Who: Lancelot and Quin What: Romance When: Early Morning Hours of January 1st, 2009 Where: Ireland Warnings: Romance, language, etc. Rated PG honestly.
The night had been spectacular. Quin had been gorgeous, Lancelot had been sure to dance with her multiple times. A few of the times had even been that bad dancing he’d look a bit too much like this while on the dance floor. He was never very good at dancing so he liked to just have fun with it. It wasn’t about having the perfect moves it was more about having fun.
As the night was winding down, he was exhausted. He knew that he’d take her all the way home if that was what she wanted but he was glad he’d sprung for the hotel key. Dancing the night away with a beautiful blonde was apparently more exhausting than he remembered. He had gone off to fetch their jackets, so that when they did finally slip outside they’d be warm. He knew he was a bit too tired to apparate without hurting either of them, so he was going to call a cab if they needed to go back to the hotel. “I’ve got our jackets.” He told Quin as he came up, his own black trench coat style jacket on and holding out her’s so she could slip her arms into the sleeves.
Now was apparently the time that he needed to inform her he had the key, “I got a hotel room for the night, if we were too tired to go all the way back to London.” Because they were in Ireland after all. “If you want to go back to London tonight, I can arrange for us to get back. If not though, I can get a taxi to take us back to the hotel?” He didn’t know how to tell her that it wasn’t for sex, it was just for them to sleep if that was what she wanted. He wasn’t going to pressure her. He wasn’t going to make her do anything she didn’t want to. He would have ended up just babbling at her and that wasn’t attractive. He’d let her make her decision.
Quintella was tired. She was ready to not be around all the people for a little bit. Aside from the strain such things would probably always put on her, she'd had a really good time. Much like her brother, Lancelot had attended her well and even if he didn't dance as well as her brother, it had still been fun.
She smiled warmly at him, though, when he brought their coats, and her arms slipped into the white wool with the soft almost-fur collar. She looked like what she essentially was -- a well bred, pureblood witch, aside from the one thing she lacked.
Her chin burrowed into the softness as she processed his words, and her cheeks bloomed a brilliant pink that put her dusty dress to shame. Her hair, skin, and coat set it off perfectly. She knew the implications of sharing a hotel room with a man. She wasn't that naïve. Her teeth worried her lower lip and she didn't look up for a long moment, and when she did, her gaze was searching, her eyes wide and questing. She knew what her brother would say. But she believed she knew the quality of Lancelot's character. She looked up into his eyes and she trusted that if she asked him to not sleep with her, he would respect her request.
She honestly wasn't certain if she was ready to have sex with him. She would have to play that by ear. But they were both tired, she could see the weariness in his face, and she wasn't going to force him to make arrangements otherwise. There was a reason she'd made certain the nanny would be there overnight and that the baby had enough milk at home. She'd not thought too hard on it, but she'd expected to be out most if not all night.
"A taxi is perfectly acceptable," she said very softly, looking down. "We're both tired. No use straining ourselves to get back tonight." Her small hand slipped into the crook of his arm again, silently giving him permission to lead her on.
A soft little sigh of relief slipped from Lancelot when she told him that they could go back to the hotel. “I promise to be a gentleman.” He told her as one hand came up to lightly pat her hand that was on his arm, before he started to lead her towards the doors. He was already fishing out his awkward little muggle phone from a pocket of his coat to get them a taxi. With any luck it’d be waiting for them by the time they made their way to the exit.
As luck would have it, the taxi was already idling for the couple as they finally headed out into the cold. He led Quin to the taxi, opening the door for her before he slipped in behind her. He then gave the address to the cab driver before he shifted in his seat so that an arm could rest along the back of the seat, so that if she was comfortable enough to lean into him, she could.
It was now though, now that they were alone, that he thought it might be a good idea to tell her that he’d talked to Tim. Since he didn’t want the cab driver to overhear, he muttered a soft muffling curse that would muffle their speech in front of the driver. He then turned his attention to Quin, “Your brother wrote me today, I think he intended me to come by his dragon sanctuary today.” He then realized he should probably explain he’d said the little curse, “The driver can’t hear us. Muffling curse.” Then he carried on, “I was a bit rude to him. He ordered me to come by, I informed him I had other plans. He implied that I might need to run dating you by him, but you’re a grown woman with your own mind… You can make those decisions yourself.” He sucked in a breath then, “I apologize for being so rude to your family but it offended me that he’d imply you couldn’t make decisions for yourself. You’re a very bright woman, I figure you can make the decision about if I’m scum or not yourself.” He hoped anyway. He didn’t know what else to say about it. He held his breath as he waited for her answer. He half expected her to ask to go home.
She nodded, silent. She was trusting him to be a gentleman. She wasn't ruling anything out by any means, of course. But she wasn't about to promise him anything either. This entire thing was rather new to her. She was scared she'd make a big mistake or something, or she'd lead him on and he'd have the wrong idea about her.
Of course in her mind anything that happened would be her fault either way, should he press too hard.
After a moment in the vehicle, she slowly leaned against him. She was tired and tempted to close her eyes though she knew she shouldn't. His next words had her wide awake though, anxiety flooding her body.
She ended up leaning forward, elbows on her knees and her hands pressing to her nose and forehead as she sighed, unable to suppress it. It wasn't annoyance so much as exasperation and an instant headache. "I'm so sorry, Lancelot. I told him you weren't going to go to him," she said after a moment, eyes closed. "Heck, he's the one who told me about your blood ancestry. I obviously didn't teach him well enough with this, I'm really sorry." Those words would be a reoccurring thing, he'd find.
She took for granted that the spell he cast was what he said it was. Anxiety twisted at her, filling her. "I'm sorry. He's just being overprotective," she said softly. "He... last time... I..." Her hands fluttered nervously in front of her, and she curled more into herself, something she did unconsciously when upset that he might have noticed by now. Her eyes also stayed firmly away from his, a cue he'd definitely be familiar with in several forms at this point. She was trying not to get upset enough that she would tear up. She didn't think she was going to be completely successful.
"I'm really sorry, he shouldn't have done that. I really have wanted you two to meet but it just hasn't happened yet." She had a feeling Tim had been all pureblood and demanding, something they're entire family could be. Her hands started to wring in her lap. "I just... I really should explain more... I'm sorry." Her gaze darted to his and immediately away, trying to Guage in the short instant how mad he might be at her.
He had felt her leaning into him. It had felt so good, and just as he was about to slide his arm around her so that he could hold her.. She was leaning forward. He really had messed up, hadn’t he? His eyebrows did perk up a bit that her brother had known about his blood ancestry, which literally started with his parents and ended up with Teddy. Muggle father and a mother who’s parents were muggle… Well, it gave you a very short history. “I bet it was a quick read.” Lancelot said then, giving her a playful smile. He was trying his best to calm her down because she looked very upset. “Does it bother you?” He asked after a moment, because that was the only person he cared about. Her entire family could think he mudblood scum and he’d be okay with that so long as she didn’t think he was.
Then she was apologizing and that look of confusion was probably significantly worse. “Why are you apologizing? Quin, you did nothing wrong. I was incredibly rude to your brother… I am the one who owes you all of the apologies in the world. It’s your family, I should have had more respect for them..” And then, very slowly and tentatively, he reached a hand out to lightly pat her back. If she didn’t shy away from his touch, he’d rub her back. He was always very cautious with Quin, he never wanted to do something to make her run from him. He really enjoyed her company.
Quin shook her head. "I don't care," she whispered. Then, embarrassed, she admitted, "But they will. Not like some of the other families, but they will. We're old Roman blood, Lancelot. I don't know if you know that bit of history." She believed, if she remembered right, they even descended from one of the royal lines, not that she cared terribly much other than some of it was interesting. Roman magi had been among some of the first to come to the island so very long ago. "Like Timmy told me, they're going to hate you." She sounded miserable. But, obviously, she'd kept seeing him anyway. She wanted to see him.
She darted another glance up at him, and she didn't pull away though she remained a bit curled in on herself. She sighed again, head in her hands. "Oh, I'm sure he needled you too," she said very softly. "They can all be quite the purebloods when they wish. Even me, I suppose." She was a proper young woman, had always taken pains to be. Didn't know how else to be. She took a deep, shaking breath. Her hands were trembling. Even more quietly -- he'd have to listen quite hard if he were to hear her -- she continued, "There's probably some things I need to tell you so you'll understand why he was so rude as well."
Because though she adored her brother and thought the world of him, she knew him too, and knew he'd probably said some things to earn Lancelot being rude to him in return.
Something in Lancelot relaxed as soon as he heard her say that she didn’t care. For some reason he had been afraid of her caring. “I don’t care if they won’t like me. I don’t care if your people really were angels.” He sucked in a breath, trying to steady himself. He would have gone off on a nice long rant about not giving flying fucks about where she came from, he liked her for who she was. Quin. Last names be damned. Those changed when you got married anyway, right? “They can hate me all they like, so long as you don’t hate me.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me that you don’t want to.” He didn’t know how to answer any of her remarks about how they all could be very pureblood. He wouldn’t comment on that. “I like you just the way you are.” He moved his hand then to lightly rub up and down her back. He even gave a gentle tug at her side, in hopes she’d curl up against him. “Come here, you’re tired. You can tell me just well from where you were seated before. I doubt there’s a thing you could tell me that would make me think any differently of you.. Unless you’re secretly a troll but even then? I think we’re pretty set since I’ve already become a troll.”
She managed a moment of eye contact before it became too much for her. She wanted to reassure him. "I don't hate you. I don't think I could ever. Especially over something so trivial as who your family is." It didn't mean her life would be easy because of her family. But she was used to it. They were already a threat to her children.
"But you don't know everything." Her protest was soft. After a second she followed his tug and curled up against him even more than before, head tucked against his shoulder, pressed up against his side in a little ball. Her laugh was a bit weak and almost damp - she felt like crying but was trying not to - but present. "You're not a troll. I don't know why you think so," she murmured.
His smile was bright and brilliant when she said that she could never hate him for just who his family was. It seemed that they were on the same page about that, they wouldn’t hate each other for their families. That was definitely a plus because his family could be a bit odd.
“Alright, so I might not know everything. Tell me whatever you think it is that is so bad.” Because honestly, he couldn’t think of a thing that was that bad. Her family would have been the turn off but he was used to it, his best friend was pureblood and some of the distant relatives always looked down on his friendship with Lancelot but it was usually smooth sailing. He continued to rub her back as she curled into him, holding her close with a happy little sigh “Because you’re an angel.” It was so simple, as if that was the most obvious answer. “It’s the only explanation.”
She'd tucked herself tightly against him, needing the reassurance like a frightened animal. She was frightened. It wasn't abnormal for her really. She was easily spooked, easily turned into a little ball of emotion. She had coping mechanisms but they only worked so well and like he'd pointed out, she was tired. "Am not," she protested softly, muffled against his jacket.
And because she'd probably not get a better opening, she went on, face practically hidden in the folds of his jacket, skin a bright, mortified red. "I'm a squib," she said very softly. "That's what I've been needing to tell you." She'd been meaning to since the third or so time he'd taken her out. But there'd never been a good time. "That's why he's so protective of me. He wasn't there the first time around. I'm the least of my parents' children." She was babbling very softly now she knew, if he'd even heard her.
He couldn't help but chuckle at her words, he'd argue his point another time when they weren't so tired. He fully believed he had evidence to prove she was in fact an angel.
Then she told him the rest and his free arm moved around her and he squeezed her gently to him. "I don't care." Was his simple response. "It doesn't change who you are, just means I get to show off a bit more. I really rather love to show off, just ask Teddy... is this what you've been worried about?" He asked curiously, "I promise that it's no difference to me... your family though my never like me." The last bit was said softly. He didn't want to come between her and her family unless she was okay with it. She had seemed to be so far.
Quin just barely peeked up at him. Her eyes were suspiciously damp but she wasn't actively weeping. Her eyes held a measure of disbelief. So many people were bothered by her very existence it always shocked her when someone wasn't. "One thing," she said so softly that even if there hadn't been a spell in place, the driver couldn't have heard.
"My family doesn't even like me, Lancelot," she murmured. "I'm a squib in a family of generations upon generations of purebloods. I'm lucky they're enlightened enough not to have gotten rid of me when they found out." And arm crept up to rest on his chest. "Tim is the only one I really wish for you to get to know. Maybe Quincy, given time. But Tim... I mostly raised him, you see. So his flaws are my fault. But he's always been there for me. I don't know how I would have survived all these years without him." She didn't realize that she would have found a way. She loved Rim, though. Not just as a brother but as almost a parent to child too.
"He's only being protective because he wasn't able to be there for me last time. He's worried for me."
When she said one thing, he waited and let her talk. While she talked, he reached up with one hand to lightly wipe under her eyes with the odds of his thumb. "I can't see why they wouldn't adore you. They must be stupid." He concluded.
He did nod his head at her words, knowing full well he'd have to drag his happy ass to the dragon sanctuary tomorrow, he didn't want to upset her anymore than he already had.
"I promise. Tomorrow, after we are home and I've safely dropped you off at your home.. I'll go see him." He really didn't want to but if she said that he was the only one that she wanted him to know at all and like... well he'd try for her. If she thought highly of him then he had to be better than the words he had used. "Please don't beat yourself up for his behavior. It isn't in any way your fault. Things happen while growing that have nothing to do with who raised you." Though she was so young. Teddy had mentioned this man was young too but he couldn't fathom any of it.
She just looked at him with large, sad eyes. He had no idea, she suspected, of what a squib was up against in this world. Or how embarrassing her very existence was to her family and the fact she frequently came up against prejudice herself.
"You don't have to," she said. "I don't expect you to bow to his expectations. I just... he's my brother." Her lip unintentionally wobbled. She wasn't the sort to manipulate it was simply her. "I'll have a talk with him too. He needs to know I don't... expect you to act like the old families. I like what we are and what we have so far." She didn't presume to know how he felt or what he wanted but she really, really liked him.
She took a deep, steadying breath. "He didn't know when I was married," she said, not looking at him. "He was in training. It upset him very much, so this time he's very protective of me and the children."
“You don’t have to have a talk with him, I promise I’ll fix this.” He murmured, seconds before leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. He couldn’t help himself. It was a quick, soft, stolen moment. “I like you. He means a lot to you. I’ll go to him. I can make myself very clear that I’m nothing like the old families. I know some of the customs but.. It’s not me.” He gave a slight shrug, “Just.. If you ever have to do a family function, anything where you’d be able to have me along. I’d go with you.” Though he was sure that they’d still hate him, just as she’d said. He’d go though for her.
“Well… I’ll reassure him that a wedding is a ways off and that if we decided to, you’d have time to plan your own dream wedding. Did you already have your dream wedding?” It dawned on him too late that it was probably rude to ask. He laughed nervously then, shrugging. “Sorry, rude of me. I also shouldn't be talking about marriage, hm? I've only known you an entire month. I must be crazy." Or as taken with her as Teddy thought. Lancelot was almost positive Teddy thought he was in over his head.
"I've never asked you adhere to the old customs," she said, the hand on his chest patting lightly. She never had. The way he did things, it was good enough for her. He wasn't expecting her to move faster than she was comfortable with. He wasn't being so modern that he seemed disappointed that she had to slept with him yet or that it might still be a while for that. She leaned quietly into that kiss, though, drawing a lot of reassurance from it. "You do not have to endure them just because I do."
Her laughter was soft, startled. Her blush remained very pink as she peeked at him. "I never thought I'd marry the first time," she admitted. "And I never thought anybody would want me after." Two small children? No, she hadn't expected it. His words had distracted her from the fact he hadn't understood what she was saying and that perhaps she shouldn't expound upon it. "Oh, I've already known you longer than I did my husband when we married," she said absently. Not that she was intending to marry again just yet. No, she was enjoying this slow process with him right now. Courting, as Tim called it. She liked getting to know him.
“I’ll endure whatever you want me to.” He said easily, giving her a soft smile. “I promise that if you need me to do any sort of… Specific thing? I will. I might not like being ordered around but I would subject myself to your family for scrutiny if you need me to.” He didn’t know if what Tim had said was real, if he really did have to go through her family in order to date her. Hell, he was sure that if they did get to the point that they were taking marriage seriously, he’d even ask them for her hand if it was the only way. He’d swallow his pride apparently.
He was a bit concerned about her comments, he couldn’t understand just why she would have thought she’d never marry to start. He had a feeling it all had to circle back with the fact that she was born without magic in a very old wizarding family. It broke his heart but he knew there wasn’t much he could do about it now, he could just continue to show her that she was beautiful, unique, and amazing all on her own. It just made him feel a bit more protective over the small blonde. “Is that so?” He was more curious about her marriage now than he had been when she’d first mentioned him. “Tell me more about your marriage. Were you two in love?” He figured it was maybe a conversation that they needed to have, why not in the taxi? They would be at the hotel soon enough but it was a conversation they could have on their way up to the hotel room.
She shook her head with surprising firmness. "No, you don't. I don't want you treated badly because of me. From them or from other people. People don't like having Squibs around, you know." While some people would be bitter, she was simply sad. He probably didn't know that though Muggleborns were now welcome, it was still well within the law to discriminate against squibs and she didn't even have full rights within the law. Most people didn't know, unless they'd been brought up to know. There were relatively few squibs who ended up remaining in the wizarding world, they were usually driven out.
Quin peered up at him nervously, trying to tell if he really wanted to know or if he wanted her to murmur something and change the subject. He seemed serious. So she settled back against him comfortably. She found his warmth and solidness reassuring, and one hand toyed with nervous energy with the lapel of his coat. She bit her lower lip and then, deciding to be completely honest, she slowly shook her head.
"I loved him. But I don't think I was in love with him?" she offered quietly, looking guilty and feeling guilty. "I miss him terribly sometimes. He was my best friend for many years. He was my children's father. He was so good to me." Her voice did hold some sorrow as well. She did miss him. Christmas had hurt because it was Fee's first and Ambrose wasn't there to see it.
She looked down and played with the two small rings on the middle finger of her right hand. After Christmas she'd finally put her wedding ring off her right hand and into her jewelry box, though some days she still put it on. But these two rings held a birth stone and rune for each of her kids. The first Ambrose had given her the first Christmas with Auri. The second? Quincy had gotten her the second for Felix, this Christmas. Thoughtful things like that were the reason she'd never quite been able to give up on her twin.
Her lips turned up as something occurred to her, and she actually laughed, soft and genuine, at the realization. "It hadn't occurred to me, but. You may not be amused, but... I also met him in a library," she said, her changeable eyes bright as she glanced up at him. "I was in the library at Lucis Unda while my parents hosted a large party. I wasn't invited because Septimus was at training, but I'd snuck down to the library to read. It was a law book because Prim had mentioned something from work and I'd been curious and looked it up. We talked for a little while." Her fingers twisted the rings around and around, her nerves obviously getting worse again. More because of what he'd think than that she was bothered, now, by what happened. "He approached my father the next day and arrangements were made."
“I hate that word.” Lancelot said with a soft sigh, “I also am not like those people. I don’t.. This feels like a useless fight to be having but I will be there for you. Whenever, whatever, you need me for. I care about you, which is probably a bit crazy since I’ve only known you for almost a month. You’re an amazing woman though and I want to continue to do this. Get to know more about you and be there for you.” He continued to rub at her back then, feeling her pressing so close felt good. They had not had a chance to cuddle like this, where he could just hold her. It felt so warm and comforting. She just fit.
“Thank you for being honest with me.” He had realized a little too late that she could have lied easily to him about her feelings for her dead husband. He felt better knowing she hadn’t bothered to lied. He thought maybe she trusted him.
Her laugh was music to his ears, his own smile growing when she told him how she had met her husband. It really had been a completely arranged marriage. Clearly the man had fallen for Quin in that one meeting and honestly, he could understand why. She was something special. He reached one hand up to lightly comb his fingers through some of her soft locks. “That is a bit amusing. I think it’s a bit telling of you, you have a thing for libraries. I’ll admit, I have a thing for them as well…” Though his thing was to have sex amongst the books. It was a bit of an aphrodisiac for him. “It’s not polite to say, I think.” He admitted with a soft laugh, “I’ll show you some day.”
"I know." The admission was soft. She'd hoped he wouldn't care, and he hadn't. He hadn't to a degree that shocked her, honestly. "I care too." It was a bare whisper, a very shy admission. She didn't know exactly what she felt for him, though it generally included a lot of excited and nervous little flutters. "And I want all of that too. I want to keep getting to know you."
She did trust him. It wasn't just the fact that she was a bad liar. "I don't like to lie," she said, still staring down at her hands. She did feel guilty for not having been in love with her husband, but she truthfully had loved him. It just wasn't the same as some other people's relationships.
Quin might never realise that in reality Ambrose probably had been in love with her to some degree. That she'd enchanted him. She did know that he had said he loved her just as she was able to tell him in return. It hadn't been a bad marriage. She'd been pretty happy once things had settled down when they went to France. She unconsciously leaned into his touch, her eyes closing for a moment as he stroked her hair.
"Libraries are one of my favorite places in the world," she said. They'd always been her safe haven. Her lips tipped up at the corners into a smile. Then it turned into a soft chuckle, her eyes slitting open slightly and filling with amusement. She could be terribly naïve at times but she wasn't some blushing virgin. Just a blusher in general and not good with any brazen sort of flirting. "Mmm. If you come to dinner, you can come see my little library. It's nothing exceptional but I love it." He probably didn't realize, though he might, that her 'little' library was her sanctum sanctorum, her place more than even the little music room.
It was all a lot for the night. They had admitted to their feelings, they had talked about the fact that she already knew his heritage and he now knew she didn’t have any magical abilities. It was a lot for one night. He wanted to do something nice for her. He leaned forward, muttering a counter curse, before he whispered with the driver a moment. It was then he sat back, wrapping his arms back around her.
“I would love to see your library. I’ve got a feeling it’ll put mine to shame. I picture you owning one of those libraries that have towering walls, where you need to use ladders to reach certain points.” He went back to rubbing her back idly, just relaxing with her.
It took a few extra minutes, but soon they were pulling up in front of Trinity College Library. He paid the driver, before slipping out with his hand in Quin’s. He gave her a brilliant smile, a quick, “Trust me,” before he was hurrying her up the walk, as if he were escorting her home. The library had closed long ago but Lancelot was using silent spells to block any cameras, before he pulled out his wand and unlocked the library doors. He let Quin inside first, before he followed her in and shut the doors behind them, charming them so that no one could come inside until they left. He gave another swish and a mutter, causing little white fairy lights to appear all around the stacks and rows of books. He shrugged off his jacket, leaving it on a table. He then held a hand out for her. “Come with me. Let me show you something.” He really didn’t have anything to show her, he was going to take her deep into the library, kiss her, say tag, and then hide amongst the stacks until he could find her again and kiss her. He knew trying for more than just kisses was probably out of the cards for the night but he wanted to see Quin let loose and play. She didn’t have the children to worry about or anyone else being around, she could be herself.
Quin looked intrigued as he talked to the driver but she didn't make any protest. She couldn't remember the last real surprise she'd had -- well, that didn't preface with "you're pregnant," really. She curled back against his side as he sat back again, cuddling into him comfortably. This -- this she liked, a lot. He was warm and he made her feel safe in a way that she wasn't familiar with.
"Oh, it's not that big," she said with a laugh, though her dream library was definitely that big. "There is a ladder," she admitted, "but if you've not noticed, I am quite short." And she grinned at him, and for a moment it was just a silly, joking sort of expression, innocent and the very slightest bit impish. Relaxed. She was relaxed, because he hadn't been upset with her at all over anything she'd told him. It didn't mean the nerves wouldn't come back, but right now, in his embrace, she was perfectly content.
Her look was questioning as they pulled up and he paid. "Lancelot, where are we?" she asked with an amused laugh as they went toward a building. She watched his spellwork with a smile and an approving tilt of the head. He had good technique.
And then they were in the library, and her mouth o'ed and her face brightened with delight as the fairy lights lit the place up for them. She clapped her hands and whirled around, taking it all in and just laughing. She followed his lead and took off her coat, setting it aside. "Oh Merlin and Nimue, it's perfect," she said with another delighted laugh.
"What is it?" she asked him as her small hand slipped into his, her fingers twining into his trustingly as he led her into the library.
Her reactions were more than enough. They just reaffirmed what he’d been thinking, that this was going to be perfect for her. “It’s a surprise. I’m glad that you enjoy this though. I love the high ceilings,” He looked up, he’d filled the room with the little fairy twinkling lights so that it looked like hundreds of stars above them. “That’s my favorite part of any large library.” He continued to speak as he led her down a random row of books. It was as he neared a middle section, where many other rows were branching off, that he stopped them.
His hands came down to slide down her arms, as he faced her. “You deserve to be able to let loose and play.” His hands slid into her hands, lacing their fingers. He leaned in then and kissed her, his eyes slipping closed as he bent down so that she wouldn’t have to lift up on tip toe. He broke the kiss after a moment, his face still close to her’s, their noses brushing. “Tag, you’re it. You might want to lose the heels..” It was then that he let his hands slip from her’s, and he walked off down an aisle, giving a half jog. He was counting on being caught, that was part of the fun.
"They're fantastical," she said, very obviously completely enchanted by what he'd just done for her. It was a library done up like a dream or something, and she was completely and utterly caught up in the moment with him.
Her fingers curled around his, small and warm and for once not exhibiting any of her many nervous tics she could have. She melted a bit into the kiss. She laughed outright in surprise as he told her tag and to lose the heels. "Scoundrel!" she called after him, balancing quickly on one leg and then the other to undo the latches of the heels and gathering her skirt in one hand.
There was an almost innocent, child-like glee to her. It could sometimes be seen when she was playing with her children or occasionally with Tim or the dragons. A purity of joy, perhaps; she could, despite everything, simply be in the moment, happy, more than a lot of people. She had the capacity for it that not everyone did.
She trotted after him in bare, almost silent feet, peeking around different shelves for him and moving even more stealthily when she caught sight of him. She caught him in a whirl of pink fabric, laughing freely in a way reminiscent of ringing bells, and her fingers curled into his lapels as she pulled him down for a kiss.
His laughter echoed off the walls as she called him a scoundrel, he’d been called much worse by dates before. As they darted between stacks, he thought he’d gotten ahead of her. He’d been slipping between shelves, then all of the sudden she was there. He had a bright dopey grin on his face as he caught her, his arms around her waist. While she was pulling him down, he was lifting her up into his arms. They met somewhere in the middle, his lips pressed against her’s.
Thankfully the stacks were heavy and didn’t move because Lancelot was leaning back against the stacks as he tipped his head into the kiss, deepening the kiss just barely. He hadn’t moved his arms from around her waist, where he’d lifted her up. He’d wait for any cues that she gave that would indicate she wanted to go farther. If she didn’t give any, he would set her down again and let her run and he would chase her. He’d play tag in the stacks until she was ready to go, then he’d apparate them to the hotel. He felt far more awake in this moment than he had felt after the wedding. She was intoxicating and invigorating.
Quin's mouth met his warmly, a little more bravely than in the past. It was the first kiss she'd initiated herself, and her lips parted more for him more, letting the kiss deepen. She pulled back after a long moment, cheeks pink and eyes bright. Her smile was brighter, though, and her lips brushed his again. Whether or not she wanted more yet, she wasn't entirely sure. But she did know she wanted to have more fun.
"Tag!" she said, and then she slipped away down another set of stacks with laughter trailing in her wake. She wanted him to catch her, this time.
Lancelot had gotten lost in the kiss. There was something about the little twinkling lights, the feel of her slender frame pressed against him? He could have stayed like that for ages. Then she was gone again and his laughter could be heard echoing around them again. He slid out of his jacket then, tossing it to the floor where they had been. He even untucked his shirt, getting more comfortable to chase her around the library.
He crept around the stacks, watching for the flashes of her pink gown. He kept rounding corners only to see it disappearing around another. It took a moment, and he didn't even cheat, no magic, he found her. As she passed through a cross section between stacks, he came up from the opposite direction and snagged her around the waist. He lifted her up, grinning as he twirled her fast in a circle, setting her back down. As soon as her barefeet touched the floor, he bent down and kissed her firmly. It was a bit bolder than usual, but he still didn't press himself on her.
His hands moved around to the small of her back, holding her there a moment, before he broke the kiss to grin at her. He was breathing a bit heavier but it was from chasing her through the stacks. "All you need are a set of wings." He whispered, and as he said that his hands came up to lightly slide just under her dress, at her shoulders. They slid into the opening of the back, so that he could hold her shoulder blades where wings would be if she had any. He didn't realize how bold this was, he did however get goosebumps from feeling her soft skin under his rough hands.
She darted from stack to stack, not making it easy but not making it impossible either. She occasionally couldn't help the giggles that escaped her, and they echoed through the library as well. He'd found a great way to thrill her, enchant her. She was having an excellent time just being her.
She squealed as he caught her and then laughed as he twirled them, her hands braced on his arms. She was still laughing when he kissed her, and so it vibrated against his lips. Her arms twined around his neck as she kissed him wholeheartedly back for a moment.
Warmth trailed frm his hands. They were rough, still working hands, she knew, and it made her breath catch in an unfamiliar way. "I'm not an angel," she murmured, her lips almost touching his still, her nose nuzzling against his. But she felt almost like one with him touching her like that, and her eyes dilated a bit, the color even more ambiguous in the shadowy fairy lights. She looked even more fey then, or perhaps angelic, she wouldn't know, but almost otherworldly either way.
There was a magic all it’s own to their night. Sure, he’d used magic to create the lights that were allowing them to play in the stacks and kept anyone from coming in or noticing them, but it wasn’t that. There was a magic all it’s own about playing in the stacks like this. It was in the way he could just see the pink of her gown slip around a corner, it was in the way that her musical laughter seemed to surround them, it was the way his hands circled her waist, and the feel of her lips against his.
He gave a deep, chest rumbling, chuckle when she said she wasn’t an angel. He hadn’t even said it! He looked younger somehow, more the roguish brute that had seduced women across the world, that had climbed low in pyramids in Egypt, that triggered booby-trap just to see what they’d do. He’d blame all of it on the magic that they were clearly creating together, he liked to think of it as muggle magic.
“I didn’t say a word, just that you needed wings.” He whispered as he bent his head in, nuzzling his nose into her hair, his lips so close to her ear. He swayed them a moment, some beat that was a slower pace than they’d danced to all night. His hands didn’t move though, he liked being able to feel her soft skin and to have her pressed so close. He knew that he’d somehow lost himself with her and he was completely okay for once.
Lancelot had never looked old to her. To her he definitely was a charming, handsome wizard who was fast becoming very important to her. He had not idea that he kept sweeping her away, more than likely. Tonight, this... he'd utterly enchanted her with only a couple of simple spells. No one had ever done something so sweet and exhilarating, just to see her play.
"You didn't have to. I heard it anyway," she replied softly. He'd called her an angel in the car and she didn't believe him for a second, but it still somehow managed to make her smile. "It's that or a fairy, right?" She'd been compared to the mythical fae more than once especially as a child. Some people had even joked once it was found out she was a squib that obviously she'd been a changeling.
The occasional muggleborn said she could be an elf out of some books, if only she was taller.
Quin was tucked neatly against him and for once not nervous about it. Her lips pressed softly against his jaw and neck, gentle and unassuming. She'd never had the romance before and she thought that this was what that was. It made her heart flutter, whatever you called it.
Lancelot gave her a smile then that was absolutely boyish. It was one that very clearly said, he’d been caught. “It’s angel, definitely. You could be fae but you have this aura about you. I swear, you have a golden glow.” That may have been the champagne that he’d had tonight but he swore she gave off a soft glow. Maybe it was the lights.
Feeling her lips against his jaw made his breath stop for a moment, his hands stilling on her shoulders. As her lips continued to his neck, he let out a soft happy noise. “Will you be mine?” He knew they’d been going on dates for a while now, a full month almost. He knew he hadn’t been seeing anyone else but he had a very childish urge to be sure that she wasn’t either. He knew it was probably a bit fast, he just hoped he didn’t ruin the moment they were in.
Quin blushed and shook her head and grinned faintly. "I do not," she murmured. "And I am not." But it was flattering. She knew angel imagry. She was friends with a priest in France. He'd been a wizard and she'd done some charity work with him, though she'd not known the wizard part or that he knew her husband the first time she'd met him.
Her head tilted back up, her eyes wide and guileless. "I am already, aren't I?" It had never occurred to her otherwise, not just lack of offers but simply how she was. It perhaps revealed a bit of her naivete. Or perhaps her trusting, faithful nature. Even if there had been other offers, unless she'd ended whatever she had with him she'd not have thought to accept anyone else. Some would say it was stupidly trusting but she couldn't help how she was. Unless he ended things, or she did, that was just how it was, right?
That look, it did something to his heart. It fluttered or something, he could feel it, he was sure of it. “You already are.” He said with a very bright smile, then leaned in and kissed her again. His hands moved then, well one did at least. He moved his one hand down her back, letting it rest on the small of her back. She was incredibly intoxicating and the fact that she was coming out of her shell was… He didn’t have a word for it.
He tipped his head into the kiss so that his big nose would bump against her small one. He gave a soft chuckle and then, by breaking their kiss for a millisecond, he cast one last spell that caused the speaker system to turn on and start playing “Maybe I’m Amazed”by Paul McCartney. He had thought it appropriate, because he knew that if he kept on with her in this stack he’d try for more and he didn’t know if she was ready.
With the song playing, he started to sing along in a voice that wasn’t exactly on key but it wasn’t miserable. It even cracked a few times. He started to dance her around the room to the song, working his way to the center of all the little twinkling lights so that they’d surround them.
She'd still hide sometimes, still be shy. It was natural for her. She even had moments with her nearest and dearest people. But she was opening up a bit. He'd delighted and surprised her past some of her usual hang ups earlier, and she'd just enough to drink that some of her inhibitions were at least a little lower than they had been.
Quin ended up laughing softly as they danced. His voice wasn't awful but it wasn't fantastic, but the whole whimsy of the moment tickled her. So she danced, held close and like she was dear, something that felt precious and new.
As the song came to an end, he held her close and let out a soft sigh. It was a sad little sigh, he knew they had to go soon. "Are you ready to head to the hotel? I can apparate from here to our room." It would make it eaiser, he thought. Then they wouldn't have to bundle up and be cold again. He rather liked seeing her in just her gown.
"I did make sure to get a room with a couch, so if you would prefer to sleep in the bed alone I can take the couch." It was as close to gutsy as he could get to asking if she wanted to share the bed. Sure, he had thought about sex tonight but he was more just hoping to be able to sleep next to her tonight.
She sighed softly as the song ended, and she smiled sweetly at him. The end of this evening had been just about perfect, honestly, and she never could have imagined it if she'd tried. "Can you summon our things?" She didn't want to leave anything behind so no one would know they'd been there.
She had her shoes looped over a couple of fingers and her coat draped over an arm, worrying at her lip silently as she rolled over his unvoiced question for a moment, her cheeks pinked and her face thoughtful.
She missed sleeping with someone. Not the sex. Sex was all right, it could be fun. But she really missed being held. That was the best part. But could he just do that, until she decided if she could handle more yet? Her eyes were on her bare feet when she managed to find her voice. "Can we sleep?" The just was implied, and she couldn't find a way to raise her gaze yet. She might change her mind, she didn't know. She couldn't know yet. Or would he be upset at her question?
She was perfect. He nodded his head at her question, producing his wand from his pocket to call all of their items back to them. He slipped his jackets over his arms, not bothering to put them on. He intended to drop them as soon as they got back to the room, he wanted to just exist with her and not worry about anything.
Then she was curiously staring at her feet. He couldn't help himself. He looked down at them as well, they were cute little feet. Then her words hit him, he reached his free hand up to gently place his finger under her chin and tipped her head to look at him. He wasn't so dense that he didn't understand just why she might be so fascinated with her bare feet. "Until you tell me you're ready, we can always just sleep." He wouldn't make her actually voice the words, there were physical, body language, clues one could give. Hell, he had had a woman show up naked to his door once. There were ways.
He bent his head in then to press a quick kiss to her lips, before moving his hand to hold it out to her. "Hold on and I'll take us to the room." He was already moving his wand and removing all but the spells keeping them undetected. Those he'd do last, from their hotel room across the city.
Her head came up slowly with the pressure of his fingers. It took her eyes another shy, reluctant moment to finally come up to his. It took a moment. A lifetime of shyness and keeping herself safe might not ever disappear. She'd had a few incidents that made these worries valid, and she knew for fact that 'no' was a word she was only passingly familiar with.
She let out a soft sigh and nodded. Nervous but not completely done up in knots. Yet anyway. She would trust him. Naïve, probably. But Quin always saw the best in people. Even her parents. Her first instinct was to trust, for better or worse. "All right. Okay."
So her fingers curled trustingly into his and her shy smile flashed over her face before they apparated.