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[clumsy_auror]

*Soft humming and the sound of bare feet on a wood floor drift into the bedroom. A moment later Nymphadora appears, wearing a black button-down shirt a few sizes too big. She carries a plate of apples with peanut butter, and as she walks into the room, two glasses of milk obediently float behind.*

She's still asleep. Not for long, though -- she's doing that thing with her foot -- so I fixed her a snack so it'd be ready. And then I got hungry, too.

*Grinning, Nymphadora hands Bernard the plate of apples and climbs into bed beside him, burrowing under the covers before plucking the glasses out of the air and handing him one.*

Comments

[clumsy_auror]

Not likely.



Ever.

*She's not.*

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

*The smile fades from his face.*

You know, Crowley's kind of a dolt when it comes to other people sometimes.

[clumsy_auror]

Oh? I mean, yeah he is, but what makes you say so now?

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

He's so... I dunno if concerned is the right word exactly. Invested, I guess, in the idea that humans have no fucking idea what they're doing half the time, and the other half they know what they're doing is the stupid thing to do and they do it anyway.

He seems like he's coming around, but--

I think he still thinks we're moving too fast. That we're not thinking straight. And you and I, and I think Aziraphael, know that we're not.

*He smiles again*

I talked to Aziraphael about it a while back. It occured to me that an angel would just know, you know? Turns out he knew ages before anyone else did. Go figure.

[clumsy_auror]

*She smiles softly at the last.*

Yeah. He knew. Must be so weird, walking 'round knowing things like that even before the people involved do. Having to keep those secrets while they figure it out for themselves.

*then her smile fades*

I know Crowley's worried about us. Thinks we're going to fuck it up somehow if we do something too quickly. And I'm pleased he's so concerned for us, that he cares enough to tell us how he feels.

But at the same time...this was never a lark for me, you know? It was never going to be a quick shag, or even a series of quick shags, or anything less than my best friend deserved. It wasn't so much that I jumped in without thinking, as it was that I just...knew.

Jumping in isn't really so scary when you know.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

Well. It has its moments of being scary enough.

*Bernard pushes a stray hair off her forehead, lingering on the line of her jaw.*

One of the last times Fleur was in, I managed to get her to talk about more than well-hung Italian men and the various methods she'd like to employ to kill me slowly.

I told her that I would never have left her for anyone less than you. Because I did leave her, really, even though she was the one to do the breaking. I believe her words were, 'I looked away for a moment and when I looked back, you were gone.' And I was. I don't like the idea of blaming such things on fate. Susan would call it ka, and has.

But it's not every day you meet the love of your life sitting across from you at a bar.

[clumsy_auror]

*Catching his hand gently in hers, she presses a kiss to the palm and smiles softly at him.*

No. It's not.

Charlie and I were happy. I would've stayed with him for a long time, if not forever. Because I thought that's what it was supposed to be like.

But then you told me you loved me...I can still see your face, that day. It was like seeing you for the first time, all the little looks and gestures I'd misinterpreted or just accepted without question suddenly translated for me. I got it, finally.

And my first thought -- besides 'why?' -- was sheer relief. Because you were already the person I went to first, with good stuff or bad stuff or just to talk about nothing. When you told me, I sat there and realised I'd already given you the parts of myself that mattered, without even knowing. And that I wanted to give you the other parts, too.

*she flushes, a bit, her smile suddenly shy*

Sounds a bit silly, doesn't it.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

No. Not at all.

I didn't fall in love all by myself. Everything you did, every quiet conversation at the Bar, every belly laugh over a pint--

*He runs his hand through her long, crow-black hair.*

--every whispered confidence while I was in the coma, and yeah, I heard every word you said to me, if no one else. All those small, everyday interactions piled on each other slowly, and gained meaning that was more than the sum of them.

And before I knew it, I was too far gone to even really care about much of anything else. I saw you reflected in the glasses and the bottles in the Bar, and in our table, and in the very walls themselves. You were everywhere I looked.

*A wry grin*

I couldn't even get away from you in my bed, because of course I lay there for five weeks with your voice in my ears.

So, yeah. It's not silly.

[clumsy_auror]

*For a long moment, she just looks back at him, taking it all in -- him, his words, everything. Then she opens her mouth to speak, hesitates for a second, and instead shifts her head closer so that the tips of their noses and eyelashes brush. Her lips find his, and the kiss is soft and warm, steady, a gentle hand closing around her heart.

It speaks more eloquently than she ever could.*

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

*His eyes flutter closed as they kiss slowly, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. He feels his chest tighten with emotion as he realizes, This is it, this is the perfect time, if you don't do it now--

His frantic thoughts and the kiss are both interrupted by a soft "Ber'd?" from Sunny's room.*

[clumsy_auror]

*She turns her head away for a moment, listening to Sunny's soft voice, singing a nonsense song to her doll. Then she looks back and smiles, kissing him again, briefly.*

That's our cue.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

*He nods, smiling to hide his disappointment.

It'll happen. Just not today.

Hand still on her cheek, he pulls her forward for one last kiss, then rolls over and sits up.*

Now.

Where the hell did my trousers end up?

[clumsy_auror]

*She gets to her feet and stretches before wandering out into the hall and returning a moment later with his trousers.*

Kitchen. On top of the refrigerator.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

*A grin*

Oh, yeah.

[clumsy_auror]

Sorry 'bout that. My Banishing Spells aren't usually quite so enthusiastic.

*With a grin, she pulls on her own jeans and rolls up the cuffs of the button-down.*

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

*He pulls his trousers on and stands up, putting his arms around her.*

Yeah, well.

*A kiss to her neck*

Enthusiasm in general is nothing new, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

[clumsy_auror]

*Grinning, she hugs him tightly and kisses his cheek.*

No, I suppose not.

*her eyes slide closed for a moment*

Love you.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

I love you too.

*He tangles his fingers in her hair and kisses her for a long moment, until a more insistent "Ber'd!" echoes from Sunny's direction.*

I'll say this for her. She knows what she wants.

[clumsy_auror]

That she does. A girl after my own heart.

*she pecks his cheek*

You get the baby, I'll get the snack.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

*A nuzzle to the cheek, and he's off in the other room.

After a minute, brief snatches of sleepy conversation drift into the bedroom. "--'s my big girl? Oof, I think you got bigger while you were gone." "Ber'd, Suh-nee up! Tom up!" "Did you? Was it on a broom?" "Yes!" "Groovy."*

[clumsy_auror]

*Nymphadora leans against the doorway for a moment, just listening to them together, and smiles.

Then she pushes herself away from the doorframe and walks to the kitchen to wait for them.*