Who: Evan and Elizabeth When: Evening, 14 July Where: Elizabeth’s flat What: Orphans bonding? Rating/Warnings: Dark themes Status: {Closed, Complete}
It had been a long day, and Evan was left drained by it. At least Ophelia was safe. She had been able to provide him with the alibi, but he had been able to shelter her too. The officials had agreed to be discreet given that Evan had spent the night with his ‘lover’ instead of his fiance. Indeed, they had sent him away with instructions to make things right with Ophelia. He had taken Ophelia for tea in London before she met up with Cresswell. Evan had no desire to interrupt that; he owed her that. With his house half in ruins, he could not stay there, and he had no desire to be alone with his thoughts either. He wasn’t sure though if Elizabeth would welcome him; he wasn’t sure what she knew. He knocked on her door without the confidence he often did.
Elizabeth had the door open almost before he even knocked, and she reached out to pull him in. She was not sure exactly what had happened, but she did know that his home was burned, his mother and her husband dead. She wasn’t sure if he had known beforehand, wasn’t sure if that had been why he was so passionate the night before, but she knew better than to ask with the door open. As soon as they were inside and the wards were renewed, her eyes moved to his face, her hand reaching to touch his cheek. “Tell me what happened?”
She was touching him at least, though not embracing him. “They say… Last night. It was Deatheaters. Mother is… dead. They would not let me see her, would not let me go into my house. I still haven’t. I don’t know how much is destroyed. The walls are there but… there was a fire.” Evan looked worn, and sounded somewhat hollow when he spoke.
Elizabeth nodded and hugged him, pulling him as close to her as she could. “You are safe now, Evan. Whatever happened, they won’t take you. They don’t know about us, after all. You’re not like her, and we will figure out funeral arrangements and such when you’re ready, as you helped when I needed this.” She had to pull herself out of it. It had only been a little over a week since her own family had been eliminated in the same way, and she fully understood what he was going through.
Evan shook his head. “They do know. I had to… they were waiting for me when I went home this morning to change for work. They brought me in for questioning. They needed to know where I was all night, why I wasn’t home… why I was unharmed… And they searched me, and they saw… And they did not believe me that I had been all night with my fiance. And so they know… that I was with you.” It wasn’t the ‘they’ Elizabeth had meant, but Evan did not fear the Deatheaters; he feared the Ministry.
“The Ministry can do nothing to you. You have a lover. Many men do, even at the expense of their wives. It is not an uncommon event, Evan.” Her eyes moved over his face and she shook her head slightly. “You can stay here if you need to, or with Ophelia. I will not question either way, though I imagine if they are watching at all, you may wish to alternate until they leave you alone.” She did not know if he had anything to do with what happened, and she was not asking. Just looking to keep him safe.
“Ophelia is… Cresswell is there tonight. I would not disturb her.” He admitted. “And they have determined I am not suspect… I understand why they would question me. I have made no secret of my hatred for Mother’s husband. But I loved my Mother. I would not have hurt her.” He shook his head. “I hope they will let me go home tomorrow. That I will be able to see the extent of the fire, and determine how long it will be before I can go home.”
Elizabeth nodded at his words and tiptoed to kiss him. “I understand. I am aware that you would have done him harm, but I also know that for all your mother did wrong, she raised up an amazing man that I am quite proud to be able to call friend. Come, we will go to bed and we can talk, or not. Whatever you need, Evan.”
Evan relaxed, at least a little bit. He liked the idea of being in bed with Elizabeth, which was likely why she had suggested it. “I am not about to refuse would you wish me to be in bed with you.” Evan smirked a little. “Wish you to inspect the evidence that forced me to admit my relationship with you?” He teased.
Elizabeth smirked. “That or add to it, perhaps. Whichever seems right.” She laughed as she led him to her bedroom, closing the door behind them. “I am glad you are here, Evan. I would like to offer you the same comfort you did me, if you would have it.”
“I think… I hope… I am in a better place than you were. I have lived through this before. And have a more complicated relationship with my Mother. And I had to remain rational all day to deal with their questions, so I am not… in shock over it the same way. In addition, they would not let me see my Mother.” Evan shrugged, and dropped his eyes before admitted to Elizabeth, “I was the one who found my Father.”
“I still wish to be here should you need it. I would not leave you alone simply because your relationship with your mother was not ideal, and I would not assume that simply because you have lost a parent in the past you are okay with losing the other. I imagine it is painful no matter the circumstances.” She brushed her lips over his cheek and pulled him close again. “You are important to me, Evan, and thus your happiness and well-being are also important to me.”
“I do not think it hurts as much as it did when I lost my Father.” Evan admitted, starting to undress Elizabeth. Her skin made the admission easier. “But I loved my Mother. I suspect that the funeral might be when I truly realize I am an orphan. At the moment it is… not as real. Maybe if they had let me see her, it would be. But right now, I saw only the burned house, and have only what they told me. I think perhaps I might be hoping that they are lying to me? And that she is not gone.”
“Why would they, though? What purpose would it serve but to hurt you?” Elizabeth began unbuttoning his shirt as they spoke. It made sense that the funeral would make him realize things more. “When they let you in, do you want me to be there with you? I can, if you feel you want my presence…”
Evan frowned; he hadn’t considered having anyone go with him when he went home. He actually hadn’t really considered what it would be like to go home at all. He was confident from the little he had seen of the house that Waldo had protected the library and his room as instructed, but the destruction looked extensive. He was afraid of revealing himself to her if she went, but they knew he was with her too. Having her with him might make sense too, as he could focus on her while he was there. And if they were watching him… it made sense to have her. He nodded slowly in response. “If you would. If you are not busy. I would not keep you if you had other responsibilities.” He sighed, irritated not to have been allowed home today, even after the interrogation was over. “I have no clothes, or… anything until they let me go home. It should be complete tomorrow, if they are not completely ineffective idiots.”
“If you need anything, I am...relatively sure you would fit into daddy’s or my brother’s clothes. I...do not believe…” She shook her head and took a deep breath. “I do not think they should go to waste, and the styles might suit you, at least the nicer things.” She had not been back to the house at all, she had left everything of that sort to the executors and lawyers, including the planning of the rental of the place, which would not be done until the escrow was completed and she got everything cleared out.
“I can cast a cleaning charm on them before I dress in the morning.” Evan reassured her. He wasn’t ready to wear her dead family’s clothes, did not think he ever would be. And he did not think she was ready for such a thing either. “I would not wish to unsettle you, seeing another man in your family’s clothing… And Grandfather is not so unreasonable that he would not grant me time to purchase robes if they determine to drag out the entire process.” Evan couldn’t help but grumble at the idea. Incompetents. He traced his hand over the bare skin of her shoulder.
Elizabeth nodded. “I still have not gone to the house. I think I...will sell it with everything in it. I cannot imagine I want to look at everything that belonged to my family every day. It would be too painful. We can purchase a larger flat possibly.” Planning a future that she should not be? Probably. But she could not help the thought. A smile curved her lips though at the touch and she leaned to kiss him softly.
“I would put it in storage. You might change your mind later, and wish you had some tokens of your family.” For his part, Evan dealt with the lose of his Father by preserving the things that belonged to his Father as they had been when he was alive. “Is this place inadequate?” He looked around. It was not overly large, but the bedroom had enough space for the large bed, and other bedroom furniture. It was not so large as to require a house elf, of course, but it was just Elizabeth.
Elizabeth shrugged a bit. “I suppose not. It is only needed to house one for the most part. I suppose once you make things official I will actually look into downsizing a bit. There is no sense in such a large bed when I will not share it with another.” She leaned to kiss him gently before playfully nipping his neck. She wanted him. Always.
“I expect Ophelia will break it off with me before we formalize things.” Evan admitted softly. “She denies she will, but I have always expected this. Particularly since it is now somewhat known that I am being unfaithful to her. It is not that I am physically involved with her, but I am formally courting her. I asked them to consider her reputation and not reveal such, but it will be in their reports of the investigation at the very least.” It was uncomfortable to admit aloud that he had potentially harmed Ophelia and her reputation.
“It’s not like she is faithful to you either, Evan. The pair of you had, at least I thought, agreed upon ignoring it for the time being.” Her eyes moved to meet his and she leaned to brush a light kiss over his lips. “Hopefully they will take into consideration that it would hurt innocents and leave things as they are.”
“They do not know that.” The agreement between Evan and Ophelia was not something they talked about in general either. Evan tried not to mention Elizabeth around Ophelia, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. Moreover, it was one thing for him and Ophelia to have an understanding, but another for others to know about it. And something else further for the Ministry to know about it. Despite the fact that Elizabeth wished to work there someday, Evan in general did not trust the government to actually protect wizards and witches. “There are some who would, but others… would love to tear us down.”
“But you do and so does she. She cannot be hurt emotionally by something she herself is doing.” Elizabeth cupped Evan’s cheek and brushed her lips over his. “I do not trust this information to remain closeted, not for long. Society people are gossips no matter what world one is in. Perhaps we should make it appear that you are solely comforting me after the death of my family, that this has not been ongoing? If it will help you any?”
“I dislike being the subject of idle gossip.” Evan murmured. He remembered what was said when his Father died. Now, he was going to be the object of speculation. Some would wonder if he had a hand in it, though perhaps the idea of the affair would be more salacious. Still he did not wish the gossips to discuss Ophelia. “I do not want either of you to be either.” How realistic that was or not was not something he could really consider.
“I can understand that, but as you are from a prominent family and something rather huge just happened, I can’t imagine it’s going to be easy to avoid.” Elizabeth was more practical about this. She could turn things around just as easily so that she was benefited by the gossip, and she sort of hoped she could find somehow a spin that gave Evan the same benefit.
“I just lost my Mother, and my house to a fire. I would that there was some consideration for that instead of the fact that you are my lover.” Evan grumbled, his ill-temper surfacing. It was the way he dealt with gossip, and indeed anyone who would speak ill of his family. His temper would not give anyone a chance to question him, if he could help it.
Elizabeth shook her head slightly. The world did not work that way, she was sure, but if he wanted to push things down and away for now, she would not question it. “We will find some way around it. I can deny that we are lovers in truth, though I doubt they would believe it, given the marks I have left on your body…”
Evan shook his head. “I will not lie.” He would not deny Elizabeth that way publicly - did not want to deny he was close to her. Nevermind that she was part of his alibi, and as such their relationship needed to be at least somewhat known. “It is as you say, friends comforting each other after tragedies.” That they had been sleeping together since October was something Evan was content not to bring up.
Elizabeth nodded and leaned forward to brush another kiss over his lips. She very much enjoyed their closeness and was honestly pleased that he was not about to deny it. She pulled back after a second though and let out a tiny laugh, touching his cheek. “We’ve offered a lot of comfort to each other, I believe. Though that frown from a few moments ago, I believe I need to soothe that away, don’t I?”
Evan shifted closer to her. Comfort sounded good. He leaned in to kiss her in return, letting it deepen quickly. It was easier to let things go when they were kissing. It was time to let things go for the night.