It was a good day outside, all things considered. It was getting further into October, which meant the weather was off again, on again as far as warm and cold went. Currently it was pretty breezy out, but the sun was still out. All the more reason for a fly, he was sure.

Technically Jaxon knew what he really should be doing. He should be up in his common room, getting a bit of work done. But that sounded like a complete waste of a relatively good afternoon. Not to mention he was avoiding the masses of Gryffindor beauties trying to rope a date to the upcoming ball.

That pushed new thoughts into his head. Jaxon hadn't figured out a costume yet, much less date. Sure, he could probably have his pick of witch if he so chose. That came with the territory. Being the number one flirt in the castle as for as blokes went meant the witches were accustomed to his teasing and charming ways.

He rarely did more than that though. The true definition of loyal, Jax stayed true to his own heart. He didn't judge other blokes based on their sexual exploits, but the sleeping around thing just wasn't his style. The sixth year Gryffindor had a style all his own. Usually involving one witch in particular and him showing off and teasing her mercilessly.

It never really got him the exact reactions he was looking for though, but hell, any reaction was better than none. Jaxon consoled himself that the witch didn't seem to hate him. Although, merely tolerating him was hardly much better, but hey, the guy would take what he could get. Anything was better than being completely ignored as if he didn't exist.

A look of deep thought passed over his face and he made the wrong turn on his way to the broom shed and pitch, lost in his plotting ways of how to even accomplish anything with the girl who drove him nuts. This error had Jaxon heading toward the Herbology greenhouses, and once his eyes recognized the damn things he cursed on the wind.

Turning back with a grumble, halfway through the turn he paused, and a look of surprise took over his face until it fell away to be replaced with a happy grin. What were the odds? The boy didn't waste any time in striding forward ver towards Fallon, though he did make sure to sneak around behind her.

Standing behind the Hufflepuff, he peered over her shoulder to see what exactly it was that she was doing only to roll his eyes. That damned book. Again. Maybe he should take the damned thing and burn it. Then maybe she would pay more attention to the things around her. Mainly him. That sounded like a good idea, except Fallon had never been above kicking his arse, and the witch was bloody scary when angry.

Giving the stupid book she had in her hands a glare of death for the hell of it, Jaxon instead leaned forward so his lips were next to her ear, but he was in no way touching her. He didn't want to give himself away as being there just yet. Not before he scared the bloody hell out of her. That was always the greatest, because the Hufflepuff spooked so damn easily.

"BOO!"

Flipping through the book she smiled, Wuthering Heights, she had read it a million times, so many the pages were worn and frayed but she still couldnt bring herself to buy a new copy. Her friends teased her endlessly about her love of stupid novels but it didn't bother her any.

The one who teased her the most was Jax, every time he found her in the commons, she was always reading and he never let her forget it. She couldn't help that she loved the escape that it brought her and since she didn't have a boyfriend and she could only play the cello so often she had to find something else to pass the time with.

Jax, she thought with a smile, one of her best friends for awhile now. He had seen her through some of her most terrible times and yet he never seemed to care. All the girls always flocked to him and she hoped one day she could find someone as decent as him. Fallon knew deep down he was a decent guy underneath all of the jokes and no matter how much flirting he did he would always be her friend.

Flipping the page again she sighed as she reached one of her favorite spots but it was short lived when the boo sounded at her ear. Screaming the book flew out of her hands and down the hill and she damn near tumbled down the hill herself. Rounding around she glared when she saw who it was. "JAXON PIERCE! You know better than to sneak up on me like that!"

The moment he yelled to scare her she jumped about a foot in the air, and that evil book went flying down the hill. Good riddance Jaxon thought. It was insane that she had him so jealous of a bloody book. Could you blame him? The witch took the thing everywhere with her. It was constantly in her hands, like some priceless treasure. Always grabbing her attention when he was far more entertaining. He was her best friend. Her attention was supposed to be on him.

Though he wanted it for different reasons now than he had a few years previously. It was safe to say the oblivious hufflepuff hadn't put two and two together yet. The idiot witch didn't even notice how bloody beautiful she was or how every little move she made drove him wild. Her reactions were always hilarious though and this one was no different. Jax laughed so hard he fell to the ground next to her, only laughing harder when she rounded on him and yelled at him about how he knew not to do that to her.

Of course he knew she didn't like it and that gave him all the more reason to do it as often as possible. That was his place in her life. He was the pain in her arse that she loved to deal with. Maybe that wasn't the most promising start for him. The gryffindor did want to be more than a pain in the arse to Fallon. A bloke could only hope a witch like her would return his feelings. Still chuckling, he laid on his side, propping himself up on his elbow and gave her his best grin.

"Now Fallon. What would you do if I didn't do that eh? You would think something's wrong with me. I'm just keeping you from worrying needlessly." He told her in that charming way with a boyish grin that he knew would from years of pulling the same stunt would have her forgiving him in a second. "I'll even make it up to you. I'll retrieve your book." Without hesitation or losing that boyish grin of his Jaxon proceeded to roll down the hill on his side, tumbling over and over until he got to the very bottom and rolled to a stop.

He fluidly got to his feet, and much too fast, the dizzy effects from rolling down the hill making him stumble over to the book. He picked it up even and even though he would rather chuck it and hope the wind carried it to the lake, he jogged back up the hill to return it as he had promised. His hair was now windswept and full of grass, his clothes disheveled and with bits of grass also clinging to them as he flashed her a roguish grin and presented the book like one did an award. "Returned safe and sound Miss Bourne."

Over the past six years Fallon could count on one hand how many people she could really call her friend and count on for anything. She was friendly with almost everyone though reserved and it had taken her almost the entire six years to bust out of her shell. Too quiet and her nose often buried in a book the girl was in serious need of lightening up. So that was where Jax came in. He was always joking and teasing her, and yet he could still catch her off guard.

She loved him and wouldn't trade him for anything else in the world. But that did not mean he escaped her wrath any easier than any one else. Scowling at him she at back down in a more proper position brushing a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. As she did a furious look began forming on her face. "I would live in peace and not have a mild heart attack every time you appear."

Shaking her head at him she crossed her arms over her chest, "You better hope that the spine didn't break and the pages come tumbling out," she muttered darkly. He was always abusing her books so she should have been used to it. Watching him roll down the hill she smiled. He truly was something else indeed.

Leaning back against the hill, it was funny to watch him try to trudge back up the hill when he was obviously so dizzy from rolling over and over. When he extended the book back to her she took it and turned it over in her hands just to make sure that it really was alright. It had some grass stains but other than that it looked as if it had survived.

"You're lucky or else you would have been buying me a new book over the next break." she said with a serious nod. Pushing up off of the ground she tucked the book into her back pocket and reached forward concerned as she brushed the dirt and grass off of him. "You couldn't just walk down the hill like a normal person could you."

"It would have been a significantly small price to lay to see you jump that high in the air in fright." He replied in that cheeky tone of his that somehow managed to be charming at the same time. Such was how the Gryffindor was. His teasing ways that were always so honestly playful always managed to grab the attention of any witch he so teased, and his flirtatious behavior never went unnoticed.

Except for Fallon. She was a special case and always had been. The witch never saw herself clearly, something that usually either bothered Jaxon or amused him depending on the situation. It usually frustrated him when he was being so obvious about his advances without actually putting himself out there only for it to all go right over her pretty head because she was either too used to his flirting and teasing to really understand what it meant or she just brushed it off because she didn't take it seriously.

That was probably more his fault than hers but he was determined to make her recognize his affections had changed toward her one way or the other. Jax just chose the long route because he had much too much fun teasing his oblivious friend. He grinned boyishly at her when she began dusting him off. "Walking is no fun Fallon. Everyone should roll everywhere. In fact, when we get married I demand you feed me until I'm big and fat so I can't walk but have to roll."

He said this so easily you would think he had said it a million times before, and his grin never lost that boyish look while he plucked a piece of grass from his hair and placed it on his lips. "I think you forgot a spot Fallon. Might want to use your lips with this one though." The words were mumbled because he was trying not to dislodge the piece of grass by moving them too much, and his brown eyes shinned brightly down at the Hufflepuff who had had his heart in one way or the other for years even if she didn't know it.

"Yes a small price for you maybe. Whenever will you learn not to scare me so much." She hated that she could scare so easily, but she had tried to change that part of herself and failed miserably. It was just something she would always have to live with especially if she was living with Jax anywhere around. Most of the time his teasing was in good nature with her and she could not remember a time where he had ever been cruel with her. She was happy he was such a big part of her life and hoped he always would be.

There was a few things she needed to talk to him about but the way he was grinning at her threw her off track. When he grinned like that it usually meant he was up to something. Not that she minded, as long as it did not involve bugs or scaring her more. Rolling her eyes she stared up at him with a shake of her head.

"If we rolled every where we would constantly be dirty and I'm just not okay with that." Raising a brow her amber eyes sparkled at him. "Oh we are getting married now are we? I'm glad you have the future all figured out for us now."

Continuning to brush leaves and grass off of his shoulders and chest she glanced up wondering where she had missed until she looked up to see the grass on his lips. Smiling she reached up and picked it off gently dropping the offensive piece of grass to the ground. Leaning up she gave him a friendly peck on the lips. "There, now you are all better."

"When it stops being fun and not a second sooner." He replied with that same boyish grin and a wink. It was truly a past time for the boy, playing such harmless little pranks on the girl. Her reactions never got old for Jaxon, and he lived to bring surprise and fun to her life. If he didn't, someone else would, and that was just unacceptable to the Gryffindor.

It drove him nuts though, that she didn't seem to notice how much he truly paid attention to every detail about her. There couldn't be a single person in the castle that knew Fallon better than he did. That knew what made her smile just as well as he knew what made her tick. Often enough Jax was performing both actions in some perfected balance he had developed specifically for the Hufflepuff witch.

"A little dirt never hurt anyone Fallon. And we could roll through the rain when we get too dirty if you would like." He promised teasingly, his brown eyes shining brightly down at her. "It only makes sense. Who else would put up with me for the rest of my life if not you?" He spoke and questioned as if this was the most natural and obvious conclusion in the world. "And I've only figured that much out. Beyond that I'm lost, so maybe your brilliant mind will figure that out for us." He added on as a teasing compliment.

The boy allowed her to clean him up, standing there with an almost goofy grin on his handsome face as she brushed off his shoulders and chest. It wasn't the first time Fallon had ever had to resort to touching him in such a way. It just never got old for him how her innocent touches put him on cloud nine in the best ways, and always had him imagining about what any not so innocent touches might do to him.

His mind told him not to get too ahead of himself, especially when she took his advice and gave him a peck on the lips. A part of him wanted to grab her and give her a proper kiss, but his ever playful side won out against that in a heartbeat. More than kisses Jaxon loved her smile, and would do just about anything to see it. Even when it meant making a fool of himself. Something he had done countless times before.

The boy put on a mock look of outrage. "Are you kidding me? I saved a book from sure and sudden death and I get that as my reward?" He could have almost passed for serious if not for the completely disastrous woebegone look he tried and failed to nail the next second. "Try to be a hero and this is what I get for my efforts. From now on, all books save themselves." Jaxon crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant manner, and his theatrics were only hilarious at best.

"Well its only fun for you so where is the fairness in that?" Fallon had been on the receiving end of his teasing for years and years. So much now that it was second nature and most of the time she didn't even notice it, except for when he scared her senseless. She loved it even though she would never, ever admit it.

"I'm not a boy Jax I didn't grow up playing in the dirt like you obviously did. I played inside with dolls and different things and even when I played outside I most certainly was not rolling around in the dirt. I did play in the rain more times than I can count though," she said with a smile and a shake of her head. "You are right there, who else would be crazy enough to put up with your antics all the time. They would most certainly need an endless supply of patience."

Pulling her hands back and settling back down to be flat footed she looked up at him with a curious look. "You caused that book to go flying down the hill and out of my hands, so do not try to play innocent with me mister. If you had not come up behind me like that my book would have remained safe and sound in my hands and not shot through the air like a rocket."

Mirroring his stance with a like one of her own she stared him down like only she could and to an outside observer they were an odd couple, her short and serious to his tall and comical. "Well maybe from now on you should stop sneaking around and trying to scare me senseless. Hmm?" She asked the serious look only remaining for a moment before she cracked a smile. "Well what should your reward be then, another kiss and perhaps a date to the ball?"

The Halloween ball was fast approaching and while a few fifth years had asked her curiously, she was still holding out someone much more close to her would ask.

"It's fun for you too. Otherwise you wouldn't smile so much about it, and it wouldn't be worth it if you didn't smile. That's really all a bloke wants over here. To see you smile. Means I'm doing something right." Again, he grinned that boyish grin and her and provided another wink. But every word he spoke was honest and truthful, along with prideful. Jaxon knew for a fact that Fallon enjoyed his little teasing comments and jokes, even if she didn't admit it out loud. Her smile always gave her away, and the Gryffindor was prideful in the fact that he was solely responsible for so many of them.

"Dolls?" He repeated after her, his tone sounding as if he was trying to place a picture to go with the word. "Why would anyone want to play with dolls instead of dirt?" Apparently, witches did prefer dolls to dirt, for some unfathomable reason. He shook his head with a grin. "I guess it's a good thing you're all grown up now and can rightfully choose dirt over dolls." Jax gave another playful wink, knowing that even now Fallon would never pick dirt to play with. At the most she would endure him playing in the dirt and then clean him up afterwards. That was an idea he could try out.

"If you played in the rain, you must've stepped in mud at some point. How did you ever survive that?" The Gryffindor teased, his eyes bright with his mirth as he looked upon her. His grin seemed to grow at her other words, and even as he knew they were playful, Jaxon had all the hope in the world that someday they would be true. "I don't require that much patience Fallon. Unless you're the only one with that much patience. Then, I do." He replied smoothly, giving her his charming smile to go with his words. His words singled her out, making it clear he wouldn't want anyone else but the Hufflepuff to put with him, but they were sandwiched between their playful banter so well that he wondered if she would pick up on it.

She rarely did, which made it all the more amusing and yet frustrating for the boy. He waved away her comments. "Details. Anyway, technically it's your fault for the book flying around since you got so scared, fraidy cat." His teasing look was back, and he prepared to be smacked somewhere for it. Then she was giving him that defiant and serious look that made him groan. "Play times over." He mumbled to himself, kicking at a patch of grass for the hell of it. He never did like that look. It always made him feel like a child who got caught doing something he shouldn't and now was going to get a time out or something.

Jax could only nod about the no scaring her thing, because truthfully, he didn't want to lie to her, and they both knew he would do it again at his earliest convenience. So he just nodded to appease her until her smile was back and then it was safe for him to grin again. That was how these things worked. The excited light in his dark eyes was hard to miss when she brought up the ball but Jaxon played along as he would normally. "Both would be a good reward for my heroics I think. As long as I get to go in my boxers, because I feel like making you blush the whole night."

"You believe its fun for me, there is a difference." even as she spoke though she continued to smile. She never stopped smiling when he was around. "Yes Jax, dolls. You know the things that little girls like to play with." Rolling her eyes at him she crossed her arms over her chest. "There a lot of things I would choose to play with now over dirt and dolls," she retorted back as her eyes sparkled with mischief.

Shrugging she continued to look up at him, "Mud and dirt are entirely different in my book. Mud I don't mind that much.. if its raining. I've certainly done my share of mudslinging when I was younger and more carefree. Not much of that happening these days though." It was true she had too much to focus on now.

"We both know I am the only one with that much patience and its taken me years of practice. Now its just second nature when it comes to you. If I didn't have to keep you in line I have no idea what else would make my life so interesting. I doubt there is anything else to be honest. So I guess its good that you are still around to keep me on my toes."

With her gaze still sternly upon him she shook her head. "I am not a fraidy cat... how was I supposed to know you were going to stumble upon me, no one ever comes down this way at this time of day." With another serious nod she watched him shift back and forth like a child in trouble and she couldn't help but smile more.

"A kiss is the easy part and you are so not going in your boxers. I already have your costume picked out and I'm not giving you a choice in the matter. Just wear what appears on your bed that night." Leaning up she kissed his cheek and then turned and started up the hill towards the castle with a large smile on her face.