Author's Notes: As I said, these stories were originally posted on the LJ community 7spells years ago. This story takes place in PoA time, where Marcus is a 7th year and Cedric is a 5th year. Each story is based off of a prompt. This particular one is "Draw a line in the sand". Cedric likes testing boundaries, and in my head can be quite the mischievous one underneath that good boy exterior. Juxtaposing him with a character like Marcus was an interesting choice I'd made ages ago with an RP friend of mine, and I liked the pairing so much I decided to write about it. Please read and review :D

Marcus looked down at his breakfast. As much as he wanted to eat, he hadn't woken up with much of an appetite, and forcing himself to eat would make him sick. So, as he sat there and pushed the over-easy eggs around his plate, he sent glances in a variety of directions: at his friends to his right; to his left; at the professors' table…and last, but not least, the other tables in the Great Hall. He couldn't help but stare more often than not; it wasn't that he had bad banners, he just had never really been taught not to stare.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one. When Marcus' eyes moved to the Hufflepuff table, he noticed a pair of light gray eyes looking right back at him. Unbeknownst to him, this wasn't the first time it had happened. However, this was the first time that the Slytherin had taken notice of it. If he had known that it had happened more often, he probably would have been a lot more freaked out than he currently was.

He looked away when Cedric smiled at him, his attention returning to his eggs. Marcus had told him just a day or two ago that he needed to switch the Slytherin team out in the match of Gryffindor, so that was probably why the younger boy was looking at him. That was what he figured, anyways.

And that was the last he had thought of it until the end of lessons that day, when he decidedly changed his mind about going to the library and instead made his way back down toward the bottom of the school, where his common room was. He had just landed on the bottom step of the basement, about to make his way toward the next staircase down, when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Marcus!"

Given that rarely anyone called him that, at least outside of Terence and Adrian, Marcus figured it had to be Diggory. He didn't understand why Cedric didn't use last names like most of the players did, but he didn't care enough to give it too much thought. And sure enough, as he turned on his heels toward the voice, there was the Hufflepuff, making his way toward him.

"Hey," Cedric said cheerfully.

"Hi," Marcus replied. "D'you…need something?"

"Oh no," he said. "I just wanted to know if Malfoy was doing all right. I don't see him, and I figured that, since you did and everything, you'd know."

Flint shrugged. "Malfoy's fine." There was a moment of silence, in which Cedric shifted on his feet and glanced up at the Slytherin with a smile. Marcus furrowed his brow. "…There something else, or d'you think I can get back to what I was doing?"

Wait, was Diggory blushing?

"Listen—" Cedric began.

"—Diggory, what's going on? You're acting weird." Marcus shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm…gonna get going."

The gray-eyed boy looked down briefly, but returned his attention to Marcus almost immediately. "Marcus, wait!" He reached out, slender fingers wrapping around a thick forearm.

"Bloody hell—" Flint tried to pull his arm away, only to find that Diggory came right along with it. His dark eyes widened, and he let out a huff of breath. "What?"

"Marcus, I—" Cedric paused, during which Marcus again tried to pull away. This time, however, he succeeded. "I fancy you," he finally continued, biting his lip afterward.

The older boy's immediate reaction was to laugh. "You're kidding, right? Who put you up to this, Diggory? You really had me going there for a—"

"I'm not kidding." Cedric sounded much more serious this time. "I fancy you, Marcus."

Marcus' mouth was slightly agape. No, this wasn't happening. Diggory? Him?

"What?"

Diggory laughed, sounding slightly uneasy. "Do I have to say it again?"

"No." His reply was flat. "You don't. I heard you perfectly well the first time."

Now Cedric sounded firmer. "So d'you think I could get an answer about this? You know, what you think?"

"I think you're off your bloody rocker," Marcus said with a derisive snort. "I'm not stupid, Diggory. I know I'm not all that attractive—"

"—Says you," he interjected.

"Says experience. Besides, even if you do fancy me, nothing's going to happen. S'just gross."

Folding his arms over his chest, Cedric inquired, "Why're you getting so defensive?"

"Cos I'm not like that," Marcus replied. He mimicked the Seeker's position. "Simple as that."

Either he had gotten through to the Hufflepuff or he hadn't, because there was an awkward silence that surrounded them. Marcus shifted again. Why wasn't he leaving?

Unfortunately, his answer came quickly and unexpectedly. The shorter boy moved toward him, which caught Marcus' attention, and placed a fast, somewhat awkward kiss upon his lips.

"Diggory!" Marcus exclaimed angrily. He wiped at his mouth. "Fucking—what the hell?"

"Just wanted to see what it was like." He had a curious smirk upon his face. "See what I'm missing, and all."

"Well, you're not getting any more. I'm drawing the line here."

No sooner had he said that did Diggory steal another kiss. Marcus sputtered in surprise and stumbled back. He cursed rather vulgarly.

"I'm determined, if anything," he said.

Flint gulped quietly and scowled some. "You're a wanker, is what you are."

Cedric grinned, almost triumphantly. "Do tell, Marcus, why are your cheeks so red?"