Who: Daniel Travers and Alecto Carrow What: Ally's had some time to think and this is not good for Danny Where: Danny's flat When: Last Monday, Seriously backdated, cause we forgot to put up a placeholder Rating: R, ish? for language
It had been two days and he was still feeling the effects of the Cruciatus. They came unexpectedly these twitches. Luckily they came few and far between now and subtle at best. The soreness had subsided substantially too. It was a definite sign that he was getting better. If Ally hadn't brought him those draughts, he would still be suffering harsh symptoms of a cruciatus curse given to him by the Dark Lord himself.
Danny slowly awoke, his eyes fluttering open and squinting as the sunlight beamed through his bedroom window casting down onto his face. The room was silent except for the gently ticking clock on the nightstand next to him. His eyes shifted to check the time; it was a little after two in the afternoon. Besides the draughts, naps had become a staple for him recently, helping with these insistent involuntary reflexes. Without having to check, he knew she wasn't here with him in this room. Funny how he could sense when she wasn't around. When did this start, he didn't know. He was also well aware of how angry she had become with him. She had a way of letting things slowly fester. Ally had ever right to. This was his fault and he made a piss poor decision.
He carefully pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He sat there a moment, arms bracing himself on either side, hands clutching the edge of the mattress. Without warning his thumb gave a slight twitch and he closed his eyes then tilted his head back. "For fuck's sake..." he groaned. At least it was getting better.
Alecto was banging around in the kitchen while Danny napped. It was quickly becoming a habit; whenever she was pissed off or upset, she cooked...loudly. Chopping vegetables with sharp knives, banging pots around, or tenderizing a cut of meat - all of these activities helped calm her down considerably. Even after all this time, she still preferred to do her own chopping and tenderizing, rather than leaving it to her wand.
As her knife slid a new crop of chopped carrots into her pan, and fetched some more vegetables. Even though she was still angry with the man, she would still cook for him. She couldn't help herself. It was one of her favorite activities, and he was also still hurt from the Dark Lord's punishment. Regardless of her anger, she couldn't leave him to house-elf food in his current state. So she continued her more-loud-than-usual cooking routine, and left him alone in his room. When Danny wanted to come downstairs, he would. She would make him a meal, but she wouldn't go fetch him.
Danny got up from the bed and casually made his way across the room, snatching an under shirt that was idly resting on top of his dresser. As he exited the room he immediately smelled something cooking. The aroma was delicious and it teased his hunger forcing a gentle growl to rumble within the pit of his empty stomach. He stopped at the top of the stairs to slip his shirt over his head swiftly before making his way down.
As he made his way towards the kitchen, the smell became increasingly stronger. But there something else coming from the kitchen as well... Loud bangs and harsh slams. They sounded like cabinets shutting, utensils hitting counter tops and pots thrashing against one another. It was then he began to realize the extent of her anger. If anything, she was angrier now than before. Carefully he stepped into the doorway of the kitchen to find Ally there, cooking.
"Hey," he called to her cautiously in a low and gentle tone.
Alecto was busy in her own world when she heard a soft voice call to her. She jumped a little, and gave a tiny grunt as an answer. Her hands were full from carrying more vegetables, which she put down on the counter to continue her work. She didn't look up, just merely continued with chopping, onions this time.
She knew she needed to look at him, but she wasn't in the mood to face him. Of course, she cared for him, cooking for him was almost an unconscious way to show she cared. She was still so mad at him, but it was hard to scream at someone who had just received the cruciatus curse from the Dark Lord himself. So Ally had swallowed her anger for the time being. Usually she would have screamed at him, but he was still sore and had that horrible twitch, that she couldn't outright yell at him. So she was doing the next best thing: ignoring him.
Only in a pair of boxer shorts and an undershirt, Danny had no place to put his twitching hands. Instead he wrapped them into the hem of his shirt and looked to the floor. She was ignoring him and he hadn't a clue what to make of it. He was unable to gauge her level of anger because she never ignored him like this before. For once, he'd rather her yell and scream at him. At least then he would know what he was up against.
Slowly he entered the kitchen and stepped up beside her, peeking into the pot. "What are you making?" He asked in that same gentle tone, hoping to get a response. "It smells good," he added. Keeping his hands where he had placed them, he felt his wrist jerk down slightly, flexing hard.
Alecto closed her eyes and inhaled slowly as he neared her. Even angry with him, just being close to him made her heart flutter just a bit. But now was not the time to let him get the best of her. She set her jaw and opened her eyes, immediately resuming her task. As she added the onions to the other vegetables, she answered him quickly with a shrug. "Just cooking up some vegetables and chicken. Simple really."
To her, this was no big deal, no grand gesture. Cooking was just something she could do, nothing more. She fumbled for a towel, wishing for her apron or at least something to wipe her hands on. In her own kitchen, though much smaller than Danny's, she at least knew where everything was. She hated having to search around for everything, but at last her eyes found a towel, on the other side of Danny. "Oi, hand me that towel?" she asked, rather tersely.
To him, making tea was a phenomenon. Cooking was absolutely not his forte and Ally's ability to do so as simply as she did really amazed him. Danny could not recall when or even if he ever saw his mother in the kitchen, let alone cook. He grew up on elf prepared meals and while the food was quite good, it did not compare to a properly cooked meal by a non magical creature.
Immediately he glanced over to his left and saw the towel on the counter there and quickly picked it up. "Can I help?" He asked her as he handed her the towel. It was a loaded question with more than one meaning. He didn't intend for it to have such a double meaning, but there did seem to be an undertone and he wondered if she would pick up on it.
She grabbed the towel out of his hands and wiped her hands quickly before flinging it down on the counter, suddenly irritated. "No, Danny, you can't help. You can't cook, and frankly, I don't need your help." It all came out a bit more harsh then she meant it, but having him hover like that suddenly grated on her nerves. As much as she loved him being near her, it was this hovering that caused them all the trouble in the first place.
"Look, I just need space to work. In the kitchen AND out in the real world, on fucking missions!" There, she finally said it. "I just... I can't have you interfering! Look at the trouble you're in! And for what? I can take care of my self you know?" Angrily, she turned her back to him started working with the chicken. "Now back off so you don't get chicken on you, yeah?" she said as she waved her knife at him dismissively.
All Danny could do was stand there and take it. He knew he couldn't cook, that was not a shock to hear her call him out on that. Missions on the other hand was an entirely different matter. He didn't have to wonder if she caught the underlying meaning because clearly she did. He knew she had every right to be upset with him and understandably so. Like a fool he allowed himself to follow his heart and not his head.
Without a word, he backed away as she waved the knife at him, his eyes scanning the back of her head. "Ally..." he began, his voice not as gentle as before, but a more normal tone now. "I know you are more than capable of handling yourself, but I was looking out for you because it's them I don't trust. So yeah, the trouble was worth it, so long as I knew nothing happened to you." He paused a moment as the twitches began to come more frequently all of the sudden. His jaw clenched uncontrollably, then his bicep bulged as it contracted involuntarily and not long after all of his fingers on his left hand curled for a few fleeting seconds. Between her anger and these side effects, he nearly boiled over. "I'm sorry, yeah?!" He blurted out sounding rather annoyed.
Throughout his speech, Ally didn't look up, but continued roughly breaking up the chicken, putting a bit more force behind each rip. She didn't need to do too much, just rub a few fresh spices and oil over the body of it and let it stew. "Fine," she muttered, noting how his body was twitching. Even though she wasn't looking directly at him, she still noticed them and knew he wasn't one hundred percent better.
She dropped the chicken carelessly into the pot, added some water, and lit the fire with her wand. As she moved to wash her hands, she glanced back over at him. "Did you take a potion when you got up? Severus owled over some more. You shouldn't miss a dose." Her voice had calmed down, but the anger was still there. She was swallowing it this time, not releasing it in an outburst that was typical of her. It was a combination of his injury and her determination to stay civil that held her tongue. For once, she decided to try to play nice.
"No," he simply answered. Danny looked to the floor, unable to cast his eyes on her. The way she was so quiet and calm was almost unfair to her. He knew Ally had a terrible temper and while at times he hated it when she yelled at him, it was still one of the traits that drew him to her. It was quite evident in the way she cut that chicken. He gave a slight wince with every chop, noting the force behind her. For once he wanted her to yell at him. Scream. Cry. Hit him. Anything...
To say that her silence was killing him would be an understatement. After a short pause he finally looked to her again and said "I know you're angry with me and you're trying to be nice. But I need you to give me something here. Don't hold back because of what He did to me. I'm a man, I can handle it." His tone was firm and there seemed to be an undertone of challenge there.
The last comment did it for her her face grew hot. "Oh you're a man, huh?" She shut off the faucet and flung the water off her hands. "Really? You don't want me to hold back, then fine," she shouted as she rounded on him. If she had stopped here, she probably could have seen what he was doing from a mile away. Instead, he pushed her buttons, and released the temper inside her.
"How dare you stand there and tell me that you're a MAN!" she shouted as she forcefully poked him in the chest, pushing him backwards. "How are you a man? Hmmm? Tell me, why would a man follow around his woman and try to steal her mission, hmm? Why? You don't trust me? Gotta protect your little woman, is that it? Tell me Danny! How exactly are you a man?" she shouted as punched him hard in the chest.
Danny did ask for it, but he didn't ask for this. Now she was challenging him. He could only take so much from her when she got angry like this, but went straight for the kill by questioning his manhood. The anger quickly welled up in him as he found himself being backed into a wall as she poked, pushed and punched him. Each blow echoed within his deep chest and aggravated the soreness from the cruciatus curse.
Something in his head seemed to click, a defense mechanism of sorts as the anger blinded him. Using his height and strength to his advantage, he grabbed her wrist with a deathly grip and pushed her back against the counter on the opposite side of the kitchen. "OI! Who the fuck are you to question how much of a man I am?!" He shouted at her, his eyes dark with near rage as he peered down into her gaze. Just then he leaned in close to her, using his much larger frame to hold her firmly against that counter and said, "you of all women would know how much of a man I really am, so don't challenge me, Alecto." His tone was low and filled with venom as he spoke. "Listen to me, Carrow... I didn't want your bloody mission. I wanted to make sure you would be all right when everything was done. I followed you because I stupidly let my heart follow you because it's THEM I don't trust. Not you! So fuck you and fuck every other mission you go on!"
Alecto was caught by surprise when he grabbed her and pushed her into the counter, causing her to stumble and give a tiny whimper. Her left hand shot out behind her, bracing herself as Danny pushed her into the counter. She was so short that the edge of the counter hit her in her lower back. In this moment, as he leaned in close, he scared her. It was nothing new for Alecto to be at the mercy of a man. But she had never, ever, been put in this position by Danny.
Any normal woman would have cowered, but Alecto had been brutalized enough times in her life that she refused to back down. Instead, she gripped the counter behind her and tried to pull her wrist out of his grip. "Fuck you, let go!" she grunted as he spoke to her in that low voice. His tone made her pause for a moment and took the volume out of her voice. "Challenge you?" she started in a low growl, her voice dropping about two octaves. "You said you can handle my temper, and yet you tell me not to challenge you? You didn't need to follow me, I can fucking take care of myself, and you know it. That's on you, so don't you put that on me. And yeah I know how much of a man you are, acting like this. So what's it gonna be? You gonna hurt me Danny?" she added as she looked directly in his eyes.
The words hit him like knives. It was then he realized the position he had put her in. Danny glanced down at his right hand that was clutching tightly around her delicate wrist. He could feel her small frame pressed firmly against his much larger one, against her will. At that point he realized he had become the very man he worked so hard to protect her against all these years. From past boyfriends, to blokes buying her drinks in a pub, to her very own father.
His eyes trailed down his arm and stopped upon the still freshly inked tattoo of her name, Alecto, that now marked him. Just then he hung his head, closed his eyes then finally let go as he released the pressure of his body weight off of her. "No... I would never..." he trailed off not knowing what else to say. His tone was suddenly soft and rather weak. Afraid that he had lost her to his actions, he slowly backed away and was unable to look at her anymore. Pushing himself to this point with her was no one's fault but his own. If his father could have seen this, there is no telling the amount of punishment he would receive. The man would be greatly disappointed in his son. "I'm sorry," he added after a long pause, still not looking at her as he brushed his fingers through his hair. "For all of it and this... Especially this." With that, he turned and walked out of the room.
Alecto's heart was racing still as he let go of her. She never took her eyes off his, but she didn't say anything either. She just watched him very carefully as he backed away and walked out of the room. She still didn't move for a few seconds, her hand still gripping the counter behind her tightly. Slowly, she let go of the counter and rubbed her wrist, wondering if it would bruise. A ragged breath escaped her lips as she tried to calm herself down. She knew she went for the jugular with that last comment, but she also knew he needed to hear it. Never before had she been scared of him, and while that fear only lasted for a few small minutes, she didn't like the feeling. Not from him.
After a few long moments, she moved away from the counter and began to continue with her cooking. She didn't want to go chase after him, and she didn't want to leave him either. So she spent the next half hour in silence, finishing up their meal. When she was satisfied with her work, she finally called out to him, "Dinner's ready."
For that half hour Danny took some time to think and calm himself down. He kept replaying in his head what had just happened between them and he couldn't forgive himself. So how the hell could she? In the last few days he had put her through so much and this was the last thing she needed from him. He didn't expect her to chase after him, but when he heard her call, he immediately looked up. Even after all that, she stayed and cooked him dinner.
He sat there for a few lingering moments before returning to the kitchen. "I was wrong," he admitted suddenly speaking up as he stood there in the doorway. "I should be a better man and own up to my mistakes. Whether it was because I didn't trust you or them, it was not my place to follow you like that. It was your mission, I get that. And you are more than capable of handling yourself. You don't need me." He paused a moment as he looked directly at her, admiring her even now. "You definitely don't need me doing something like this to you."
Alecto went back to stove after calling to him, and began pulling the plates down from the cabinets. She turned when he reached the doorway, and watched him carefully as he spoke. She found herself constantly glancing down as he spoke, almost shy to face him again. The fear wasn't there anymore, far from it. It was more a simple nervousness, or even shame that kept her averting his eyes. She shouldn't have pushed him like that, but then again, she was right to be angry with him.
Finally, as he stopped speaking, she approached him, slowly putting her hands out to him. "I do need you," she whispered, meaning every word. He had become her world, and one fight, regardless of what happened, could not end that. "I just can't have you interfering. It's not safe, we could have both been caught, or even killed. That's all..."
Danny glanced down at her hands and he was somewhat apprehensive about touching her again. Not once did he imagine putting his hands on her in any sort of malicious way and the guilt he felt may never go away. He watched her closely as she approached, listening intently to what she had to say to him and could hear the truth behind her words. She was a good woman who deserved so much more than what was handed to her.
Maybe it was all those times she came to him needing help with an abusive boyfriend that prompt him to think she would need him to follow her during this mission. "Yeah, I know..." he replied simply, knowing very well that she was right. He took one of her hands into his own and began to thumb the back of it slowly. "Baby, I'm... I'm sorry for everything, yeah?" His words were genuine as he gazed down into her eyes. He gave her hand a gently squeeze then finally added, "I love you."
"It's okay," she said as she squeezed his hand back. "And I love you too," she said suddenly and moved into his space, laying her head on his chest. She wrapped her arms around him gently and just breathed him in for a moment. "I was trying not to lose my temper, you know?"
She stood there, for just a few brief moments, just wanting to breathe him in. "And I'm sorry I hit you. I shouldn't do that. So yeah, it's okay." She pulled back out of his arms to look up at him. "So... dinner? I cooked. And I'm pretty sure you never took that potion..." And with that, the conversation, was pretty much over for Alecto. She forgave him, and that was it. Her temper burned hot and cold very quickly, moving from "fuck you" to "I love you" in a matter of minutes. The impulsive side of Alecto was very strong, and today, she decided to let it end this fight, rather than keep it going.
She never felt so good as she did when she was this close. This was not to be confused to how he felt when he was inside of her. That was an entirely differently feeling. There was something about lying next to her in bed or holding her in his arms that brought out other feelings in him that he never thought were possible. With her head on his chest and her arms wrapped around him, he closed his eyes then craned his neck down to bury his face into her shoulder. Slowly he wrapped his well toned arms around her, holding her safely to him. He gently pressed his lips to the nape of her neck, letting the kiss linger for just a few moments.
When she pulled away, he lifted his head from her shoulder to look down at her. It wasn't until she had mentioned dinner that he realized how hungry he actually was. "Dinner," he echoed as he glanced over to the stove, still having no idea what it was that she had made. "What did you cook?" He asked her, ignoring her question. The potions made him drowsy and he didn't feel like taking anything that would put him to sleep again. "I could smell whatever it this is from upstairs," he added.
Alecto breathed in slowly as he finally held her to him and buried his face in her neck. She loved feeling him that close to her. It made her feel wanted, as if he really needed her to be whole. It was a rare thing for Alecto to feel that kind of affection, and now that she was receiving it, she never wanted it to stop.
As she pulled away, she looked up at him with a smile, a genuine smile for the first time in a few days. "I told you already. Chicken and vegetables. Nothing really difficult," she added with a shrug. Finally, she felt back at ease. Even if she was still slightly aggravated with his actions, she wasn't going to yell anymore. Not tonight, at least. "So c'mon. No more fighting, alright?" she said as she pulled him towards the kitchen.
Danny scratched the back of his head as he followed her and said, "I wasn't paying attention. You drugged me too much, love..." He immediately gave her a wink and smiled. Everything seemed good again. Though in an odd way, their fights kept things from getting dull between them. He rather liked these moments of them playing house together, but he'd go crazy if she didn't yell at him once in a while. If that didn't happen, he'd have to figure out new ways to make her laugh and new ways to annoy her.
"No more fighting," he said as he sat down. "Not tonight at least." His smile grew at that last comment because he knew another would be inevitable. "And baby, chicken and vegetables is difficult. You've seen me try to hard boil an egg..."
Ally gave him a fierce grin and started dishing up his food. "Aye, you're hard-boiled eggs leave much to be desired, love." She took her time, dishing up the food, and even picked out a bottle of wine from his collection to go with it. She thought that it was alright for him to have some alcohol; his twitches were becoming fewer lately. And since he hadn't answered her about the calming potion, she knew that meant he hadn't taken it yet. So a few glasses of wine wouldn't be perfectly harmless.
As she put the plates and glasses down on the already set table, she gave him a wink. "Alright you, eat up. And then, you're going back to bed. No arguments. But I will join you..."
Danny waited for Ally before he began eating, having been taught this since he was a boy. Food could not be touched until everyone was seated at the table. "I've gotten better. One out of twelve now," he said as he looked down at his plate. His eyes suddenly grew full at the site of the meal she had prepared. Ever since he was little, he had an appetite and an appreciation for food. Especially when it was homemade. He paid no attention to the wine she had picked out as he normally didn't drink, not even water, when he was eating.
But at the mention of her joining him in bed, he suddenly looked up at her and gave her a rather smart ass grin. "We could always go now. I'll be a lot hungrier afterward."
Alecto laughed loudly at his last comment. She cocked her head to the side, and seriously considered taking him up to bed right then. But she also knew how weak the cruciatus could render a person, and she didn't want him to do anything... strenuous without having something on his stomach. While she knew he could clearly still handle himself, Alecto of course worried about his strength, even if he hated being doted on like this.
"Now Danny, dinner first. Then we can enjoy the rest of the night together, alright? And you're taking it easy. Alright? So cheers," she said with a raise of her wine glass.
Danny didn't think she would even consider the idea, but when she cocked her head to the side like that a flutter of hope, or was that excitement, ignited from within the pit of his stomach. His grin slowly grew and he watched her closely trying to read her reaction. She was definitely thinking about it. Right away he knew that it wouldn't take much to convince her to do so. He knew Ally far too well and he was quite the smooth talker.
For once he decided to let it go and treat her to dinner first. "Here's to you being on top then," he said as he clinked his glass to hers then smiled handsomely from ear to ear. Just because he agreed to wait until after dinner, didn't mean he wouldn't give her suggestive looks during. Anything to get to her and at the very least, make her smile. But before then, he would thoroughly enjoy the dinner she made for him.