about. He just tapped his pen against the pad that he had every intention of filling up with everything he needed to know about his new job. It couldn’t be that hard, he was freaking out earlier about nothing. Just talk to the kids about Runes and how wonderful they were. Test them and then track their grades. Still he did his best to try and pay attention, though his eyes would wonder to Harrow more than he would ever admit.

Finally they were dismissed. The other’s shuffled about and got all squared away seeming to want to leave. Felix, on the other hand moved slowly trying to find an excuse to strike up a conversation with Harrow. He was having issues coming up with anything good to say. ‘Hey have you heard about Thor,’ didn’t seem exactly appropriate. The god of thunder was tragically the only topic running through his mind. Maybe he should have made more of an effort with learning how to actually be a normal person than reading on and on about Norse mythology when he was a teen.

His concentration was broken when a voice said his name. He looked up with wide eyes. It was him. Could this guy read minds too. He couldn’t help but let the same silly smile creep onto his lips again. His name felt right coming from those lips. Those lips that he desperately wanted to know what tasted like. All his reservations be damned he would kiss this man at least once and he would love every minute of it.

“Ja…um yes,” His voice cracked with nervous. Great. Still he tried to recover and nodded maybe too eager. Felix stood and held out his hand. Shaking was something you did when you first met someone in America right. That was a stupid question, of course that is what you did. “Harrow right?” He asked as if he hadn’t said the other’s name a million times over in his head.

He hoped he looked casual as he stood there loving the height difference between them. He wanted to just envelope the man in a hug if only to confirm what he suspected. That he would fit perfectly in his arms. “I would like that, if you could,” His smile grew and he could feel it was lopsided, betraying the cool casual thing he was going for. “My memory is only good for two things, Runes and Star Trek quotes.” He laughed uncomfortably realizing that the later part of that was not something he should have confessed to someone he was trying to impress. Now he probably thought that he was the biggest dork that lived. Runes and star trek really speaks to ‘hey I’m pretty awesome we should date or something’ then again if that was his idea of how to bag a date Felix figured he was truly hopeless.

Harrow only smiled at him when his voice betrayed him. At least the other wasn’t making fun of him. Felix couldn’t help but to smile back. His face was going to hurt tonight from all this smiling. He wouldn’t have it any other way. To see the joy on the other man’s face made his heart flutter. Seanse when did he ever want to make someone else so completely happy?

Felix might not have been the biggest asshole in the world but that didn’t stop him from understanding that most of the time he was just rude. Somehow he had it in his head that there were more important things to be done than have small talk. Though if they let him go on about one of his favorite things he could talk someone into oblivion. There as no in between, either Felix didn’t care about you and just would make the smallest effort to get to know you, or he would spill everything, all of what he could jam into a night over drinks.

This man though, it was truly nice to meet. Clearly Harrow was better at small talk than Felix was and he wanted to know it all. Even he most trivial things. If Harrow were a book he would be Felix’s favorite. The cover could tell him that alone.

Felix simply laughed and shook his head. “No doubt they sneak off around the star ship and get nasty every place they can,” He winked, hoping to make the other a little more comfortable, noting the blush that was just as cute as he suspected a blush on this man would be.

“No you are just fine. I was going to open with a monologue on Thor,” Felix admitted glancing down at the floor. It was so painfully obvious that he was trying to flirt but had not a clue what the first step to successfully flirting was. Why didn’t they have classes on that sort of thing?

When they were alone he would have been fine just talking to Harrow there. They could sit on the table and just learn about each other. A little like that old muggle movie 16 candles. Harrow did have red hair. But, coffee right. That was probably better.

“ja, coffee,” Felix nodded fallowing Harrow out of the room. “So you know this place well? Like the town, not just the school…” Well spoken was often something that Felix would describe himself as. It seemed that this other professor was turning Felix upside down, and honestly Felix had no issues with it.

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Felix remembered stories about love that his house keeper used to tell him. She would tease that when he got older Felix would be like the knights and the princes in the stories, he would meet his princess one day and just know that it would be his happily ever after. When he was a boy being a knight sounded exciting. Then he had to take horse back lessons and suddenly being a knight was just terrifying.

As he grew older Felix found those stories to be not so true and that Johanna was just doing her job and making a little boy smile by bringing stories to life. Just like horse back love and the idea of it were terrifying. Eventually he did get used to riding a horse but love would always be an enigma.

Standing in front of this man he was neither a prince, or a knight, but he did want a happily ever after with Harrow. If there was a dragon he would have to slay or kiss him before midnight he would. Felix finally understood the stories. It seemed crazy, but if prince charming could be so enamored with a woman he had one dance with he had all the woman in the kingdom try on a glass slipper why couldn’t Felix want at least hope that he could at least start to experience something that everone seemed to when they were fifteen?

Every little thing this man did had Felix just wanting to spend more and more time with him. That laugh it was something he wanted to hear all the time. More so he wanted to be the one making Harrow laugh every opportunity he could. Though Felix was worried, what of all of this was just some crazy physical attraction and nothing else. They could not even have a thing in common.

Felix liked books, he liked star trek, fall and scarves were his favorite. Felix never was one to go out and drink. Clubs and bars made him uncomfortable. Elsa had tried to take him out. He didn’t want to be that close to that many people. Sure a nice beer here and there was good but getting drunk wasn’t fun. Felix didn’t understand why people did it. This guy could like all of that and think that Felix was just horribly boring.

“The Norse God” Felix grinned. The whole issue he had between the comic and the actual lore was a rant that he was sure would just scare the poor red head away. It was best that Felix kept his mouth shut on the matter.

Three years ago that would make this man only a year younger than himself. That could only help right? All of these things that Felix had never considered were coming up and smacking him in the face. What did his perfect man even look like. More and more he was just thinking Harrow.

“I graduated from Dermstrang, this place seams a lot more welcoming than a giant gloomy stone castle.” Felix should have been looking around as they walked the halls, memorizing what rooms were where. He tried but found himself looking down at Harrow most of the time.

He couldn’t help but smile at the idea of sneaking out of school. Felix never dared. He would sneak into the library after curfew and into the restricted area only to quench his thirst for knowledge. That was the closet Felix had come to getting in trouble. Really what was the point in getting mad at a kid that was just trying to learn?

Of course Felix’s eye lit up at the name of the bookstore. He already knew the place well. The shop owner knew his name and would let him know when they got something in she felt he would be interested in. “You aren’t ranting,” Felix shook his head trying to reassure the other. “You are just telling me about the town that I am new to.” Sort of new anyway. Felix would gladly pretend that he had arrived two days ago if it meant spending more time with the other professor. “I have only gotten to glance around the book shop. The other places looked nice, I would love to visit them.”

Happily ever after. What was his happily ever after. Harrow had Felix scrambling about what all of his deffinitons were for things that he was sure other’s had figured out when they were ten. Normal kids would have a journal with their lives mapped out. Cut outs and descriptions of who their perfect person was. A page dedicated to the perfect job and how they would get to doing that job. Felix had lived his life out without much of a plan up until now. He knew that reading was something he wanted to do and that Runes were always his favorite subject. The idea of teaching had only come to him the year he graduated from Dermstrang. His ancient Runes teacher told him about an American school that had the position open. It seemed like a good option for a while at least. The longer he was in Salem the better it was getting.

Now he just had to not ruin the greatest thing that he had found while in Salem. The red head just laughed when he clarified. All the things that Felix had to say about the superhero version of a god he grew up knowing well were trivial when it came down to it. Things like how he was missing gloves, how is hair was red in mythology. Still he did have to admit that the comic books at least made people interested in a lore that he loved with his whole being.

“I am happy to be your first then.” He grinned. Dermstang had it’s reputation for being an school open to dark arts. He had taken those classes, knew plenty of kids who were proud of their pureblood and looked down on those who were less. Felix might have been pureblood. He went to the school as his father had, and his father’s father, but Felix never bothered with thinking that pure was better. Dark arts was just a thing to know. “And if you every feel the need to go visit then I will escort you to Oslo and show you around.” Felix felt that Norway itself was far more interesting than the school was, anything to spend time with this man he would do though.

“Seattle” He repeated trying to remember where that was. “Is that….not far from here….south?” Felix pointed down as if there was an invisible map and he was trying to identify the shapes that were supposedly states. His travels had been around Europe, this was his first extended stay in America and all the states were a lot to memorize not to mention how daunting the task was of knowing were all those states were.

The next question was almost laughable only because Felix knew how sad his past dating history. He simply kept that smile that didn’t seem to want to leave while he was around Harrow. Elsa was possibly the only person he knew that would fallow him here. She was too busy in….Greece? He couldn’t remember. His sister was off on her own travel’s, doing the same thing that he had after he graduated and exploring.

“Nej, I moved out here by myself.” Felix shrugged. “Well not completely alone. I have Ferdinand, my chinchilla. “ The chinchilla had been a gift. His friend said the chinchilla was so that Felix was never alone in his travels. It was the first animal that he had connected with. Three years he had the little fuzz ball. “Do you have someone special around?” He then asked eyeing the other and hooking a brow. Now wouldn’t that just be a kick in the teeth if this other man was not available? Then Felix would really know how bad he was at picking up signals.