Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count - 2039

Of Best Friends And Cheesecake

Blaise puttered about his flat, trying to entertain himself despite the overwhelming silence. He debated turning the TV on, but couldn't really be bothered trying to follow along with a show or movie. Instead, with a flick of his wand, the radio clicked on and the rather distinctive voice of Celestina Warbeck filled the room.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. She wasn't even releasing new music anymore, and yet his ears were still tortured by her almost every evening.

The Wizarding Wireless really needed to update their music collection. Hell, even the hospital radio was better, though they couldn't play the music Blaise preferred since they were more focused on keeping the patients calm.

They still didn't play continuous torture in the form of Celestina Warbeck.

Deciding that it was still better than the stifling silence, Blaise left the radio on and walked into the kitchen. It was late, around ten pm, but he was hungry and he was still somewhat wired from his shift.

Wired and tired seemed to be his perpetual state of being. Such was the life of a healer, he supposed.

Besides, he was ignoring the real problem causing his restlessness.

He missed Theo.

It was difficult, not seeing his best friend. Or rather, that wasn't even it, because he did still see him. He'd seen him only a few days ago in Diagon Alley, they'd even managed time to snatch a coffee from the little cafe beside Flourish and Blotts, but it just wasn't the same.

He probably should have expected everything to change when Theo's relationship got 'serious' but sadly it had still taken him somewhat by surprise.

What had once been Blaise&Theo had turned into Blaise and sometimes Theo when he wasn't with his girlfriend.

He missed him. A lot.

Blaise scoffed to himself, shaking his head. He needed to pull himself together. Maybe he should cook something. It had been a while—he didn't really see the point in making the effort when he was only cooking for one—but cooking soothed him.

He checked the cupboards and fridge and smiled to himself as he washed his hands and then spelled them with the medical disinfectant charm for good measure before he began pulling ingredients out.

Chopping chocolate as he heated water, Blaise lost himself in the movements. So much so that he didn't hear the flames in his fireplace flare until someone was standing behind him, saying his name.

"Blaise! Oh my god are you deaf?"

He turned to see Theo standing there and blinked, because it had been a while since Theo turned up in the evening unplanned.

"Hey," he said, when Theo didn't say anything. "What are you doing here?"

Theo wrinkled his nose, a frown furrowing his brow, and it was such a Theo thing to do that Blaise grinned. His friend could be so grumpy sometimes.

"What are you making?"

"Chocolate cheesecake," Blaise replied, nodding to the biscuits on the side. "Wanna bash the biscuits?"

Theo took the rolling pin from Blaise's hand and set about bashing them; and did so with relish. Blaise's eyebrows rose when he saw how viciously Theo was hitting the rolling pin on to the bag of now entirely crumbled digestives.

"I think that's enough, mate. I need them to be a little more than dust."

Theo stopped abruptly, his cheeks colouring slightly as he put the rolling pin down and then rested his hands on the kitchen counter.

"I broke up with Ally."

"Huh?" Blaise asked, confused. "Why?"

As far as he'd known, they were getting on splendidly, and Blaise wasn't bitter about that at all, no sir.

"She wanted to change everything about me," Theo said, ending in a sigh as he stepped back and out of the way for Blaise to begin mixing the broken biscuits with the melted butter. "Literally everything. The way I talk, the way I dress, the things I read, my job… everything."

"Your job?" Blaise asked, frowning. "What's wrong with being a gardener? You worked miracles with my mum's place."

"Thanks mate. I guess it's not, uh, fancy enough for her? She wanted me to apply to the Ministry for a desk job."

Blaise scoffed. "You'd go mental stuck at a desk all day. You wouldn't even last a week and I'd be checking you into the long care ward at St Mungo's."

Theo nodded. "I know. I tried to explain that to her, but she went on to explain to me that being a gardener wasn't a stable job. If I worked at the Ministry, I'd have a more steady income."

Rolling his eyes, Blaise turned away. He'd never been Ally's biggest fan, but he'd tried to conceal that fact from Theo as best he could. He didn't think he'd managed very well, but at least he tried.

"So… that's it? You're done?"

Theo nodded. "Was hoping I could move in here for a while? I just… don't want to go through all the hassle of finding a new place right now and I.. I miss you."

"Course you can," Blaise replied, shrugging. "You know the spare room is always yours, it always has been."

Theo nodded and then hopped up onto the kitchen counter on the opposite side from where Blaise was working.

"You didn't like her, did you?" Theo asked.

Blaise shrugged. "I didn't dislike her," he hedged.

"You didn't like her," Theo replied, more certainly. "I always wondered why, but I guess I was looking at her through the rose tinted glasses of early relationships."

"You were together for a while," Blaise replied softly. Theo had moved in with her, after all, there must have been some real feelings there. "I guess I just figured that she must show you a side of her that I didn't see. It wasn't like I met her that often."

Theo made a small noise of agreement. "She did. It wasn't… she's not a terrible person or anything. I think we're just not meant for each other. She wants someone more… invested in the life she thinks she should have."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing if its a life the person she's with also wants. But…"

"Yeah. I know. It's for the best," Theo said, and he sounded certain of that. Blaise just smiled at him over his shoulder and then offered him a taste of the chocolate topping.

They were silent for a while, but unlike when Blaise had been alone, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.

Blaise quickly finished whipping up the cheesecake and put it in the fridge to set before he nodded to the living room. "Come on. We'll order a pizza in. By the time we demolish that, the cheesecake should be ready."

Theo smiled at him, and he looked a little more like himself as he followed Blaise into the living room.

…

"I'm having the last slice."

"I want it," Blaise argued, even though he didn't. He was already quite full, and he was really looking forward to the cheesecake.

"But you love me and I'm heartbroken, so you should let me have it."

"You keep telling yourself that," Blaise replied, rolling his eyes. He kicked the pizza box towards Theo anyway.

Theo picked up the last slice with a triumphant grin. "You know, you're the only person who really knows who I am and still likes me anyway."

"Are you sure about that? I think it's just exposure at this point," Blaise bantered back. "I put up with you because I don't know any better."

"You're an asshole."

"I know."

"If you weren't Ace, I'd date the shit out of you," Theo said, shrugging. "We're already practically married."

Blaise laughed, he couldn't help it. "What makes you think that, if I wanted to date someone, I'd date you?"

"We already have a bromance, Blaise. That was another thing Ally didn't like. She hated that I love you more than I'll ever love anyone else. She couldn't handle that. She thought she should be my first priority."

Sobering slightly, Blaise shrugged. "I mean, she was, wasn't she? I didn't see you half as much while you were dating her."

Theo stared at him for a long moment and then grimaced. "You're right. I neglected you, didn't I?"

"I don't—"

"I know you're not complaining." Theo waved the half eaten pizza at him. "Doesn't change that I neglected you. I'm sorry."

Blaise shook his head. "It's fine."

"It's not. I… I would love to find a woman that understands and accepts that you're always going to be my number one."

"You need a miracle."

"I don't need a miracle," Theo scoffed. Then paused. "Okay, maybe I do need a miracle."

"It's not a big deal," Blaise said after a moment. "I don't need to be your main priority, and I get it that when you're in a relationship that you won't spend as much time with me. It's just… finding a good balance, I guess."

Theo nodded and then sighed. "I'm gonna wait a while, I think. I don't want to deal with balances, and dates and all the other stuff for a bit. I just need some time to be me I think."

Blaise shrugged. "Want some cheesecake?"

…

"Don't you dare tell anyone I cried," Theo ordered, as he wiped the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand.

"Have I ever told anyone that you cried the last thirty times we watched this movie?" Blaise asked, chuckling.

Theo hit him with a pillow. "It's just so lovely. I don't understand why it doesn't make you cry. You're a monster, this confirms it."

"I think there are a lot of people that don't cry at The Princess Bride, Theo."

"Monster," Theo replied, shaking his head. "Next you're going to tell me that you don't cry at Titanic."

"You know I do," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. "You took the mickey out of me for it, even when you were drying your own eyes, because you're an asshole."

Laughing, Theo said, "Have you got anything else in to eat?"

"You're like a bottomless pit," Blaise complained, forcing himself to his feet. "I'm not cooking, so you better hope the snack cupboard has something in it."

"But—"

"Nope. It's like, 1am. I'm going to bed soon."

"Blaaaaaise."

"Theo."

"You can't go to bed. You don't even have work in the morning and I want to watch another movie."

Blaise ignored him, and checked the cupboard, pulling out some cauldron cakes. He returned to the living room with those and two cans of lemonade, throwing the cakes at Theo.

"You're perfect," Theo said, accepting the can as Blaise passed him, flopping back down on the pebble grey sofa beside him.

"Put another movie on," Blaise said, waving at the screen. "But if I fall asleep, you're not allowed to bitch at me. I've been working all day."

"You're off tomorrow, right?"

"Uh huh. I have two days off."

Theo nodded. "Will you come with me tomorrow to pick my stuff up from Ally's?"

Blaise nodded. "Yep. In the afternoon. If you wake me up before eleven, I'm going to be so salty at you, and I won't cook for a week."

Theo mock-gasped. "And I thought you were a caring man! Really you're just a demon!"

"I am a caring man, which is why I just walked all the way to the kitchen to get you cauldron cakes even though you've already eaten half of a pizza and half of a cheesecake."

Theo nodded and got comfortable, wrapping his arm around Blaise's shoulders and pulling him into a hug.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd certainly be less well fed," Blaise replied airily, though he returned the hug.

Theo put the next movie on—Alien—and flicked the lamp off with his wand.

Blaise didn't call him on that; he knew that they'd both end up sleeping on the sofa. It wouldn't stop him from bitching about his aches in the morning of course, but if this was what Theo needed, then Blaise was perfectly content to give it to him.

"I love you, mate," Theo said softly.

"I know. I love you too. Bloody sap."

Written for:

CA: 4. Relationship: Bromance

Bingo: 4/3. Friendship

Showtime: 7. You'll Be Back: A Break up

Amber's Attic: Hershel, 5: Healer

Liza Loves: 2. The Tonight Dough: A fic set in the evening

Lizzy's Loft: 3. Arkells: "I don't need a miracle."

Scamander's Case: 30. Healer

TV Spree: 9. "You're the only person who really knows who I am and still likes me anyway."

The Forecast Says: 13. Hugging

Dodgeball: 15. Cauldron Cakes

Marbles: 30. Theodore Nott

Fairy Garden: 15. Mini Wooden Bridge: Fluff

Occupation: Healer

Horse Riding: 23. Bandit: "I want it."

Cooking: 4. Oils: Chopping

Shelter Building: 4. Fallen, Sturdy Branches: Cheesecake

Gardening: Flower Bed: Marigolds: (au) gardener

Quilt Making: Chevron 2: Tired

Scrapbooking: Washi Tape: Lamp

Balloon Animals: 23. Llama: Grumpy

Getting Artsy: Pebble Grey / Best Friends

Wacky Wandmakers; 18. Fir: Perfect / Phoenix Feather: Flames

Supernatural Club: Musa, Winx Club: "Don't you dare tell anyone I cried."

Friendship Week: Theo&Blaise

Treasure Hunting: Supples: Knife: Blaise Zabini

Ultimate Battle: High Tier: Write about missing someone

Insane House: 964. Caring