RP Log: Gabrielle and Ernie
Who: Gabrielle Delacour and Ernie MacMillan
Where: Liz's flat
When: New Year's Eve
What: Ernie and Gabrielle ring in the new year... so to speak.
Status: Log, complete
Rating: S for Syrupy, sugary, sweet. Sugar content is very high for this one. Warning, diabetics beware.

New Year's Eve was one of those holidays that Ernie wasn't the biggest fan of. It brought about thoughts of very loud and crowded places full of extremely intoxicated people, and that wasn't his scene. It wasn't fun. Tonight, however, had been brilliant thus far. The food was good, and there was something to be said about close friends. Dinner had gone off without a hitch and was fun. Loud, considering the small amount of people, but fun none the less.

And Ernie, who while respectful and polite with new people, but never exactly open, was surprised about how quickly Gabrielle found her footing. Especially considering the fact that Liz could be a bit intimidating. He'd been afraid of her, but then again he'd also been eleven. He'd gone into the kitchen to get two more glasses of champagne, and he had to admit that the one glass and wine with dinner was definitely calming his nerves a bit. He'd been nervous all week. Gabrielle and he'd gone to look at hamsters, and they'd shared a few meals, but New Year's Eve was a definite date night, and he wondered if she'd caught on to that.

He returned from the kitchen with a smile, and handed her a glass when he sat down beside her. "I think they bought enough to celebrate with the entire law enforcement agency if need be." He joked, looking a teeny big flushed from the alcohol, but also because she looked really pretty. "But it's a holiday right? That's what they're there for I suppose."

Gabrielle had thought that she might be a little overdressed in the subdued, shimmery dress that the clerk had called 'platinum', but soon enough those concerns had been whisked away. It was New Year's Eve, after all, and what better time to wear something that got you noticed. She had, however, taken care to be a little subdued in the company of the men she found herself with... until she'd started in on the wine at dinner. She was French, and had grown up with the very French custom of wine with dinner. One glass was normal for her, and drank with food she was fine. But she'd had two this evening, and so by the time she'd had a glass of champagne and Ernie had gone to fetch another, she was pleasantly warm and a little heady.

"But no other time of year is for such celebrations! I think it is a wonderful party," she smiled, taking the glass and sipping carefully. "Thank you for inviting me. I haven't had such fun in a long time."

He smiled at that. "Well, you're welcome, and I'm glad you're having fun. I was a bit worried actually." He admitted, taking a sip of his champagne. Alcohol made him a bit talkative and more sure of himself. "I'd be a bit lost around a group of people I didn't really know. I get a bit nervous in those situations. I mean, meeting new people is great and all, but I don't really know what to talk about." And he felt like he was talking a lot, but he did not want to leave the conversation in a place where he seemed to be feeling sorry for himself or something crazy like that. "But how was your day, not too many intoxicated people looking for a portkey I hope?" Yeah, brilliant. It's a holiday, and he was talking about work.

Gabrielle laid a hand briefly on his shoulder and leaning in a bit towards him. "That is so kind of you, but you did not need to be worried," she laughed. "I like people, and your friends are nice. I like them. Hannah is very sweet." She shrugged, the movement's Gallic-ness emphasised by her tipsyness. "It was very long. I was very glad to leave. But everyone seemed to be very happy to be traveling. Do you like traveling by Portkey?"

"She's great. My mum's dating her dad right now." Which seemed like a random thing to talk about, but Ernie had finally calmed down about his mother dating again. She touched his shoulder (and it seemed to happen in slow motion to boot!) and told him not to worry. Now Ernie was a bit of a worrier in general, but there was something a bit calming about it. Except for the flips his stomach seemed to do in response to the contact of course. He chuckled. "I guess it's a most convenient way to travel internationally...." He said thinking of something good, "but I hate it. That jerking feeling always sort of makes me feel ill or something." It was definitely his least favorite way to travel. Minus a broom, of course. Ernie was a bit frightened of heights, but he wouldn't admit that to anyone outside of a few people.

Gabrielle nodded. "It is jarring, yes. But it makes going home so much easier than taking Muggle transportation." She paused. "Except that I like taking Muggle transportation. I think that someday I would like to go from England to Nice without using a Portkey or anything. Papa thinks I am silly for this."

She looked at the clock, and the reality of the time (less than half an hour to midnight) hit her. Looking down shyly, she swerved the conversation somewhere new. "It's almost midnight."

Ernie didn't think that was silly at all. He leaned back against the couch with a rather relaxed smile on his face. "The scenery is nice. The train ride to Hogwarts was always one of my favorite things about going to school." He pointed out. Well, he'd also liked sitting in the cabin with his friends on the way there. That was probably why he remembered the ride so fondly.

When she said that, he looked up at the clock on the wall. Now he wasn't sure if it had been the champagne or the fact that he couldn't resist it when she smiled, (He needed to face it. He was extremely smitten with her.) but he couldn't help but smile and turn his to look towards her. Except for dating Su briefly, Ernie sort of moved at a snails pace with this stuff, which is why the next thing he said wasn't what he'd normally do. He bit his lip. "I kind of really like you." And this probably wasn't the place to say this at, considering the room was full of his friends celebrating the New Year. Once it was out there wasn't any taking it back. It wasn't that it was a lie or anything, but the moment it was out there anything could happen. Including an offended Gabrielle marching out because she thought they were just being friendly.

Discussion about Muggle modes of transportation flew out of Gabrielle's head at Ernie's admission. "Really?" she asked a bit stupidly, a smile growing once more across her face. "You like me?"

It wasn't unheard of, and she'd had a few relationships, but sometimes it was hard to tell where the Veela influence began and ended, and she had the strong suspicion that influence had eased its hold on him awhile ago. She giggled, pressing her lips together. "I like you, too."

Ernie realized that those few seconds after telling a girl you liked her was unbearable. Any number of reactions flashed across a person's head, including one of a huge laugh and a chanted "no" over and over again. But that bright of a smile let him know that he hadn't exactly misspoke or anything. "Yes, I do." He sat up straight from his previous relaxed position.

It was a weird place to have the conversation, but he'd brought it up, and he was rather glad he had. He smile and nodded. "Good." Good? Good? He couldn't believe he just said that. "I mean, that's good. Better than you not or something, because that would kind of be bad. I mean, I like talking with you because you're fun and nice and stuff." And this wasn't the best. Good way to scare her off with some rambling. He nodded. "You know what I mean." He finished lamely, figuring she would know.

Gabrielle nodded. "I believe I do. Know what you mean, that is." And very suddenly, the fact that her liking him was very much reciprocated and that they were at a party in which the highlight of the night was a countdown to midnight hit her. She'd known, really, that this wasn't just getting dinner or two friends hanging out. This really was a date. She blinked, trying to dispel the rambling in her head. Mainly, she was trying to dispel the rambling so that it would not reach its inevitable conclusion, because she really didn't want to be that forward, not with so many people around.

Ernie did have a very nice smile though.

She looked down, at her half-empty glass. "Maybe we should get more champagne?"

"Aright... We can do that. It's in the kitchen." He said reaching for her hand to help her up. He polished off his glass before the pair made their way across the room. He let out a breath and gave Liz a look in response to her all knowing look on the way to the kitchen. She seemed to know everything or maybe he was just easy to read.

The kitchen was a bit quieter than the rest of the flat. He filled his glass and then went to fill hers. "I think it's the bubbles that get to me, to be honest." He said with a laugh. He'd deny that bubbles got to him later, but at the moment it seemed like an interesting fact from his slightly intoxicated brain.

Gabrielle curled her hand around his, not letting go as they made their way to the kitchen. It was nice to let the chatter and music from the small party recede to a muffled roar. She smiled up at him, leaning against the counter as she raised her newly-filled glass to her face. "They tickle me," she admitted. "Champagne always does this to me. I think it is... faster? I do not know. But it seems faster than wine."

He laughed. "I think it's faster because of the bubbles. Or that's what I'd always heard from people at any rate. I'm sure there's some boring scientific explanation that could be looked up for it." He said leaning against the counter beside her. He looked down at his glass for a second, before looking up at her warmly. "Did you know that Don Perignon was a muggle monk?" He asked, even though they definitely weren't drinking Don Perignon.

"I did," Gabrielle nodded. "He should have been a wizard, to have invented such a thing as champagne. I have friends in the Vallée de la Marne, and they tried to tell me all of the peculiarities involved in making it once." She laughed, shaking her head. "I don't remember much of it, as I was sampling at the same time."

She looked up at him, biting her lip. "I am looking forward to midnight, I think."

He should have figured that she might know, but Ernie was sometimes filled with random trivia for any occasion. Then sometimes when he wasn't expecting it they just sort of came out. But most anything Gabrielle said that was French was really pretty, so he'd almost not heard the rest of her sentence.

That was until he realized that midnight was a lot closer than he'd estimated. He could hear his friend in the other room start to countdown. "Ten seconds then?" He said with chuckle since it'd practically happened on cue. He bit his lip for a fraction of a second before making his move. It was a couple of seconds early, but he didn't mind so much. He pressed his lips to hers a bit tentatively. No matter how much the bubbles were getting to him he wouldn't come on much stronger, because really his stomach was already doing flip flops.

"Oh, Merlin!" Gabrielle hadn't really realised the time, either, and had only time enough for that exclamation before Ernie kissed her. And it was over before she'd realised it, before midnight had actually come and gone, but only by mere seconds. Ernie was still close, though, and as the WWN sounded faintly in the next room and 2004 melted into 2005, Gabrielle leaned up to kiss Ernie again, hands framing his face.

For some reason he was a bit surprised when she leaned up to kiss him again, but he supposed New Year's deserved a proper kiss. Really, all that was in his brain at that moment was how good the last half hour or so had been and the fact that a very beautiful girl was kissing him. He was more than happy to kiss her back, and he really wasn't thinking about much else. When the kiss broke he stayed close, and he realized his hand was haphazardly playing with the ends of her hair. "Happy New Years."

At some point Gabrielle's eyes had fluttered closed; as they drew apart her hands trailed down to rest lightly on his chest. She replied to him in French without meaning to, her mother tongue taking over. "Bonne année, Ernie," she said softly, eyes opening. "Happy New Year."

That little bit of French could probably turn him into a puddle. He could hear the round of Happy New Years from the next room. "We should go rejoin them." He said not making a move. "They'll miss us. It's not like there that many of us here." He said with a smile, taking her hand. "Come on." He said heading back towards the lounge. "I'll walk you home later." He offered with a nod.

Reluctantly, Gabrielle nodded. "All right." Her fingers latched with his, and she looked down at the knowing grins that were sent towards them when they re-entered the room, to hide her own answering one. She simply hoped that later would not come very soon.