apartment dates | cara

[calliope ivory fleming]

━ if you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

february 2026

IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, Calliope devoted herself to all kinds of work. Work within the black market and even more work within St. Mungos, despite the ridiculously small records room. Calliope even took upon a few side jobs with old colleagues in order for this moment. The day and overall moment she moved out from her family home - yet again. It was her second time living alone, but considering the situation with her mother and deadbeat father, the middle child was forced to return to her 'family' home for the sake of her brothers so they could have a roof over their heads.

Although with her father proving that he wasn't bound to change eventually, she decided to ignore his wishes more like demands of keeping the rent low and move out anyway. Elijah was working now, and could most definitely fend for himself while her father needed more of a reason to actually get out of the house, now there were barely any children around. Though, with at least the first six months of rent covered, the Fleming managed to find a one bedroom home in London, surprisingly for a decent price and size considering the location. With plans to leave St Mungos for a better job anyway, Cal believed in herself that she could afford the place even in the long run - but for now, her savings were enough.

With not many friends however, she could only rely on a few people to help her move and while the move was successful, there was one person she had felt bad for barely contacting - despite their texts back and forth. Cara. The Fleming visited the Bainbridge as often as she could while the latter was working but it had been a while since the two of them went on a 'date'. The word and concept itself was still shocking to the Fleming, considering she was head over heels for Cara and only assumed Cara was seeing their time together as something friendly. Merlin, was Calliope wrong.

With wine and dinner prepared, candles lit and her lights somewhat low, Calliope waited around in her living room, thinking anxiously as she waited for Cara to arrive. She didn't want Cara to feel uncomfortable, just in case the Fleming was going too far with a 'candle-lit' dinner, but she didn't want to be friend zoned either. That would suck.

| cara june bainbridge |

long overdue starter for you!

[cara june bainbridge]

▲

Fucking Merlin, she was nervous. Cara had always taken pride in not letting nerves get to her, the only divergence from that being during her first NEWT exam, and then right before she had walked for graduation. But this? This was on a whole different level. It had taken her months to get all of her feelings and thoughts into order and how she wanted to go about it correctly, and it Calliope was honestly a trooper for not getting bored with her dodging the answer that was plainly in front of both of them now. And it had been to her since October. She thought that doing this made her a horrible person, especially because all she had to do was say that she had the same feelings for Cal that the girl had for her. It was so obvious and Cara had started to beat herself up over it for not doing anything about it. The longer she pushed it off though, the more her anxiety of admitting it took over. She couldn’t really do that in the middle of Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor either, which is still where the two of them saw each other most of the time. The holidays had prevented any further moments where it was just the two of them. Until now.

Cara didn’t know if dinner at Cal’s apartment was a way to finally get an answer out of her or simply a friendly gesture, but she jumped on it immediately. If there was a defined time and place, she knew she could force herself to get it all out there. Except now she was standing in front of the other girl’s apartment door and freaking out internally. All of her emotions were going to show on her face, and she could tell that she looked as nervous as she felt. Despite that, Cara took a deep breath and knocked on the door, continuing to hold it all in until the door was opened for her. It was all or nothing now.

calliope ivory fleming ● 341 ● Friday I'm In Love by Phoebe Bridgers

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[calliope ivory fleming]

━ if you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

DESPITE THE LENGTH OF TIME it had taken both Calliope and Cara to realise what or how they felt for one another, Calliope knew she wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. Cara was too much of an interesting person, utterly adorable and just overall enjoyable to suddenly stop talking to or ghost altogether. The Fleming truthfully loved their time together, especially since the two of them would have a small routine, meeting each other while Cara was working or even going on lunch or even just doing something new together. Like the haunted forest just months ago.

The holidays had been a difficult time for the two of them to spend together however as Calliope and her family returned to America for a little while, seeing distant family and grandparents, finally having some time away from their deadbeat dad. But it also made it somewhat difficult to speak to Cara because of the time difference and the fact that they couldn't see each other face to face for a short while. But now they were here, February and the Fleming finally had a place of her own. Meaning Cara could come over whenever she felt like it. If she wanted to anyway.

Using an invite for dinner as a way to catch up and even ask..A question that was definitely needed, it took Calliope all the courage she had to even invite Cara over. And when the Bainbridge accepted, Calliope knew she needed to pull out all the stops. Hence the candles and even the effort of learning how to cook a particular dish that Cara once mentioned she enjoyed. And the inclusion of wine or drinks altogether of course.

From the soft knocking at her door, Calliope's hair and eyes reflected her emotions, blue eyes to show her excitement while yellow strands and tips with her usual brunette that showed off her nervousness. Stepping towards the door, she pulled it open slowly, smiling softly when Cara stared back at her. "Hey." She smiled, taking in how cute the Bainbridge looked - and somehow just as nervous as Calliope was.

"Was..It easy to find?" 'It' being her apartment. Small talk was never the metamorphmagus' best route to go along, but it was one of the safest options. "Oh. Shit uh- come in by the way." She stepped to the side, opening the door a little more, while her hair and eyes already shifted colours once more to present more of her nerves. Calliope's apartment was nothing special, but it was spacious for such an inexpensive place. It felt more like a studio compared to a one-bedroom home but regardless she liked it. There was actually distance between her bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. She couldn't ask for anything more really.

| cara june bainbridge |

[cara june bainbridge]

▲

“Hey,” Cara responded dumbly, unable to remember what words were or how to speak one that had more than one syllable and hadn’t just been said to her. So much for her sharp wit and ability to lambast someone with her oratory skills. Calliope was far from being an annoyance like the younger Bainbridges or Hogwarts students could be. If she hadn’t liked Cal as much as she did, she probably would have gotten pissed off in her own internal frustration and stormed away. That had happened way too many times at school whenever she attempted anything like this. Now she knew what not to do. Sort of. There was still a limit to that experience and it ended very shortly after whatever followed tonight.

Staring through the door at Cal, she could tell that the other girl was also nervous, the instant change in hair color happening like usual. There had been a brief glimpse at blue eyes, though they were gone almost instantly. “We aren’t eating out in the hall?” Cara teased, trying to ease her own nerves but forgetting to laugh at her own joke.

Passing by Cal and into the apartment, the dim lighting had her blinking a few times to get her eyes to adjust. From the flickering against the walls, she could tell there were candles she wasn’t seeing yet. It was quite literally going to be a candle lit dinner, and she could feel the artery in her neck start pounding frantically again. Stepping further in, she finally got a feel for the size of the entire apartment. Which she had nothing to compare it against, considering she still lived at home in the same bedroom she and Diana had shared. “I love how much room you have here. Must be freeing escaping from the family?” Cara asked as she turned around to face Cal again. It was even harder to see her now than when she had been in the doorway. Maybe it was a tactical approach at hiding her metamorphmagus ability? Now that would be something else. Cara absolutely relied on the subtle changes to know what to say or do. This environment would definitely make the evening interesting…

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ if you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

CALLIOPE COULDN'T HELP BUT NOT hold back her smile, even though Cara had said nothing else but a simple greeting. While she was just as nervous as she assumed the Bainbridge to be, Calliope couldn't help but find Cara cute in almost everything and anything she did. Whether it was something simple or complex, that detail didn't even matter. No one could compare to Cara, as oddly obsessive that sounded. As Cara stepped inside, Calliope closed the door behind her and finally noticed that the lights were dimmed a little too low, which could definitely be slightly intimidating. Stepping away from the door and towards the lights, Calliope let out a dry 'haha' at Cara's teasing.

"Very funny." The Fleming added, adjusting the lights enough so neither of them would hopefully not have to squint. "I could set it up out there, put on a nice show for the neighbours too." Moving away from the lights and stepping closer to Cara, Cal watched amusingly as she assumed Cara was observing her new apartment. "Definitely." She replied, nodding while the metamorphmagus moved her arms behind her, playing with her fingers anxiously. "Escaping from them..Again anyway." She clarified, considering the first time the Fleming had a taste of freedom, it barely even lasted six months to a year.

"So..I.." Cal began, the words she wanted to say suddenly leaving her mind, leaving her throat slightly dry. She cleared her throat and began to try again however, her eyes flickering between different shades and colours as she paid more attention to Cara's appearance and attire. "I...Cooked. Something that you told me you liked the last time we hung out anyway..It was uh..Actually my first time using the kitchen here." Since moving in, Cal had no time to actually cook for herself, especially since she was once again a Magizoolist apprentice. "It doesn't..Need to be seen as a date if you..Don't want it to be."

Cal knew the more she spoke, the more she had a chance of ruining whatever she had built with Cara, but considering the two of them were just as nervous as the other, situations like now only resulted with the Fleming rambling on and on until her counterpart stopped her. Stating that the night didn't need to be viewed as a date was funny to the Fleming the moment the words left her lips, especially since she tried hard to look good for the night and even prepare her apartment to 'appear' romantic.

| cara june bainbridge |

[cara june bainbridge]

▲

The lights in the apartment were raised enough that Cara could see the other girl's
face completely, meaning the shifting eye and hair colors were part of the game now. Merlin that made things so much easier on her. Trying to work just on her gut instinct sucked because she never knew if she was right or wrong. Cal's ability eliminated all that, and having essentially an open book in front of her helped a lot to confirm if she was going about things the correct way. "They're probably better than my neighbors in Godric's Hollow," Cara mused. Her neighbors being the Potters and McLaggens. Both families were ridiculous in their own regard, not that her own wasn't batshit crazy sometimes too. They had their own pick-up Quidditch team growing up. She'd even punched Mickey McLaggen in the face once, drawing the ire of his father. Anyways...

"I haven't had the chance to get away from mine yet," she said, scrunching her nose up at the thought of having to live with her parents for a few more years. Unless she struck gold with a publishing deal on the book she still hadn't written, her wages from Fortescue's wasn't getting her a place of her own. "Merlin, they're going to have so many questions if they see me come home later..." She went to work, then she came home and locked herself in her room to draft and develop ideas. That was it, outside of meeting up with Cal on occasion. Having this dinner was a nice break from it all.

Dinner was homemade, and from Cal's nervousness, an attempt at something Cara had mentioned last time they'd been together. She'd smelled it when she entered the apartment but all of her attention had been on trying not to fidget or look scared out of her wits. Their idle chit-chat so far had eased that worry a bit, allowing for her other senses to start to come back. Cal started to say how this didn't need to be seen as a date if that was too much, and Cara instinctively reached out to grab her hand. "No. It is," she blurted out. It was impossible to see it as anything else, especially with the way everything was laid out. "I want it to be. Okay?" The excited pounding of her heart only grew louder in her ears as she said that. Pretty soon here she was going to knock herself out from the nerves.

calliope ivory fleming ● 414 ● Stranger On The Shore by Acker Bilk

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[calliope ivory fleming]

━ if you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

CALLIOPE FOUND HERSELF SMILING AT Cara's response, knowing that whatever neighbours Cara had in 'Godric Hollow', they probably weren't as bad as the neighbours the Fleming had here. Then again, the Metamorphmagus hadn't met all of her neighbours just as yet, nor did she have the confidence in herself to go introduce herself.

She knew something along those lines wasn't particularly common here in England compared to back home - knocking on a strangers door to introduce yourself. Luckily the Fleming's introverted self loved that. As Cara spoke, Cal's hair shifted once more, turning a little darker. "You're always welcome here if you need to get away from them..Even if it's for a few days." Calliope replied sincerely. She knew the struggles of having a..problematic family. She loved her siblings to death, but the weight of her fathers words and actions were too much, most of the time anyway.

Calliope's cheeks tinted red a little as Cara stepped closer, reaching out for her hand and responding to the Fleming's initial words about their..date. As Cara spoke again, the Fleming nodded slowly, her hair shifting in colours once more, taking on a lighter shade while her eyes flickered to her usual 'shy' or 'embarrassed' colour. "Okay.." She finally replied, breathing out the breath she didn't even realise she was holding in.

"I..wanted it to be too..That's why I mentioned it.." Calliope added in, in a slight ramble before stopping herself as she realised she was probably too far. "Make..Yourself comfortable..I'll go pour us something to drink.."

| cara june bainbridge |

[cara june bainbridge]

▲

Having somewhere to go that wasn’t home or work would be such a relief. If anything, that would help with her writing. She’d read about how some writers preferred to do their work in public, at places like coffee shops or cafes, and Cara knew that she didn’t have the patience to do that. Too many distractions to pull her away from her work. On second thought, maybe trying to write while around Calliope wouldn’t be the smartest thing in the world either. She was incredibly distracting and not in the bad way. “Thanks…maybe when the triplets are done with school? Getting away from that mess for a little while would be amazing.” A vacation from family would be a dream come true. That had never happened before. She finally had an excuse to go somewhere with someone she actually cared about. Apparently there were firsts for everything.

Her thumb circled the top of Cal’s hand as the other girl went into her usual embarrassed ramble. Cara had grown used to it and it was starting to get better than at the beginning. Building confidence one day at a time was how she viewed it. Everything about this was new for her and she could only imagine it might be the same for Calliope. “Yeah, of course,” she responded as she let go and looked around the room to find somewhere to sit. The couch was the first thing that caught her eye, and she moved quickly over to it. A glass of wine was absolutely going to calm her nerves down, as she was now resorting to frantically wiping her hands on her sides to make sure they weren’t sweaty. For as calm and collected she tried to act, she was so far from it that it was kind of hilarious. A couple long, deep breaths later and she was pretty sure she’d put herself back into a zen-like state. Which was sure to break the second Cal was back and sitting next to her. Merlin she needed that wine.

calliope ivory fleming ● 341 ● More Than A Feeling by Boston

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ if you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

NODDING AS CARA TOOK HER offer of staying whenever she felt like it, Calliope couldn't help but admit she felt giddier than a school kid. Spending more time with Cara was always a plus or a simple benefit in the Metamorphmagus' eyes but picturing Cara on a more relaxed level or simply tired in the early morning had Calliope seeing stars. "You can..always write here too.." Cal began softly before adding, "And I won't look..No matter how tempted I am..I promise.."

As Cal rambled, she couldn't help but blush an impossible darker shade of red as Cara's thumb circled over her hand. But as the Fleming moved to the kitchen to go get a drink for the two of them, she couldn't help but take quick little breaths to calm herself. Nothing extreme hadn't even happened, yet the Metamorphmagus felt her heart beating at a million miles per hour.

Rummaging for a few glasses to take her mind off it all, Cal then paused as she looked through her wine options. A few odd white wines she had been gifted and the rosé she had taken a liking to since moving to England. In that moment, Calliope couldn't remember what kind of wine Cara liked and simply hoped the one she poured was decent enough. As the Fleming made her way back to the living room, she forced a smile as she handed over Cara's glass before sitting down next to her on the couch. "I don't know..why I'm so nervous..I'm sorry.." Laughing awkwardly as she spoke, Cal took an extra sip of her own wine. Merlin, this was due to be a long night.

| cara june bainbridge |

[cara june bainbridge]

▲

Being offered the chance to write somewhere other than her bedroom at home was certainly tempting. Cara knew she’d be constantly distracted if she tried to do that here though. Plus she got into a mood if her muse got interrupted. Yelling at her sisters was par for the course but she didn’t want to do the same thing with Cal. Keeping ‘work’ and life separated as much as possible was important to her, which was strange to think about because her actual work got her to where she was right now.

“I’m not that flattering when I’m writing, to be honest with you,” she admitted. And then there was the whole thing about the content of what she was making. No one else, as far as she was aware, knew that she’d lowered herself into the throes of magical smut fanfiction for the WWWW audience. She wasn’t sure when the right time would be to admit that she was doing that. Being embarrassed by her work was only possible because her own siblings had openly admitted to reading some of it. Trying to explain what it was to her parents, or even Cal, was bound to be impossible. “And I’m really messy too…” she added after a brief pause. Her work had taken over both her desk and Diana’s when she wasn’t there, as well as part of the floor. And sometimes her nightstand. And a large portion of the trash can.

She could make excuses all day about how it was her writing materials that were the issue, when really it was because she knew she would never be able to get any work done in the presence of Calliope. Just scooping ice cream in front of her was hard enough these days. That sort of led into the issue the two of them were having right now: being incredibly nervous and awkward. Cal said as much, and Cara nodded her head as she mirrored with her own sip of wine. “It’s like doing an interview I imagine…just one that I actually enjoy.” What a horrible comparison that was! Cara immediately took another long drink of her wine, choking back some of it. “It has the same sort of jitters I guess.”

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ if you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

SMILING SOFTLY AS CARA REPLIED, CALLIOPE shook her head. She honestly had no other motive in inviting Cara to write in her apartment apart from being able to see her and spend time with her, even if it was silently. Calliope imagined that the two of them would be doing their own thing for a few hours. Cara writing and the metamorphmagus making tea or coffee for the two, and even reading a book to fill the comfortable silence.

"I'm fine with mess." She admitted, especially since she was the middle child of four. The mess tended to be hers most times, but Calliope knew she was always great at cleaning up. "Just..the offers in the air. You don't have to accept or say anything now I suppose." She added, trying to reassure that she wasn't trying to force a response there and then. "An enjoyable interview?.." She parroted, her lips raising into a wider smile.

"Merlin don't tell me I'm that boring." She laughed as she adjusted herself on the couch, getting more comfortable as she reached out for one of the cushions to hold onto. The Metamorphmagus' cheeks soon tinted with a soft red also, indicating that the wine was going straight to her head. Marvellous. Calliope in her slight tipsy stage was more talkative, which was perfect. The Fleming would be relieved of her anxious jitters in no time.

| cara june bainbridge |

[cara june bainbridge]

▲

Cara always had the feeling that Calliope would be fine with anything she said. And she was sort of okay with that. But the mess she was referring to was honestly horrifying. For as neat and orderly as she was in every other aspect of her life, writing was not one of them. Except for the big secret stuff, because she couldn't really leave notes all over her room about that. Going off the previous thought about Cal being fine with anything, it did make her wonder if she'd be okay with the smut writing. It was all harmless and didn't mention any living witches or wizards. If she did ever end up doing work from here, Cal would find out sooner or later. That had to come out in order to have open and honest communication. She wasn't about to go screwing this all up, because she sort of enjoyed it all.

"No! Not at all!" she joined in with the laughing. Cara didn't actually know what an interview was like or entailed, as she had simply shown interest in Fortescue's and had the job. If only everything in life was that easy..."This I want to do...you know..." her voice got quiet and trailed off as she spoke. Making up for it, she took another sip of her wine. The glass was already half gone and Cal had just handed it to her. "Boring is like...History of Magic class. I don't know if you had that at Ilvermorny, but it was fairly dry and dusty here. Or Jimbo Blishwick coming in to order ice cream every Thursday at three o'clock without fail and cracking the same lame pun about how it's 'ice to see me'. And then he gets rocky road with heart sprinkles on it." She was always trying to find the meaning in that, and was pretty sure it meant that love was bumpy? Or he just liked the flavor. It was strange.

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ if you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

TRUTH BE TOLD, CALLIOPE WAS seemingly head over heels with Cara. It didn't matter what the Bainbridge did, terrible or not, Calliope would somehow find herself still incredibly interested in her. So, while the metamorphmagus knew that her offer for Cara to come and write at hers would more than likely be declined, it didn't matter to the Fleming anyway. Because she would always find another way to spend more time with Cara. With the two of them laughing together, Cal's cheeks only flushed a little more, the more she sipped on her wine.

She was finally loosening up and while it was great for her nerves, it wasn't particularly great with the words that would leave her lips. It wouldn't take the Fleming long before she was out confessing that she could only think of Cara aside from her day to day thoughts. "I know what?.." The Fleming replied, a cheeky grin creeping up to her lips while she raised her glass again. Watching as Cara sipped on her own wine, Calliope could only process things that were simply about her. Her words, clothes, the way her eyes would glint as she smiled, everything Cara related, Calliope studied.

"I don't..recall a History of Magic class..but I do recall meeting a Mr Bishwick..somehow." She laughed, placing her almost finished glass on the coffee table in front of her. Considering the glass was only her first of..hopefully many..the Fleming didn't anticipate for the alcohol to go straight to her head already. "If you can remember his order and well..how you feel every time you see him..what about when I come in? Or from..what I order?" And there it was, the confidence tipsy Calliope had brought in, due to the fact she believed regular Calliope was missing it. "Or am I going too far now?" She added with a small laugh.

| cara june bainbridge |

[cara june bainbridge]

▲

Cara didn't really know how else to respond to the interview question. Wouldn't it be too forward if she explicitly stated what she wanted out of all of this? Or was that sort of out in the open now? She liked terms and conditions because those were logical and laid out everything. Not that dating someone required those in the literal sense; no, that would be constricting and unbelievably toxic to a relationship. Cara knew that with zero experience or say on the matter. She also knew how she could be sometimes, though the bossiness had mostly been contained to her siblings and younger students at school. Now that all that was done and over with, it felt pointless to worry about it anymore. Plus, Cal didn't know what she was like at school. Essentially she was free to act however she pleased now, with all the self-imposed restraints gone. "You know..." Cara repeated again after a moment of silence, which was due to her stifling herself with the wine glass. "This."

Trying to change the topic to Blishwick and school was a dire attempt at escaping the awkwardness. It seemed to her that Calliope knew exactly what she was doing, choosing responses to set up more flustered moments. "I mean...what I feel is kind of why I'm here, right?" she admitted. While it had taken a solid minute to get to this point once she stopped being dense about it, Cara never would have willingly gone on a date like this if she didn't feel some way whenever she saw Cal enter the ice cream parlor. Obviously it had evolved past that. "I don't think you've gone too far..." Cara responded after drinking the remainder of her wine. Trying to make herself a little fuzzy feeling and relaxed was bound to help. The nervous edge was still bouncing around in her stomach. What she really wanted to say was that she didn't think Calliope had gone far enough yet. There was definitely room to expand on.

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[calliope ivory fleming]

━ if you ain't busy take a walk with me ━

AS THE WINE SLOWLY STARTED to flush over Calliope's face and overall mind, the Fleming felt good that she was finally letting loose. Well, her tipsy side was anyway. As Cara repeated herself after a moment of silence, Cal's seriousness slowly disappeared from her face and instead she snorted, quietly laughing. "You'll have to remind me what this is". She added cheekily, reaching over to pour more wine into her glass.

But as Cara went on, slowly admitting to things, Calliope couldn't help but let her Cheshire grin come to light. "Right." Calliope replied, lifting the glass to her lips and taking a few more sips. "It's the..same reason I'm here too. Because of how..I feel." Calliope smiled at the last part of Cara's words, lifting up the bottle and slowly refilling her glass. "Then am I allowed to keep going?.." She asked, quickly glancing over at the oven to see how long was left on the timer.

| cara june bainbridge |