Cai Vane. (vanest) wrote in disorderic, @ 2018-04-11 19:51:00 |
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Sweat pooled at her temples and soaked the back of her thin shirt, something Grace only became aware of after she collapsed onto the ground, tired, panting and smiling wide. Her muscles ached in a way they hadn’t in some time and it was a welcome feeling. She was getting better at the duelling thing, between Dora, Rhys and Cai’s help, she could tell. “I’m getting better,” she grinned at her boyfriend, daring him to say otherwise. Cai smiled back, breathing heavily as he dropped down next to her and placed a kiss to her sweaty temple. “You are,” he agreed, his desire to encourage Grace to keep going so he didn’t have to worry quite as much winning out over his usual competitive instincts. But he couldn’t resist teasing her a little. “It does help that you actually have your wand on you in practice.” Grace smacked him in the stomach. “Watch it Vane. Should I go get my bat and show you a thing or two?” Cai laughed, thankful for the distraction that Grace always provided. “I promise I’m much more useful in once piece, you don’t need to get your bat.” “As I am heavily invested in you remaining in one piece, I guess I’ll let it go.” She knocked her shoulder into his and shifted so that they were pressed against one another, side by side. In the lull that followed Grace bit her lip, hesitant to break the good mood. “So, want to tell me what happened?” Cai sighed, bringing his arm around her and pulling her closer. “Nothing has happened,” he assured her. “We’re just —,” he paused, not because he didn’t trust Grace but because he didn’t want to endanger her by telling her what was happening, or add any more risk to the plan by letting someone else in on it. But people would know soon enough, and it would be nice to have someone to talk about everything with. “I can’t give details, but Romilda isn’t going back to school.” Grace let that sit for a moment, mind racing. She’d been bracing for some incident at the DMLE, but wondered if she should have expected it had something to do with Romilda. “Meaning she’ll be going into hiding. Or leaving the country?” “Whatever it takes to keep her safe,” Cai answered, not exactly sure what Angelina and the rest of the Order’s plans would be. “Her, and mum and Donald.” “So you won’t be going,” she said, almost to herself. She wasn’t sure if it was relief or not. Cai would be much safer with his sister. “Will Gwen?” Cai shook his head. “She won’t leave. She’s really close with her friends and they’re not leaving, and I’m not leaving Gwen here by herself. Or Angelina, or you.” Grace blinked at that, tilting her head so that she was looking at the line of his jaw. “I didn’t know I made the list,” she joked, and immediately regretted it because it was misplaced. She turned, fitting herself better against Cai’s shoulder. “Sorry, that’s not —” she sighed. “I get it, Lee and I are getting our parents and Ingrid out, but Lee would never leave. And there’s no way I’d leave him here by himself. Or Ciara. Or you.” Cai smiled, turning his head to press a kiss into her hair. “I’m glad you’re getting the rest of your family out too,” he said, his thumb gently rubbing her arm, “And of course you made the list. You’re one of my best friends.” And with Keaton gone, and Amy abroad with Luca, he was already running out of them. “Best friend?” Grace raised an eyebrow. “Oh, is that all I am?” Cai laughed, ducking his head so he could kiss her, long and gentle. “Yep,” he teased when he pulled away, smiling at her, “That’s all.” Grace narrowed her eyes, reaching over to pinch him in the side, unable to stop the laughter from bubbling up against Cai’s jaw even as she did. “Well in that case, be right back, I need to get my bat.” Even though he knew she was joking, his arm snaked around her tighter, preventing her from going anywhere. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave though?” he asked, suddenly serious again, “It would be safer.” “It would,” she agreed, “but I think we just covered that you and I are the exact same kind of foolish.” Grace pressed her lips together, studying Cai’s face intently. “Is Angelina helping get Romilda out?” Cai blinked rapidly, taken aback by this question. “Why would she be helping out?” he asked, slow and cautious. “Because I know,” she responded carefully, keeping her eyes on his. His cousin was a Phoenix, her brother was an all but publicly confirmed one, it didn’t feel like a secret too shocking to be shared. She’d only ever told Nora, Ciara, and now Cai. If admitting that she was one helped him in any way, of course she would. “And..I’m one of them too.” “Okay,” was all Cai replied, processing this news. At least, unlike Angelina, Grace wasn’t only barely not a teenager. But that didn’t make him feel much more reassured. “So you’re fighting Death Eaters? Is that why you’re practicing duelling?” “I haven’t been,” Grace admitted, still trying to read his expression. She was tense against him, but didn’t move her hand from where it rested against his chest. “I’ve mostly been helping try to get the Wandless out, help the Muggleborns.” And set traps and bludger-like dungbombs. “But yes, that’s why I’m practicing duelling, because it’ll probably happen at some point and I don’t want to be a liability to them. To your cousin.” To her brother. Cai breathed out a sigh of relief when she confirmed she hadn’t been fighting Death Eaters, though that relief was short lived when he realised it was more of a ‘yet’. “I’d rather it didn’t happen,” he admitted, somewhat hypocritically since he’d also come up against Death Eaters this year. “I care about you, Grace. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Or worse. Grace relaxed somewhat, unable to fight the small smile. “I mean, same,” she agreed; the terror was still real every time she thought of her brother. At least this way she could keep close — it was better knowing than not knowing. She wasn’t in the same league as the other Order members, but she’d make sure she could be useful, no matter what. “I’m glad you’re leaving the DMLE,” she pressed her forehead to his chest and tried to sound casual. “I don’t want to see you get hurt either. I kind of care about you a lot too.” “Mhmm,” Cai murmured in agreement, feeling guilty that this meant he’d be leaving people like Chelsea in an office now predominantly filled with Death Eaters. But he had to do what he thought was best for his family. “Pretty sure I’ll be stuck lying low until this is all over once we get Ro out. You’re the one putting your life at risk every day. Just —,” he knew he couldn’t ask her to not do it, as scared as he was to lose another person to the Death Eaters, “Be careful?” “Cai, you have put your life at risk every day,” she didn’t want him undervaluing what he and the non DE DMLE had been trying to do for months even if their hands had been impossibly tied. “I’ll be careful,” she added, lips pressed together. No promises. “Where will you be laying low?” “I don’t know yet.” He’d already moved once in the last year, he didn’t want to have to go through all that again. “Maybe I’ll just ward up my place really well.” He knew that wasn’t realistic even as the words were coming out of his mouth. “The Order have places, don’t they? As long as I can take the cats, it doesn’t really matter where I am.” “Why don’t you stay with me,” she said before she even thought about it. Was that too soon? They’d been dating for a few months now but had been friends for far longer. War had a funny way of expediting things, but it’s not like it had anything to do with the way she’d long felt about him. “Lee is staying with me too right now, but I’m Order so I feel like it’d be a better bet that you warding up your place.” She bit her lip, the twisting in her stomach a clear sign that relationship anxiety was hitting hard. “Unless that’s a bit much.” “Are you sure?” Cai asked, though he was already smiling at the idea. He was going to be jobless, too much free time to worry about if he and Gwen had made the right decision and if their family was still safe, but living with Grace made the idea of having too much time on his hands sound more bearable. He reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers. “If it’s too soon, that’s okay. But otherwise, I’d like that.” “Yeah?” Grace grinned. She squeezed his hand, knowing that she was sweaty and gross, but not caring in the least. She pressed closer in fact, nose pressed to the hollow of his throat. It felt a little wrong to be this happy when so much was falling apart around them, so many of the people they cared about in danger or afraid. Grace only wanted to hold on to him tighter. “It’s not too soon for me.” In fact... Grace cleared her throat, feeling a little braver when she wasn’t looking at him. She was the former assistant Captain of a Quidditch team damnit, she could be emotionally vulnerable for 5 agonizing seconds. Their time always seemed to be so short and honesty would be worth it. “Since this seems to be sharing hour, I’m going to fit one more in. Just to one up you. Ok? So,” she inhaled. “I kind of might love you. I do. I love you.” Cai couldn’t help but laugh at the way Grace had phrased that. “Of course you’d make ‘I love you’ a competition,” he teased, what she had said not fully sinking in until he’d repeated it back. “Wait, what?” he pulled back slightly, eyes scanning her face but a smile playing on his lips despite his surprise. “You do?” “Yes?” Grace’s hesitation melted into a frown. “Why, should I not? Are you criticizing my excellent judgement?” Cai shook his head, smile growing. “No, this time I’m going to agree that your judgement is excellent.” He leaned closer again, his nose gently grazing hers, heart pounding. It wasn’t something he’d thought much about before, but it also felt right. “My judgement’s still better though because I love you.” Grace’s face hurt from how widely she beamed, and the undignified burst of relieved, happy laughter would surely be an embarrassing memory for later. But right now, she rolled her eyes and tried to hide her smile against the corner of his jaw. She pressed her lips there, trailing small kisses until she could plant a sloppy, enthusiastic one on his mouth. “Let the record show that I said it first. But, I’m in such a good mood right now, I think I might be willing to call a draw on this one.” She kissed him again, hands sliding up to cradle his face. “So. We love each other. Gross.” “Gross,” Cai agreed with a laugh, hands coming to rest on hers cradling his face, leaning in for another kiss. This felt good. Normal. Like for a moment there wasn’t a war going on around them and they could just breathe and be happy. “Don’t think this means I’ll go any easier on you on game nights though,” he teased, cheeks starting to hurt from the smile he couldn’t stop. Grace moved her hand to the front of his face and shoved him backwards, rolling her eyes all the while. “Don’t insult my superiority, winning is all the sweeter when you do your best and fail anyway.” She followed him, moving so that she was straddling him now, smile now a happy smirk. “If you go easy on me I’m dumping you.” “Good thing I’d never do that,” Cai replied, hands moving to rest at her waist. “I should go see my family before…,” he trailed off. “But I’ll pack a bag and bring it and the cats over tonight?” Grace nodded. “Whatever you need to do.” She tugged him up so that he was sitting and took advantage of the proximity to kiss him again, this one gentle and reassuring. If he needed help with getting his family out, she hoped he knew she was there, no questions asked. “I love you,” she said again, because she could. “You too,” he kissed her once more, and then again because he could, before carefully moving them both so he could get up. “I’ll see you soon.” |