Smart boys don't mess around

[preanimator]

WHO: Herbert West, Sherlock Holmes, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner
TONE: Playful, goofy
RATING: PG-13ish, for possible language
WHEN: The evening of November 27
WHERE: Ravenclaw 6th year boy's dorm
WHAT: Shenanigans!

Herbert really had a love-hate relationship with his roommates - he loved some of them and hated some others. Well, really he quite liked Bruce, thought Sherlock was interesting but occasionally insufferable, and hated Tony. It meant he preferred it when they weren't all together in the same room, because Bruce was always mooning after Tony, and Sherlock liked to show off, the more people there were around, and he just wanted to get some bloody homework done!

"I don't suppose anyone would like to possibly shut up," he asked the room at large disparagingly, "Since it's a bit late for me to go to the library and escape all your rubbish?"

Comments

[greenmoonrising]

"That's taking 'marking territory' a bit far, don't you think?" he asked wryly, rolling his eyes. "I'm serious, if you start feeling peaky, let me know and I'll take you to the nurse. I've dragged Tony there several times, I'd hope you wouldn't be as childish as him about it."

[3potionproblem]

Sherlock smirks. Well played, Bruce. Using the ones dislike of the other against him to try and illicit a more favorable response. Very well done indeed. He leans back on his elbows, watching with interest to see how this goes down.

[preanimator]

It put Herbert in a bit of a quandary - he wanted to insist he wasn't being childish, but then that would imply that Stark wasn't, either, god forbid. And it might be nice to get out of the dorm room with Banner, but the other boy would probably fuss over him, which always made the smaller Ravenclaw uncomfortable and feel a little odd. In the end, he settled for scowling again.

"I'm not even ill, and I think I would recognize my symptoms if I was," he said, retreating to one corner of his bed and drawing his knees up. He wasn't quite sure what to do with Tony's comments, either - he was fairly sure the other boy was being sarcastic and making fun of his appearance, which was par for the course, but it still made him feel impotent and angry jut the same. "And don't compare me to Stark, I'm not like him at all. In any way."

[arrogantalloy]

Tony puts his feet up on Sherlock, getting himself more comfortable. Then grins at Herbert's denial.

"You know, other than being a guy in 6th year Ravenclaw with personality issues, and a strange superiority complex."

He then nudge's Sherlock with his foot.

"Sounds like me, don't you think?"

[greenmoonrising]

"Tony, shut up."

Bruce glanced at his bed and got a rather tired look on his face when he saw Sherlock and Tony were occupying it.

He didn't want to sleep there any more.

He turned back to Herbert and sighed, running a hand through his hair and giving the smaller boy a sheepish smile. "Would you mind if I kipped here tonight? That way I can keep an eye on you in case you start choking on your vomit or something through the night..." Then he added in a quiet voice so only Herbert could hear him, "Not to mention there's a growing colony of egomaniacs on my bed."

[3potionproblem]

Sherlock poked at Tony’s feet. “Your acknowledgement of your faults is truly remarkable, Tony, seeing as you miss so many of the finer details.” He smirked at him all the same, teasing mostly.

Hearing Bruce he leaned over towards the younger, gesturing over to the other bed. “I believe the phrase is ‘your princess is in another castle’.”

[preanimator]

Herbert had been about to retort angrily to Stark, enumerating all the ways in which they weren't alike, when Bruce asked to share his bed. He turned wide, startled dark eyes to the other boy and his hand came up to pluck at the front of his shirt in a nervous gesture, like he couldn't quite believe it. Then he beamed, looking all of twelve in that moment.

"If you feel like you should ... um, yes, all right. It's clean in here, too! I mean, I think the only bit of that gunk got in my mouth," he said, and made a dry 'ha' sound, what passed for a laugh with him.

[arrogantalloy]

Tony as up and stared at the curtains that kept Bruce and Herbert hidden from him and Sherlock, his eyes narrowing slightly. Looking very unimpressed. He almost feels the need to go over there and intrude, because, Bruce is his friend, just his friend. Until he realises what Sherlock says and get's momentarily distracted.

"Wait, what? How do you even know that quote? And I don't have a princess in any castle. I'm not a plumber or a knight."

He flops back on the bed almost grumpily getting comfortable again. Looking up at the roof to make a show of how much he doesn't care where Bruce or Herbert are of what they're doing.

[greenmoonrising]

Bruce chuckled and moved up the bed to settle next to Herbert. "Thanks, I owe you one."

He shifted to get under the covers, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. "You sure you're not feeling any side-effects from that mouthful?"

[3potionproblem]

Sherlock smirks at Tony. "Muggle studies, remember? I'm very observant. And I deduce that you'll be sleeping alone tonight."

[preanimator]

"I feel all right," Herbert said, because it didn't occur to him to lie at first, though he added hastily. "For now, anyway. That sort of thing usually does take awhile to produce any affect."

Which was true! And also probably a good enough reason to keep Bruce in the bed with him. "But you can sleep here any time. I mean, if you need to or something, if someone's being a prat. I sleep really soundly, I don't mind."

He wasn't going to sleep at all while Bruce was in his bed. Not a wink, he was pretty sure.

[arrogantalloy]

Tony looks at him.

"There are only two serviceable beds tonight. You thinking of sleeping on the floor? And get that smirk of your face."

[greenmoonrising]

Bruce opted to ignore the conversation going on in his own bed and gave Herbert a small smile. "Alright, if you say so... wake me up if you start feeling sick or anything, yeah? I'll take you to the nurse."

He hunkered down and pulled off his glasses before setting them aside and blinking up at the now blurry Herbert. "Sorry in advance if I snore," he added with a small grin before lying down and closing his eyes. "Good night, Herbert."

[3potionproblem]

Sherlock eyed Bruce's bed. Fair question.

"You have to stay on your side."

[arrogantalloy]

"I'm a snuggle, deal with it, or get comfy on the stone floor."

He pulls off his socks, then pulls off his shirt and tosses it towards his bed before getting under the sheets.

"Think of it as John practice."

Smirks at him.

[preanimator]

Herbert was vaguely aware that Tony and Sherlock were still talking, but since Tony and Sherlock were kind of always talking, he ignored it, settling onto his side and slitting his eyes so that it looked like he was intending to sleep.

"Good night," he said softly, and smiled to himself.

[greenmoonrising]

Bruce dozed off quickly enough as he was wont to do, and poor Herbert was soon to realize that Bruce was one helluva clingy bedmate. Within minutes the larger boy was cuddling Herbert with his nose buried in the bed-owner's hair and a leg tossed over the unfortunate teddy-bear's own.

Good luck escaping for potty-breaks boy.

[3potionproblem]

Sherlock scowled but made himself comfortable on the bed, staying to his side with one arm draping off as he kept as far as he could over while still on his belly.

[arrogantalloy]

Unlike Bruce, Tony doesn't let his subconscious snuggle up. Tony just straight up shifts until he's lying curled up against Sherlock with his arm draped over his back.

"Hey, Sherlock?"

He murmurs against his shoulder, his voice soft and curious.

[preanimator]

Herbert lay perfectly still, not wanting to disturb the other boy or do anything at all that would make him move. Bruce was kind of hot, and he was sweating on that one side, but he sure as hell wasn't going to pull away. He stared up at the dark ceiling, feeling incredibly happy and stupidly pathetic, all at the same time. He could hear the murmurs of the other boys talking, still, but he couldn't be arsed to care about the conversation.

[greenmoonrising]

Bruce's body temperature eventually lowered to suit the environment and he didn't let up on Herbert, curling more into the boy and eventually tucking his face into the crook of his neck and shoulder, making a quiet snuffling noise before sighing and settling again.

[3potionproblem]

Sherlock turns his head on the pillow, glaring at Tony and his proximity.

"I left you over half the bed. What could you possibly want pressed against me on this side?"

[arrogantalloy]

"I told you I'm a snuggler. Besides, I'm keeping you safe from... Cumquats."

He smirks as he doesn't move from being on top of Sherlock.

[3potionproblem]

He chuckles, shaking his head slightly because good lord.

"As a human blanket you're considerably smaller than I would expect to use as any sort of shield. Warm though."

[preanimator]

Herbert bit his lip as Bruce whuffled into his neck, then very, very hesitantly and carefully raised one hand to ghost through the bigger boy's dark curls, stroking them lightly, desperate not to wake him up.