➪ PACIFIKA ➪
"LOKI. HUGS. NOW."
Loki turned away from her homework, looking up at Nicolas. He let out a long sigh, dropping down beside the girl. Loki didn't hesitate before wrapping her arms around her best friend. Nicolas lazily draped his arms over her and rested his head on her shoulder.
"Did you speak with James?" She inquired.
"Loki," Nicolas let out a loud groan.
"Nic, I'll keep bugging you about it."
"Yes, yes, I spoke with him," Niclas responded with a huff. "I mean, he spoke to me first."
"And?" Loki prompted, keeping one arm hugging him as she used her left to continue her homework.
"And nothing," Nicolas sighed. "He gave me a note after he told me he wanted a bit more time to process or whatever. It said he wanted to chat somewhere in a few days, so it was more private. I don't know what there is to process, though. Simple, does he like me or not? Is he attracted to dudes or not?"
"Nic, you have to remember that James was influenced by alcohol, too. I could smell it in the drinks they had, so he might not have a good memory about it," Loki spoke up as she dotted her final 'i' in the sentence she wrote. "You also have to realise that maybe that was the first time he's been exposed to something like that. He probably very confused about how he's supposed to be feeling."
Nicolas looked over at Loki, watching as she scribbled away on the piece of parchment. He hummed, resting his head against her shoulder. He closed his eyes as he breathed deeply.
"I'll go talk to him later."
➪
"WE FOUND YOU!"
Loki looked up from her palette. Max, Marlene, Lucy and Peter smiled down at her. She grinned in return, setting down her palette and paintbrush.
"I'm surprised to see you alone," Marlene spoke, being the first to sit down beside the girl. "You're usually hanging out with Nicolas, Remus and Sirius or one of us, at least."
"Wait, we weren't intruding, were we? I hope we aren't interrupting you," Peter queried in a hasty panic, his voice filled with a tone of concern and guilt.
"No, no, Peter," Loki replied with a shake of her head and a reassuring grin. "I was just enjoying the weather. A small burst of creativity came over me. Nothing to worry over."
"So," Lucy sat down next, tucking her legs underneath, "where are the boys? Marlene already told me she saw Nicolas and James earlier, but what about Remus and Sirius?" She let out a sharp whistle, which drew everyone's attention to her. She ducked her head in embarrassment. "Sorry. Just ignore that."
Exchanging glances, Loki and the other's didn't question Lucy's whistle.
"Merlin only knows where those two are," Loki spoke, shooting Lucy a smile as she pulled their attention back to her. "We ate breakfast together and then went our separate ways. I've been out here most of today, save a short trip to the kitchens a while ago."
"They're probably planning a prank together, then," Marlene shrugged. "Anyway, what are you painting, Loki?" Marlene queried, leaning closer to the girl, peering over her shoulder. Her eyes widened at the portrait she saw on the canvas. "Wow. That's..."
"Not finished," Loki finished. She bashfully averted her gaze to the grass. "It's a painting I started a long time ago and never finished."
"Who is it?" Marlene gaped. "She looks beautiful."
The blonde Gryffindor, along with the others of the group, huddled closer to Loki. They stared at her half-completed painting, their mouth's gaping in awe. The woman Loki was painting stared off to the left, giving the four a perfect view of her side profile. The first thing they noticed was her eye, a dazzling blend of multiple hues of green, heavily contrasting against her pale, slightly freckled skin. They spotted, hiding behind long locks of semi-painted light blonde hair, an earring with what appeared to be an emerald dangling from the golden chains, though it had barely been filled in. The colouring of the woman was in uneven patches. It seemed to the group that Loki kept getting distracted by other unpainted spots while already painting another part and moved to paint what she noticed.
"It's my mother," Loki replied with a soft voice. "It's the one painting I can never bring myself to finish. I keep coming back and debating whether she ever actually looked like this." Loki frowned, gently scratching the bridge of her nose with her thumb, which seemed to be the only spot on her hand not covered in paint. "The only thing I'm certain of are the eyes."
"They're just like yours," Max spoke up, sounding breathless, "bright and green. They look so full of wonder. It's amazing."
"Really?" Loki turned back to inspect her mother's portrait.
"She seems like she would have been nice," Peter smiled.
"She was," Loki hummed, "The entire she was alive I'd never see her get mad. She was optimistic, only seeing the good in people. She always had love to share, and she never asked for anything in return. It was like she had a beacon of joy in her because you just couldn't help but feel happy when she was around."
Loki smiled tenderly at her mother's portrait. She gazed at it, giving a small sniffle as she realised she was close to tears.
"Pretty lady!" Lucy smacked her hand over her mouth. "I-I'm sorry. What was her name, Loki?"
"Evangeline," Loki replied, not acknowledging Lucy's outburst vocally, but shooting her a reassuring smile. "Everyone just called her Eva mostly, but my dad always called her Angel." Loki frowned slightly as she thought about her father. "My dad buried himself in his work after her death and kept travelling. He's never at home longer than a month or two before he leaves again."
"Loki, I'm sorry," Marlene frowned and gave the girl a hug.
"Don't be. Don't feel bad. Don't feel sorry. I'm fine." Loki's tone was sad, but she kept on a happy smile. "I have friends I get to see every day. I have you guys now."
"Aw, Loki!" Max cooed dramatically.
He flung himself at the girl, pulling her in for a hug. She only had a few moments to move the paint before they collided, and it ended up in a mess. Max didn't seem to notice, however.
"You're literally the sweetest girl I've ever met, and I promise I'll never, ever stop being your friend."
"You can count me in on that," Lucy raised her hand, then quickly pulled herself into the hug.
Another few seconds and soon the five of them were hugging, even Peter, who had been pulled in by Marlene and Max when they noticed him not joining. Loki had forced herself to stop crying, looking back at her mother's semi-completed portrait. She gave it a thankful smile.
"Looks like Loki's all good on her own, Moony," Sirius nudged the boy beside him as they watched the group hug from afar. "Let's go back inside and leave them be for now, yeah?"
"Mh," Remus hummed, his hazel eyes trained on the girl in the middle. He heard Sirius walk away, and his gaze flicked to the canvas in front of the group as he took a set back. He smiled at the canvas without knowing why.
"Moony, you coming?" Sirius called out.
Remus stared for a moment longer before he turned to his best friend. "Yeah, I'm coming. Don't get your wand in a knot."
"Hey, do you think James is done with Nicolas yet?"
"Just keep walking, Padfoot," Remus sighed.
➪ AUTHOR'S NOTE ➪
happy new year! i hope you've been well. I'm sure you noticed the updates I've been doing on all the previous chapters, and i'm sorry if it filled up your notifs.
i luv you all, and until next chapter, vote, comment if you wish. i'll see you then :)