Daniel Summerby (atypicalseeker) wrote in caged, @ 2013-08-20 23:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! 97-08, [ log ], daniel summerby, hannah abbott |
WHO: Hannah and Danny
WHEN: 20 August, at Hannah's party
WHERE: The Cloisters, Hannah's house, by the fire pit
SUMMARY: Cuddling by the fire! And awkward inner monologues.
RATING: PG
STATUS: Complete!
Hannah had enjoyed the party thoroughly, and hoped that other people had. From the appreciation of her culinary skills to the playful romps in the pool, things had gone off well and she was glad that she had made it a point to have the party with Megan once again. It was a relief for something to go right, after so much was going wrong in the world. Night had fallen and while many had already left, there were still some stragglers. Most of them were people that Hannah was closer to -- Like Ernie and Susan. And then there was someone else left. Someone quite special. And so she came closer to his silhouette in the twilight. The fireplace was crackling and it hid the sound of her footfalls as she reached him, wrapping her arms around him from behind. "Boo," she said into Daniel's ear. Daniel had been having a good day, really. The party was a welcome break from the routine of his summer, and it was good to see so many familiar faces again. Up until a couple days ago, he hadn’t thought to see many of them after tonight. So it wouldn’t be the last party of his youth, but with the exception of Hannah, he hadn’t really seen any of his classmates all summer. So he’d caught up with friends, ate some wonderful food, and horsed around in the pool for a good portion of the evening. He’d grabbed a beer and settled onto a seat near the fire, keen on just relaxing. He hadn’t worn himself out completely with all the swimming, but it was nice to just sit for a moment. Alone with his thoughts, he didn’t hear Hannah’s approach, and he jumped when she put her arms around him. Alone with his thoughts really wasn’t a pleasant place to be, clearly. “Hey,” he said softly, relaxing as he recognized her voice. They really hadn’t had a moment alone today. He hadn’t been avoiding her, it just… hadn’t happened. “Great party, Han.” "Thanks," she said, pressing her cheek against his. She slid down next to him on the bench and leaned against him with a deep sigh. "I'm glad it's worked out. I was worried it wouldn't. And I thought maybe some people might…" She pressed her chin against his shoulder. "Worried they might not understand that I'm not trying to be irreverent or anything." Being this close to Danny was still comfortable and easy, even if she knew things weren't quite the same as they were when the summer had begun. She wrapped his arm around her and leaned in close, enjoying his closeness. "I'm really glad you could make it. I know you've been really busy." Danny pursed his lips. He understood, to an extent, why some people might not appreciate a party. But at the same time, the world didn’t stop turning just because they were living in the middle of a war. He, for one, welcomed the distraction. Really, he needed things to do that weren’t thinking about his grandmother in Azkaban. “They’d be daft to worry. You’re too sweet for anyone to think it’s anything more than fun.” It really had never crossed his mind that it was a bad idea, not because parties were perhaps unwise in this climate, but because he honestly believed she wasn’t capable of being that cruel. He smiled vaguely, letting her maneuver his arm around her. It was odd how comfortable it was, being so close to her physically when things felt so awkward and distant when they spoke or exchanged owls. But he liked this feeling, being with her. “I wouldn’t miss this. Dad could do without me for a day.” "Yeah, well," Hannah said softly. "Some people might think I'm capable. You never know!" She liked to think they couldn't and wouldn't, but Ernie's reluctance to participate in the party had made her start to worry and wonder. She scooted closer to him, needing to be comforted by someone else. She knew that they both were facing loss. For him, his grandmother. For her, a best friend. "Are you really upset you have to go back to Hogwarts?" she asked. Danny sighed. For all that he’d technically begun his apprenticeship as soon as he returned home for the summer, he hadn’t made an official decision about his final year. With all the rumours of the school closing, he’d simply considered it inevitable, that he wouldn’t have to make a decision. He’d been right about that, but he wasn’t fond of the way the decision had been made for him. “More worried about what it means,” he said softly. He didn’t want to talk about it. Well, he really did. He wanted to be assured that he wasn’t the only one who’d lost faith in the Ministry. But this was supposed to be a party. He didn’t want to ruin the mood with politics. Leaning into her, he kissed her forehead. “Besides, it’d be awfully boring being alone in the real world.” Hannah nodded slowly. There was the question of what it meant. Memories of her conversation with Neville mentioning the Death Eaters that had been at Hogwarts with them made her skin crawl, even this close to Daniel. She wanted things to be back to normal. For Justin to be joining them for this last year and for Danny's grandma to be safe at home where she belonged. She wanted all of this to just end and all the Death Eaters gone and the world the happy place it had been when she was growing up. But not until Harry finished off You-Know-Who. And while she liked Harry a lot, she wished that he had taken care of it already. Wasn't it high time? People were in danger and they needed his help. She went still at his comment about being alone. For a moment Hannah thought he meant them. As in something more permanent. But the more the thoughts flitted through her mind the more she knew that it couldn't be. He wasn't thinking along those lines. It wouldn't make sense, given how odd things had been between them lately. "Yeah, you'd miss everybody," she said. The corners of his lips quirked into a smile. “Hm. Especially this one girl. Pretty smile, blonde hair, you can’t miss her.” Danny was teasing her, but he couldn’t help it. It was more than just a force of habit. It defused tension, and he knew it. “You haven’t seen her, have you?” he continued, grinning. He hadn’t bantered very much with her this summer, and he didn’t fall into it as easily as he usually did. "Ha, ha," said Hannah. She elbowed him gently with a soft laugh. There were trappings of a relationship that felt comfortable after time. They were like falling into a mattress with the softest of duvets. And for Hannah, wrought with nerves as she was, she needed and wanted those comforts even if she felt unsure about everything else that came with them. It was hard to know how things should go. Sometimes she wondered if Danny was going to suddenly come out with the three words they'd never spoken to each other. They'd been together for so long it seemed as though it was inevitable that they say it to each other, but that wasn't how Hannah felt about him. "I did see her," she said with another soft laugh. "Mermaid, right? Like the biscuits?" She had seen him grab a Megan biscuit but knew that it really didn't mean anything. It was a joke that they'd made up. Daniel was confused for a moment. A self-deprecating joke alluding to one of the other girls at the party, he might have expected. He had absolutely no idea what mermaids had to do with anything. And then he remembered the biscuit he’d grabbed after he’d had his fill of sandwiches and tartlets. He vaguely recalled it being shaped like a mermaid, but he’d honestly just been going for sweets. He hadn’t paid any attention to the frosting (other than the fact that it was delicious). He pursed his lips. “Well, she is a good swimmer. Likes to splash about and push her mates into the pool.” Oh, yes, he’d noticed her and Susan, seeking out targets to drag into the water. It was half the reason he’d jumped in of his own accord. Saved them the hassle of an unnecessary fight. Hannah squeezed him a little closer. "Oh yeah?" She liked it when Danny said nice things about her. Well, she liked it when anyone said nice things about it. It was… Well, nice. Hannah chewed on the inside of her lip for a moment before she remembered that she wasn't going to keep doing that. It was just hard sometimes to break old habits. As she looked up at Danny she wondered if he, too, was something of a habit. "I'd miss you too," she said honestly. Danny smiled gently, sighing and leaning into her. “Hey, at least we’ve got one more year.” One more year until what, he didn’t know. He wasn’t even sure what he meant. Yes, they’d be back at Hogwarts together, but then what? He’d gotten used to just seeing her now and again over the summer, and things would of necessity change when they got back to school. Why had he said that anyway? This was not one of those things he wanted to think about, much less talk about. "One more year, yeah," said Hannah, although she didn't really know what she was agreeing to. She turned her attention to the little creatures Morag was marching into the fire and pointed at them for Danny to see. She didn't like this discomfort around him, but, hey? Maybe things would clear up when they were at Hogwarts? Maybe something would rekindle the spark that had burned so bright ten months ago. She could remember feeling lost without him, and now she couldn't help but think that she was starting to feel a little loss around him. But at the same time, she felt as though he grounded her. It was confusing and she hated feeling this way. “Yeah,” he murmured, smiling idly as the creatures marched into the fire. It was bizarre, how he felt so comfortable around her and yet things felt so awkward at the same time. There wasn’t anything logical to it, and that bothered Danny. He preferred the bundle of nerves he’d been in the early stages of their relationship to… whatever this was. She was wonderful, but was it a sign that he didn’t get excited every time he saw her, like before? Or was that something that usually happened to relationships? He really wish he knew. For now, he wanted to enjoy being with her. |