What do you mean? (:^])

[Deleted]

Abby wasn't sure if she went to Club Indigo to investigate or if she just came to dance. Either way, she was in red pants and a loose black shirt and boots, looking ready for a fight or a dance partner, any would do. She didn't really pay attention to what time it was, she just knew she at least didn't have to get back to work until the sun rose, so she had plenty of time.

Abby didn't go to Hogwarts with a lot of the other trainees to finish training. Abby had fully moved on from that place and had no intention of going back for more than just short visits. She knew that Elaine and her cronies were out, and therefore she hoped that the danger would come out of Hogwarts now and into the real would, straight into her arms. She searched for trouble, of course, rather than waiting for it to come to her.

The music was loud and she had already had one drink, but decided that was enough. Abby didn't agree with being inebriated. It ruined her ability to have as much fun as possible. And if she found a fight while here? Well, all the better. She was on the dance floor now, dancing to the loud music with whoever was near her. For a minute, it was almost like she was competely herself again and that was a damn good feeling.



@theodorus shhh just trust me

[Deleted]

Theo was so tired of this nonsense.

He stalked around the balcony of the upper floor of Indigo, listening to the music and trying to find something to entertain him. Nobody wanted to pick a fight—the few Purifiers who had wanted to, had done so, and everyone else had learned quickly from that mistake. Particularly when he fought one without magic, just to give himself a bit of excitement, and still won. There were no matches tonight, so he had no reason to go to the ring. He’d done his workouts. And while sitting around feeling superior might be a good enough pastime for certain Purifiers, Theo preferred action to belief.

So. He moved through the crowd, looking for something to do. Occasionally, he heard the miniscule pop that was the sound of a spider being killed by the charm he now wore around his neck, that killed any of them that got within a certain distance of him. And there always seemed to be spiders attempting to get to him now. He had not spread word of Desirae’s power—not to the Purifiers, at least, and so she didn’t seem interested in trying to kill him, but she never seemed to stop sending more to try and catch him not paying attention. Given how many spiders existed, it was probably going to be a standstill between them, if any—

Theo froze. He knew this feeling. He turned and moved to the railing that overlooked the first floor of Indigo. Eyes roved through the crowd, bustling and busy and making it impossible in the dim lighting to make out details on anyone.

But he knew when he was looking at her, nonetheless.

What was Abby doing here?

@abigail

[Deleted]

Suddenly the sound was sucked out of the room and Abby felt that familiar chill dance up her spine. She stopped in the middle of the dance floor and the people around her became obsolete. She let out a mix between a moan and a laugh. This was just her luck. He was here. Somewhere in this room.

She swore to herself that if she saw him again she'd kill him, right? But if she didn't actually find him but rather they just managed to glide near each other that didn't count... Probably. If she didn't turn towards him, wherever he was, she was in the clear. She had an idea, though. To look up. She didn't. Not yet. If he was there, no doubt watching her, then she'd give him a show. That was much more fun than killing him, wasn't it?

The music came roaring back as she reached a hand out and grabbed the wrist of the person nearest to her, a girl she didn't know, but that didn't matter. The girl was more than willing to move in closer and dance with her. Abby still didn't look up to where he was but rather kept her eyes on her new dance partner. She took her hands or held her hips when necessary, moving to the music or against it, whatever her instincts beckoned her to do.

The question was, would he be able to just watch?

@theodorus

[Deleted]

He couldn’t see her from here, but he knew where she was. But, as he glanced down, he could see something.

Two figures in black robes, moving through the crowd.

Theo vaulted over the railing, dropping down and slowing his descent with a wave of a wand, to land in front of the two Purifiers. “No.” They stopped, unsure how to respond. On the one hand, Theo was a high-ranking member. On the other hand, he was not usually considered a voice of authority, as he tended to do more specialized work. “We can capture the Shacklebolt girl—” “I. Said. No. If you think my authority doesn’t cover giving you orders or countermanding orders from others, I’ll have to find a more permanent solution to stopping you.” After a momentary standoff, the two men turned and left the way they had come in.

Theo turned around now and headed for the dance floor, gliding through the crowd quietly, effortlessly. Years of training in martial arts and in stealth allowed him to slip through the crowd almost reflexively. And, given their connection, it didn’t take him long to find her at all. She was dancing with a girl, someone he didn’t know, someone he wouldn’t remember after tonight.

Theo silently walked up behind her and ran his hands softly up her arms.

@abigail

[Deleted]

Abby was trained even now more than ever to be aware of her surroundings, so she wasn't obviuoslous to the the two men in dark robes coming toward her. But, she just kept dancing with the girl. If they caught up to her, fine, she could use a good fight. Even they didn't, that was fine too, she was having a good time. The girl was willing to dance just as provocatively as Abby wanted her to, which was lucky for her purposes. Abby caught sight of Theo vaulting over the railing but kept dancing as he approached the men. It seemed as though he ordered them to turn around, because they did. That caused her to both grin and grimace. What, did he think she needed protecting?

No, of course he didn't think that. He never had, he wasn't going to start now. Maybe he wanted to apprehend her himself which, unsurprisingly, she was fine with. However this night went, she realized that she would run with it. Trust her instincts, as she always did.

After the men were gone he moved toward her and she turned back toward her dance partner fully, as if she wasn't paying attention to what he'd just been doing. But, soon and almost not soon enough, he was there behind her, his hands running up her arms. The song shifted to something a little different. Less aggressive and yet more invasive. She released the girls hands, which she didn't seem to mind. She leaned her head back so that she was leaning against him. She lifted a hand, reaching up behind her to tug at his hair. She didn't turn to look, because if she did, then wouldn't that mean she had to kill him?

@theodorus

[Deleted]

She leaned up against him as the music changed, but Theo didn’t fail to notice that her eyes never reached him. She knew it was him, had to know; there was no mistaking things at this proximity. Even if all his senses were blocked away, Theo would know beyond a shadow of a doubt if he were sitting beside Abigail Shacklebolt. That went beyond the senses.

So. Despite their mutual attraction being more powerful than any amount of anger or hatred, she refused to acknowledge him, refused to look his way.

Theo smirked. He would make her look his way once more, and he would remind her why she had done things with him and not with any other. Oh, not tonight, maybe. But eventually.

It felt odd, having a goal that meant he had to survive.

As her hand reached up blindly and found the handful of hair she liked most, he slid an arm down her ribs to her waist, before crossing it upwards over her body, until it reached her shoulder on the opposite side. With Abby now trapped against him in a one-armed embrace, Theo’s other hand reached around to her stomach, and two fingers ran themselves up and down the middle of her body. His arm tightened, pulling them flush together, and he was barely aware of the music blaring in the background, only swaying to the beat to match Abby’s movements.

With her refusing to look at him, it was easy to bite and kiss at her neck.

@abigail

[Deleted]

Abby could tell that he was smirking without even looking at him. Partly because he was often smirking, but also because she could feel something shift in his energy. It would probably sound crazy to most people, that she could see him without really seeing him, but that didn't matter to her. It was crazy, sure, but Abby lived for crazy. And it wasn't really crazy at all at the same time.

He moved his arms and hands across her and she leaned against him, still not turning around. She wasn't going to, at least not unless she closed her eyes. It was stupid, sure, but she had promised herself she'd kill him if she saw him so she was going to count that as with her eyes. She could still see him with her hands and her instinct, right?

She had forgotten that there was even music playing, that there was a crowd. She tilted her neck to the side to expose the skin there more, which was easy since she still kept her hair short. She had considered growing it out, but it was just easier for work if it wasn't. Her one hand was still in his hair and the other reached back to clasp at the fabric on his thigh. She wasn't even sure if their swaying even matched the music but... that didn't matter. Music was irrelevant when they had their own.

For a split second, she thought about how easy it would be lure him away and somehow call for backup. She froze for just a tiny, tiny moment as the thought crossed her mind, but it didn't last. He'd notice though, he always did. But she didn't want that right now. She didn't want to think anymore. So, instead, she pushed to turn around in his arms.

She didn't look up at his face. Instead she focused on the collar of his shirt, his sleeves, his arms. He could be mistaken as anyone right now, right? She moved her hands to clasp at his arms and slowly pull back in an attempt to lead him off the dance floor.

@theodorus
This song was playing while I wrote this. It was pretty good!

[Deleted]

They really fit together well.

She tilted her neck to let him have easier access to the spots she liked best, as the world around them devolved to a blur of sights and sounds that held no meaning for either of them. This was what he'd missed. Theo could admit it. And it was something he was working toward having again. It was clear that Abby had missed it as much as he had, given that she was here, now. And he knew she knew who he was, even if she refused to look. But that was enough, for now. So long as she still felt the pull toward him as he felt it to her, Theo had time to be patient.

It had been a shock, the first time he'd realized how ready he was to burn down the Purifiers from the inside out the moment he felt her slipping from him.

But if Theo was one thing, it was decisive. He still didn't understand what he was feeling. But he knew what he wanted, and he would fight for it—even if she didn't know he was, yet. There was only the path in front of him, and his own legs to carry him forward. And not knowing whether he could make the run? Knowing he had to? It was a thrill, a rush more powerful than any death-defying stunt.

Because the prize for this one was bigger than he could ever have believed.

He felt her tense up for a moment, and he knew with a pang of disappointment that something in her mind was calling from the mundane world that she had chosen to stay in. Would he have to fight her now? But no...in the next instant, he felt her let go of it. Because she didn't want it to matter, not right now. Whatever it was, it would not come between them yet. She spun around, but her eyes refused to meet his. She focused on everything but—and she knew it was him, she had to know, every muscle, every inch of skin was as familiar to her, as recognizable, as his face. Still she refused to look, instead tugging him insistently away from the dance floor.

Well. If she didn't want to see him...

Theo allowed her to pull him away through the crowd, but placed his own hands on her hips to guide her as well. It took them longer than he would have liked, but finally, they made it to a flight of stone steps leading downward. Down they went, into the wine cellar for the club. As they entered, Theo closed and locked the door behind him, activating the charms that were normally used to keep thieves out, but tonight, would keep out everyone.

Barrels and bottles lined the walls, with even more bottles on the many small tables that littered the room, all visible through the faint torchlight. But Theo waved a hand out, snuffing out the torches.

In the inky blackness, vision became impossible. If she didn't want to see him, she didn't have to.

But Theo knew what he needed.

In the pitch dark, one hand tilted her chin up, and the former Slytherin pressed his lips into hers. There was passion, but also a need, a hunger.

And tenderness.

@abigail

[Deleted]

Abby would realize later, another day, that she had always known somewhere inside herself, that she was part of this puzzle. Normally, Abby would be offended to even think she was incomplete but... That wasn't it. She was complete. He was complete. But they were also complete together. Two complete pieces that somehow made a new whole.

They had found their way off the dance floor, mostly with his guidance. She didn't try to guess where they were going, that didn't matter. She didn't allow herself to think, at least tried not to, as they found the stone steps. She focused only on the sensations of him. His hands on her hips, his warmth contrasting the slight cold coming from their destination, the sound of his breathing. For that short journey down the stairs she almost forgot her creed not to look at his face, but before she could they were in a wine cellar. Her eyes shifted to take in the room for a split second but then back to him as he turned to lock the door.

She took a step forward and lifted her hand, almost turning his face toward hers, but before she could make contact the light was gone.

She felt a little disappointed, but that passed quickly. She was glad he did it. He was smart. He was doing that tor het. She also knew that in darkness or light, they would remain the same. She wasn't stupid enough to pretend that wasn't true. She knew, but couldn't pinpoint why, that she'd never need anyone else, or want them. If she lost Theo, she'd never bother looking for anyone else.

In those few seconds between the lights going out and him finding her, she realized that. That she actually didn't want to lose him. In that instant, she was even more grateful for the void they were in with no light. No doubt, he'd see something in her ey-

Wait.

He was tilting her chin up, then he was kissing her.

She didn't realize that she'd made a sound as she gave herself into that kiss. A sound explaining how starved she'd been these months without him. She felt like she was being dunked under cold water, like when they went cliff diving. She felt like someone had lit a fire inside her chest. She felt like someone had flicked a switch in her brain, giving her electric shock and waking her up.

They'd kissed hundreds of times before, but this wasn't like any of those. Her hands reached up, one of them clutching the side of his neck and the other barely hovering over his cheek. Two completely different actions showing different sides of that kiss. One finger touched his cheek, then another, then another, until her thumb came last to gently rest there. As per usual, with Theo, she didn't think about what her body was doing. But, something unusual was happening too. His kiss was saying the same thing she'd been thinking right before it happened. His kiss was telling her something it hadn't before. There was a fight in it, different than before.

Then she laughed.

She let their lips separate in order to let that laugh out. It was soft at first, but built into a louder sound. It was like wildfire, starting in her chest and spreading through her entire body. Instead of taking the time to analyze it, though, she let it die down and instead focused on her hands.

She couldn't look at him with the lights, no, because her job and that sense of duty were still tugging at her from some distant place. She partly knew that it was still a huge obstacle for her, one she wasn't ready to let go of... But tonight was tonight. So, she began to trace his face with her fingers, knowing what it looked like. Her middle finger soon found his lips and she traced those too. It was different for her, though. Normally the faces didn't matter...

But this one did, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to ask herself why.

@theodorus

[Deleted]

He felt her agree with him as they locked gazes that they couldn't see in the darkness. He could feel, somehow, when they were on the same wavelength. And they had been, a few times in the past. But they easily slipped in and out of each others' rhythms before. What passed in this instant was...more. Like they both realized that they had always been on the same rhythm, and only just began to coordinate their moves.

The moan from her when they kissed was not the usual one of lust, but from longing. A longing he knew, that he returned by gripping her arms tightly as they stood together in the darkness. And he felt like laughing too, when she started. But he couldn't. Because as infectious as the joy was—he would hide his voice as well as his face for tonight. He needed neither to communicate with her, much as he would like to use both.

Her fingers ran over his eyes, his nose, his cheeks, feeling what she wanted to see, what she had refused to look at. He let her circle his lips for a moment, before his hand reached up to catch hers. He raised her arm up high, high enough that he could plant a single kiss to the inside of her wrist, where he could feel the blood pulse through her body, confirming her life and warmth.

He darted forward suddenly, pressing his face into the crook of her neck, to feel again that pulse of life, the fiery blood that coursed through her and him and nobody else on this world.

His hands clawed and tugged, pulling fabric away from her chest until he could press his ear against her bare skin to feel the heartbeat beneath.

Life.

Hers or his? Or both? He couldn't be sure yet. He didn't understand these feelings. But he didn't have to. It was enough that they were important.

It was enough that she had them too.

@abigail

[Deleted]

Abby didn't even flinch when he caught her hand. She knew that he would. He lifted her arm and kissed her wrist and she let him, now it was his turn to explore. Suddenly those lips found her neck, that familiar space. Her arms wrapped around him, one finding it's favorite space in his hair and the other flattening against his back as he found even more of her skin, pressing his hear against her chest to find that heartbeat.

She knew what he was doing, finding that rhythm that they shared. She felt it too. She slid her hand down from his hair to his chest searching for a way to get him out of the shirt. She needed his skin, his warmth, his blood pumping against hers. Sometimes it was strange to think that they were in fact two separate beings. That they weren't always like this... before they met. But weren't they, somehow? She didn't dwell on the thoughts too much, though, focusing instead on the feeling of his skin against hers as more was revealed.

She wanted to badly to say his name. She loved saying his name and she knew he loved hearing it. It was the same for her. But she couldn't... so she thought of another alternative as she finally got that shirt out of the way. She used her hand on his back to trace the letters onto his skin there, as if her finger was a paintbrush and his back was the canvas. Theo. That didn't count as acknowledging him, right?

@theodorus

[Deleted]

She didn't speak, though the shivers and the way she moved into his touch told him all he needed to know about how she was responding to him. The fact that she moved from playing with his hair to relieving him of the shirt he wore was also a clue. But as her fingers caressed his back, he realized what she was doing.

Spelling his name out.

He turned into the skin of her chest, pressing his face to her so she would be able to feel him grinning. Slowly, he left a trail of kisses upwards, from her heart to the bottom of her chin, before standing up and gathering her body in his arms. They hadn't hugged one another since well before the Purifiers had attacked Hogwarts, but his arms slid under hers and he pulled her close, one arm crossing over her back to grip her at the shoulder, the other around her lower back. And with his cheek on her temple, Theo just...stood there and held her. He wasn't this kind of person normally—he only got touchy like this for two reasons, normally, one of them being fighting. But she was the only one he'd ever instinctively held before, and decided that he wanted to hold.

After a moment, he leaned his head downward, feeling her mirror the movement, and kissed her again, just as tenderly as before. But this one was more insistent, more heated; even though what they had done tonight so far had been important, had let them understand that they were truly on the same wavelength, they were both still very physical creatures. And that was a part of them as well—the part that had started them, really. Their savage sides. The first hungry kisses, not yet even knowing one another's names but never doubting that mutual desire. They could not deny it was there, and Theo knew they didn't want to.

They just couldn't use it to excuse the stronger pull between them. Not anymore.

Not after tonight.

@abigail

[Deleted]

She could feel his grin against her chest and she let out a chuckle, though this one didn't use her voice box. It was breathy and quick, nothing like how she usually laughed. Usually she was loud and it could last for minutes. But this was a different kind of laugh. It was something like... relief. Relief that he was there, kissing her skin and smiling. She wasn't expecting him to wrap his arms around her though, pulling their chests closer together. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she found herself squeezing tightly. She thought, for a moment, that if she held on long enough then all of this would be simple again.

But wasn't it simple in a way? It was clear now that this wasn't what they had always thought it was. That it was too late to turn back, to deny what was happening. It was so mindbogglingly simple that it made her let out another one of those small laughs again. They were just there, holding each other, and it couldn't really get more simple than that.

She turned her face toward his at the same time he did and their lips met. This kind of kiss was a little more familiar. It said the same things, really, but it also wanted more. More that she was completely willing to give. The fact that they hadn't said a word to each other this entire time only proved what she already knew. That they were beings of instinct, and that their instincts were to be together, to be connected.

But, now there was that added layer. It wasn't like that first time they met, or the times after that, or at that cabin, or in that underwater cave. It wasn't like him showing her how to fight the way muggles do, it wasn't like confronting him there and fighting until he left her. It wasn't like any of that.

Abby knew the moment that he walked out of there what was happening, and she let that lead her to hate herself, to be disappointed in herself. It had taken months to move on, to remind herself who she was and who she wanted to be. What was important to her. But what was important now? What did important even mean? She knew the answer to that, though. It meant this. It meant that the magnetism between then wasn't simply animal, wasn't primal. It was something she wouldn't name.

So here she was, returning that kiss and pulling him close to her. She felt that familiar feeling tugging on her stomach, that feeling that couldn't be satisfied unless they were as close as they could possibly be. She slid her hands down his arms and clasped his biceps, taking a few steps back in order to pull him backwards. It was pitch black in there, so she wasn't sure what she'd run into. Soon enough, though, she ran into a table and she grinned. She reached back with one of her hands in order to feel what was on the table behind her. Wine bottles. She swept her hand across, knocking the two or three that were in the way ont the floor. She was disappointed that they didn't shatter, though, and actually let out a little growl of annoyance. But, the disappointment was short lived as she pulled him closer, leaning back against the table and kissing him once more.

[Deleted]

She pulled him backwards by the arms, and he followed willingly in the pitch dark. After a moment, there was a shuddering stop that indicated she had hit something, probably one of the tables. A swiping motion and the tinkling sound of bottles bouncing off stone confirmed his suspicion, and he couldn't suppress a grin at the sound of frustration Abby had made when none of the bottles broke. The wine cellar protected glass, naturally, in order to avoid accidents whenever possible. His shoulders shook in silent laughter before her hands dragged him in close to her. Their lips met, again speaking of that incredible thirst that they both were only now aware of, a thirst that demanded to be quenched.

That, he could do.

Arms wrapped around her smaller, whipcord-lean form. One hand at the small of her back, the other between her shoulder blades, and he tightened the hold until their bodies were flush together. He would never tire of the test of her mouth or her skin. He knew that. And though Theo hated the idea of growing old, he now hated the idea of dying young without her—and the idea of her dying young in general. He didn't fear was lay beyond the Veil, but everything would be boring without her after tonight. Of that, there could be no question.

He broke the kiss and took a half-step back from her, putting his hands on her shoulders. He knelt down slowly, hands tracing lines down her arms, her waist, the sides of her pants, all the way to her boots. He picked up one of her feet off the ground with one hand, while with the other he removed the footwear. The cellar was well-maintained, clean and dry—and there were no shards of glass on the floor to be wary of.

He finished what he had started with her, before repeating the process himself. Then he slowly stood up, fingers retracing their path back upwards, along her calves, hips, waist, where they stopped while he stood up completely. He leaned forward, one arm sweeping out violently behind her, sending a dozen more bottles flying across the room. Theo ignored the small cacophony they made, gripping Abby's hips with both hands and lifting, sitting her on the table as he stepped forward again. Now, tonight, there were no more secrets. No more lies. Nothing coming between them anymore.

One hand pressed itself to the table to hold his weight as he leaned forward.

The other traced her arm until he found her hand to intertwine their fingers.

And this kiss was the hungriest so far.

@abigail

[Deleted]

After she ran into the table he pulled her closer, but still not close enough for Abby. She knew that, in a way, they'd never be close enough. For the rest of her life she'd want to be finding new ways to be getting closer and closer to him, and she admitted that to herself now, at least in her head. She would eventually figure out how to not kill him... or rather, how to assure that she didn't lose him, whether they lived or died. She liked him living, though. The warmth of his skin, the pumping of his blood, the sound of his voice. His voice. She mentally groaned at the thought. Was she really going to get through this without it?

When he broke the kiss she dropped her hands to land on the table on either side of her. She bit down hard on her lip as he knelt down, removing her boot. It was difficult, taking things so slowly, and yet she felt like it was the right pace. It felt like they had all the time in the world, even though they didn't. Even as the process of revealing more skin continued, Abby assisting here and there but mostly just letting Theo do all the work, it felt like they had eternity down here in this wine cellar. She wouldn't have even cared if there was glass on the ground or if this place was old and dusty. That wouldn't have mattered. Only one thing mattered right now, at that was to close the distance between them completely.

And once he lifted her onto the table, she got just that. She gasped, wrapping one arm around his shoulder in order to anchor herself to him. When their hands found each other, their fingers enter-twining, she was more than ready for that next kiss.

They'd been this close before, tons of times, but this time was different. This time they were connected in more ways than one. Sure, they had always had instinct, always had their voices, always had their bodies, but now they had something more. Something neither of them were really aware of until this night, until this moment. Until now, where nothing was in between them and, in some aspects, Abby knew nothing ever could be.

Abby wished it could last forever, she really did, but biology had a different idea. Until that moment came to a close, though, Abby enjoyed every ounce of the loud sighs, the lips, the hands, everything.

But still, as wonderful as it was to be with him now, Abby felt like something was missing. She didn't want to admit to herself what it was, but at the moment went her heart raced the fastest she decided she couldn't stand it any longer.

She wanted that voice.

She released one of her hands from his hair where it had been tangled and lifted it high above them. From wherever in the room her wand was, a small orb of light escaped from it, floating toward them, touching her finger tips for a moment before she pushed it upward and lowered her hand to land on his shoulder.

She pulled her lips back, tightening her grip on his shoulder and on his hand, and then opened her eyes.

@theodorus
(and then they banged, vaguely.)