If There's No Place To Go...[Mickey]

[Graham Kerr]

It was a few days before Christmas, and Gray had arrived home for the month long break that Hogwarts offered their students. He'd settled in, hugged his mom, dodged his brothers attempts at roughhousing with him, and for a couple of days things were...well they were nice. Nice and simple and the way they usually were, except that this time he had two secrets to share.

It was best to get them both out of the way, but he couldn't. Not just yet. Of course, he'd have to share one of them, as the full moon would undoubtedly occur during their break, but the other part could stay safely hidden at Hogwarts, spending his holidays there with the other people that remained at school.

Thing was, he didn't want to. He didn't want Mickey to have to hide, so a few days into his holiday - having finally mustered the courage to tell his mother what had happened with Nate - he'd settled at the kitchen table, writing a quick note to his boyfriend.

His mum was in shambles over what happened, so she'd quickly agreed to let him bring a friend over - he'd tell her exactly what kind of friend later. Anything to make things less awkward, though he'd told her not to betray his secret. She'd ruffled up his hair, whacked him over the head and hurried back into her bedroom to hide her tears.

Mickey ♥

I'm sorry I left you at Hogwarts this break, I hope things are alright and that you're having fun. If you want to, I'd like to invite you to spend Christmas with me, and New Years if you make a good impression on my mum. I'll still have to tackle THE conversation, but I think it might just go down a bit better if she knows just how amazing my boyfriend is.

Hope you can make it, let me know if I need to pick you up anywhere.

Yours,
Gray

Folding the note, he pressed a kiss to the seal before sending it off with the owl that had delivered the paper just minutes before.

[Mickey McKey]

When it came to Christmas, Mickey had always had to make a guess at which option would be more enjoyable – Stay at school, or go home? It was always down to chance, because there was no telling what home would be like, or, more recently, whether he was really in the mood to spend a whole month or so with a whole load of children. This year, he definitely wasn't up for it, so he'd chosen to stay at Hogwarts.

He'd soon come to regret that decision, because a noisy Christmas would have been better than a boring one. It seemed like everyone had wanted to go home this year, including his newly acquired boyfriend. All of this added up to a dull Christmas and a thoroughly bored Mickey. There was only so much a person can do on their own to entertain themselves, and by the end of the week, he'd ran out of things to do. So it was obvious that, by the time Graham's letter arrived, he was excited enough just to be receiving a letter. The contents made him have a silent freak-out in his bed. Could he turn down an offer that good?
No way.

As soon as he could, he was out of the castle and on the next train to London, just about taking a break to shovel some clothes into a suitcase. Once seated, he finally made a start on a response.

Graham,

I'd LOVE to. Castle's boring, everyone's gone. When do you want me? I hope it's soon.
Because I'm on the train now.

I'll be alright getting there, and I'll see you soon.

X

And sooner than the blonde could have realised, he was outside the other's door, checking the address a couple of times over before knocking lightly on the door. His nerves had kicked in now, his heart was hammering and his throat had dried up. So very many things could go badly, it was impossible not to be worried. Taking the moments he had to gather himself together, Mickey decided to deal with one problem at a time. Firstly, he had to get the right house.

[Graham Kerr]

Grays mothers apartment was tiny. There was no other way around it. Even with the three people usually inhabiting it, there weren't enough beds for all of them - Graham was used to sleeping on the couch whenever he was down for a break. With Reese there now, as she was every Christmas, and Mickey on his way, things could get quite...cozy. He tried not to think of the fact that he'd be sleeping in the same bed with Mickey, or he'd get flustered so badly that even his mum would know. Which, well, it might be the easy way out, but he planned to tell her.

Hannah Robinson was on her way to the door when her sixteen-year-old son beat her there, throwing his long limbs briefly around his mothers shoulder before opening, feeling that familiar thrill. He'd come to associate it with being around the smaller blonde, even after a good week or two of dating, he still couldn't believe how lucky he'd been. Nevermind the small issue he still needed to share, but this was a good test, wasn't it? If they could get through the holidays as a couple, he figured that the Hufflepuff could deal with the truth.

"Mickey! Hi!" Damn, he HAD been here quick. And he looked absolutely gorgeous, cheeks tinged from the cold. He wanted very much to pull him in for a quick kiss, but it wasn't going to happen with his mum here. "Come in. This is my mum, Hannah." Hannah smiled politely in the direction she guessed the boy to be at, reaching out her hand awkwardly. It was obvious from her eyes that she was blind, but she still had quite a good instinct, knowing almost always where people were.

[Mickey McKey]

Mickey let out a small sigh of relief when he saw Graham. Right house. Good start. A bright grin soon washed over his face, and though the nerves were still there, they were greatly overwhelmed by how happy he felt to be around the man again. He'd felt blessed to have Graham in the first place, but now, he truly appreciated the man. A week apart from him was far too long. As he was hurried inside, his eyed flicked from Gray to his mum and the nervous feeling strengthened again. It took him a few minutes to work out that the lady was blind, but it didn't stop him from smiling warmly as he shook her hand. ”It's so nice to meet you...”

Mickey had two nervous habits – biting the ring on his index finger, and smiling. He was fighting, with all his might, to keep his fingers away from his mouth, and as a result his body seemed to make a compromise. No more biting, but he had to smile twice as hard. His cheeks were already aching, and he'd only been here five minutes. To attempt to calm his hammering heart, he moved his eyes away from the mother and son in front of him and glanced around at what he could see of the house. The place felt so warm, he had a feeling that it'd be difficult for him to be anything but cheerful while he was here. ”Your house is lovely,” He spoke as he turned back to Graham and his mum. ”I wish mine was this nice!” Compliments. It was typical of him to give any compliment he could think of when he was nervous and couldn't think of anything else to say. He gave his (currently secret) boyfriend a pleading look, hoping he'd change the subject before he could feel too awkward and say anything stupid.

[Graham Kerr]

Hannah smiled, shaking the boys hand and accepting the compliments with a warm embrace. Graham secretly groaned when she went in for the hug, hoping it wouldn't make his boyfriend uncomfortable, and giving him a look when the woman finally released him. "It's very nice to meet you too Mickey. Glad you've decided to be nice to him this year."

"Mum!" Gray felt the urge to bury his head in his own hands, but resisted, sneaking another peek at his love. Well, before the summer, before things changed, he'd frequently complained about the smaller boy being on his case. "So. Yeah. This is awkward enough. Come on, I'll show you your room." He got a whack from his mum, ducked just in time to avoid it and laughed, tugging the younger blonde through the house.

"That's my mum, she has this habit of being annoyingly honest. Art's not here yet, he's working for a couple more hours and then bringing home Christmas dinner." Gray explained, opening the door to the small bedroom they would be sharing. There was nothing but a single bed and a cupboard in there, crammed together. Closing the door behind them, he took his boyfriends hand in his, smiling brightly. "Hi."

[Mickey McKey]

Graham's mum seemed like the sweetest person he'd ever met, even if she had a tendency to say things that made him even more nervous than he already was. Over her shoulder, Mickey had returned the son's look with a cheery smile, one which quickly turned in to a wider, embarrassed grin when Mrs Kerr brought up his past behaviour. Faint blush tracing his cheeks, he looked down at the ground and fidgeted awkwardly, trying to think of a way to explain himself. Instead, he found himself stuttering and stumbling over starts of sentences, until Gray saved his ass.

He was eternally greatful for that. As the blonde allowed himself to be pulled through the house, he giggled in amusement at his boyfriend's words. ”No, I don't think she's annoying. She's very sweet.” Mickey told the other honestly, just as they reached their destination. Then, he found himself gazing into a face he'd missed so much. With a smile so bright, he may just have swallowed the sun, he stared at the man in front of him for a few minutes, playing with his fingers, before speaking. ”Hey...” He managed to squeeze out, though he sounded like the other had just stolen all his breath.

[Graham Kerr]

"She's sweet, but well, a typical mum I suppose" He grinned, pulling his boyfriend towards him when the other beamed at him like that. He knew that Mickey didn't have a typical mother, and he was glad that his own mum approved of the boy, as he really wanted his boyfriend to have a family he could depend on. Not that it would in any way make up for what he lost with his own mum (and Gray didn't even know the extent of things) but at least he'd have people surrounding him who loved him and were there when he needed it.

He nuzzled his boyfriends cheek for a moment, squeezing his hands softly. "Hi" He repeated a little more shyly, returning the others bright smile before leaning in for a soft kiss. "Telling my mum makes me nervous...but I'm gonna do it. Because I want her to know how much I love you" He'd never said those three words. I love you. Not because he didn't mean them, but because he wanted to wait for the right time. And the right time definitely wasn't now, when there were still secrets they held from each other.

Both of them, because he knew Mickey hadn't told him the full extent of what had happened in his past. Not that it made Graham feel justified in keeping his own secrets, but he hadn't quite worked up the courage to tackle two things in one night. "I just need a bit of courage" The blonde said, grinning a little. A kiss or two should settle the butterflies in his stomach.

[Mickey McKey]

Mickey felt like a true and stereotypical schoolgirl at this moment, giddy with happiness and simply overwhelmed by the amount of love he was receiving. Happily, he responded to every nuzzle and cuddle and kiss, though he found himself incapable of verbally responding to anything Graham said at this moment. It was as if he'd just had his voice squeezed out of him. In a way, he had, because what he was getting from the taller man truly amazed him to the point of leaving him speechless.

It was rare for the small boy to get this much care and attention from anyone, what with his mother being ill and the people in his orphanage just so busy, but Graham gave him all he needed and more. The older man loved him, he'd just told him so, and Mickey wasn't used to hearing that. And it was astonishing to the younger blonde that someone like Gray was going to come out to his family, just for him. A man who, it seemed, had been trying to be straight for quite a while now...

Wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's neck, he pressed his lips against the others in a simple, loving kiss, and after a few minutes pulled away with that big, stupid grin on his face again. His chest felt tight in the best possible way and his heart hammered (slightly uncomfortably) against his ribs, and as desperately as he wanted to say something, he just couldn't quite get out the words. Finally, he managed to let out a breath. ”I love you,” was what managed to escape his mouth. ”I-I... You're just...” and there he was, stuttering again, so he pressed another kiss to Graham's lips and hoped the other boy could break him out of this state.

[Graham Kerr]

He loved him. Gray couldn't stop himself from beaming down at the shorter man, hugging him tight to him before kissing the top of his head. He'd guessed that Mickey liked him a lot, might even be in love with him, but he hadn't dared to hope that his feelings were returned in full force. It was all the courage he needed, and pulling back, he sqeezed the boys hand and laced their fingers, keeping him close.

Swallowing, he took another deep breath, nuzzling his boyfriend one more time. "Let's do this then." His voice sounded more convinced than he felt, but he led the other boy out of the bedroom nonetheless, wandering through the small apartment until they stumbled upon Hannah Robinson in the tiny kitchen. "Mum? Can I talk to you?"

Hannah frowned, turning towards her boy with a knife in hand, which she quickly put down on the counter. Gray let out a nervous chuckle when he knew the utensil was safely out of grasp, still holding onto Mickeys hand, even though his hand was starting to get a little sweaty.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" He heard her ask, confusion and worry seeping into her voice. It sent a wave of warmth through his body, knowing that she cared so much for him. His fear disappeared slightly, but he still felt nervous as fuck, telling her this secret he'd kept for so long.

"Mum. I. Mickey...he's not just a friend. He's my boyfriend." Whack. The immediate reply came in the form of a slap, which left him with tears stinging his eyes - because of the force of the blow, but also because he hadn't expected that reply. It was soon soothed though when she tugged him into her arms, tugged both of them into her arms.

"All these years...and this is how you tell me, Graham Kerr?" She scolded him, running her fingers over his hair and down his face. "Honey...you should know I couldn't care less who you bring home, as long as they treat you right." Gray buried his face in his moms shoulder, one arm around her, the other twisted awkwardly to still hold Mickeys hand while his mother hugged both children to her chest.

"I thought you wanted grandkids mum..." The sixteen-year-old whispered softly, but he knew that she had somewhat come to terms with not having any from him, after all, he didn't want the chance to infect his children with his wolf gene - if that was even possible. It didn't seem to matter much to her anyway, because she just chuckled and planted a big, wet kiss to his cheek, and then to Mickeys.

"Nothing matters more to me than you and your brother, Gray. And if you bring home a boy, then he'll matter just as much to me as he does to you."