there's nowhere we can hide (phil)

[Deleted]

January 3rd, 2026

It was a new year. Andy had saved Phil from psychopaths', Phil had confessed his love for her and Andy did the same. Still, Andy was giving Phil space to be with his family the last two days. Okay, the family. It was hers too, of course. She had the name and everything. Still, the last few days they hadn't had a moment alone really, other than the nights when they both were still so wiped out they just fell asleep, sometimes in the same room sometimes not. The Longbottom Manor was a good place for recovery, but Andy had decided to stay at the family apartment above the Leaky tonight and invited Phil to come with her.

She let Hannah know they'd be there, and Hannah wasn't daft. She knew that Andy and Phil were in love and that they really, really needed to talk about it. Ari was probably the person Andy trusted the most with this information, but that didn't mean she hadn't already discussed it with both Jamie and Vik. She and Vik had discussed briefly separating as roommates soon, but as it stood they still shared an apartment as friends. Up until a few days ago that was friends with 'benefits' but... things change, and he was happy for. Jamie too, obviously.

Still, Andy felt like she and Phil had a lot to talk about and she hadn't wanted to put it all on him while he was healing up. But since she had to work tomorrow it was just easier to stay in London for the night, probably for the week but she wouldn't make Phil stay too. 

She walked into her old bedroom, the one that shared a wall with Phils room while they were just kids in school. They used to talk through the wall, both having pushed their beds up against it on the opposing sides. She smiled now at the memories of the nights when she wanted to just bust through that wall to be with him - to kiss him, talk to him face to face, look in his eyes, hear is voice more clearly, hold him. 

Being sixteen seemed like much longer ago than it actually was.

She felt a tear fall down her cheek and reached up to touch it right when she heard a voice in the doorway, she spun around, "oh, Phil, hi."

@phil

[Deleted]

Phil had only spent a night in St.Mungos and he was happy to be out of the hospital. At least he was till the authorities came around to ask him every little detail of his kidnapping. They were just doing their job and Phil was well aware of that but he was just so tired of the questions and reliving that nightmare. It was impossible he knew to just put all this in the past but a part of him just wanted to move on. He’d never forget those days being held by witch hunters but he didn’t want to relive it every moment with questions from the authorities and his family. The rare chance of peace he got was when he could go to sleep. The only moments he could be alone with Andy. Even that was just them asleep. Too worn out to talk alone from the day of questions and explanations.

Thankfully Andy had the idea to get out the house, to go to the leaky cauldron for the night. That and she had work tomorrow anyway. It was a chance to get away from other peoples questions for the night. Phil was more concerned about Andy’s questions and feeling anyway. He had spent enough time trying to talk about what had happened with other people. As Phil walked into the pub and up the stairs to the rooms he couldn’t help but remember the nights he used to spend here. The fun he used to have as a kid and even more so as Andy and Ari came to live with them. All that seemed like a lifetime ago, a better time in someways.

Making it to Andy’s room Phil softly tapped on the open door as she wasn’t looking toward him. He didn’t need to freak her out and just be there unexpectedly. They had both been through enough to not need such surprises right now. “Andy?” He added with the tap to the door. He watched as she turned to acknowledge him. “H-hey,” phil got out with a pause, “your room looks nice. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the inside.” He felt a loss for words for a moment, finding some idle chat to get by now that they were finally alone once more. “Sorry, I always was nervous about being in your room when we were kids. Somethings never change.”

@lestrange

[Deleted]

His arrival wasn't unexpected, she had invited him after all, but she definitely felt like she hadn't prepared herself emotionally for seeing him as much as she could have. She felt her throat tighten with tears. He looked beautiful and tired, which is how people said she looked all the time. Is that what it was like to love her? The way she felt herself being enveloped by his aura, his eyes, his energy and at the same time be so aware of how much of him was hurting.

He started to make small talk, saying hello with a small stutter, commenting on her wood. She nodded, looking around the room just for a moment before bringing her eyes back to his. He said he was always nervous about being in her room as kids and that somethings never changed, and that cause her to smile a little with affection. She straightened up and took the lead. She was often good at that. She crossed over to him and took his hands, backing up toward the bed. "Maybe you should sit down. Don't worry, if any adults find us we can just tell them we were studying," she joked, trying to lighten the mood a little as well, which wasn't really her specialty but Phil made it easy.

The back of her calves pressed against the bed behind her when she reached it and she squeezed his hands, looking down at them. "I don't even really know how to start this conversation, love," she muttered, almost so quiet that he maybe wouldn't even catch the words she said.

@phil

[Deleted]

Andy walked closer after he spoke and his heart almost skipped a beat. He couldn’t count how many times they had been around each other and yet she always had the same affect on him. She took Phil’s hands and pulled him further into the room. Making a joke that if anyone caught them they could just say they were studying. Phil laughed for a moment following her backwards footsteps. “If I had known that was the excuse we would have been using I would have brought a textbook or something.” Phil replied, each step further into her room and the bed itself. More focused on Andy than either of those things for the moment. The warm sensation of her hands a very welcomed one to him. Already having missed her touch even if it hadn't been that long.

Eventually making it to her bed, Andy looked down for a moment. Muttering that she wasn’t sure where to even begin their conversation and Phil could very much relate to that. Squeezing her hands in return Phil continued to look toward Andy even as she looked toward their hands. “So far I’ve just blurted things out and it’s been working.” Phil got out with an almost nervous laugh. It was for the most part the truth. “We should probably start with how are you feeling? Everyone’s been asking me for the past few days but you were there also. Are you okay?” He asked, knowing Andy was a strong person. Far stronger than he ever was, Phil felt like. She was the one fighting people, rescuing him but everyone’s attention at been focused on him for this whole ordeal.

@lestrange

[Deleted]

he said that he would have brought a textbook if he was told ahead of time about the excuse, and that made it easy for her to laugh a little. "Right," she agreed. She was sure she could find one somewhere in this room if she really wanted to, but it was just a joke anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. Still, she noted it in the back of her mind for further use if bringing up the joke again was worth the time later on.

Jokes or not, being able to hold his hands in hers was... odd, but wonderful. Like most things in her life, it felt like she never quite belonged where she was. Even here with him there was a sense of displacement. It wasn't the worst thing, just a little... off.

As far as starting the conversation at hand, Phil said he so far just blurted things out. That wasn't a bad tactic, actually. Andy always overthought things OR underthought things. Having a decently formed plan was not something she was very skilled at.

He asked how she was feeling, saying that everyone had been asking him and wondering if she was okay. "It's my job to take down bad guys, Phil. That was a normal Thursday for me," she tried to joke but the tone fell flat. She cleared her throat and released his hands, sitting down. She gestured to the spot next to her, inviting him to sit, as she continued. "I'm not used to holding back like that," she admitted, looking down at her hands, "I should have torn her apart," then she shook her head abruptly and looked to him, her voice dropping to a whisper, "I don't know how to be anything else."

Great, she'd wanted to talk about them but of course was talking about herself. She felt guilty about that, even though he literally had asked.

@phil
(what I was listening to: So beautiful D:)

[Deleted]

Phil offered a smile up as Andy claimed that taking down the bad guys was just another day for her. “Maybe but I’d still want to know. Even if he was just a normal day for you.” Phil explained, he’d still like to know she was okay. Too many people had been concerned with what he had gone through and his escape but they weren’t asking about how she felt. Which didn’t sit right with him. She was just as much a part of this as him. Someone should still be checking in on her. He wanted to be that person more than anything else. She let go of his hands and looked down. Explaining that she wasn’t used to holding back like that, how she still felt like she should have torn Marigold apart. He couldn’t blame her and a part of him may have even felt like Marigold would have deserved it. Andy finally looked at him and whispered once more. “That’s nonsense. You’re so much more than just taking down bad guys or the urge to rip her apart. I can’t say a small part of me doesn’t want that either.”

Phil took her hand once more. “That’s just a side of you but I’ve seen so many more. There’s that beautiful girl that’s there for the people she cares about, the one that loves her music. Who puts up with me going on and on about plants.” Phil finished with a small laugh knowing just how much he could go on about such things but Andy put up with it even when she had finally stopped being interested it in. “Also, if it wasn’t for the part of you that did want to take down the bad guys I might not be here right now.”

@lestrange

[Deleted]

He said he still wanted to know, even if it was just another day in her life. He cared, which was something Andy still found truly astounding. He cared. He cared. Both statements, no matter where the emphasis lie, were unbelievable. And yet, in some magical way, she did believe him. Not because she thought she deserved that caring, but because she trusted that he wouldn't lie to her.

As she admitted to herself and to him that she didn't know how to be anything other than what she'd always been, he reputed it. Calling it nonsense, that she was more than what she did. He admitted a part of him wanted that, too. Which was oddly nice to hear, that he wasn't a completely forgiving person. He took her hand again and she let him, squeezing her fingers around his palm. As he spoke about what he saw in her she could feel her eyes welling with tears. The glistening of her green/brown eyes wasn't the stinging kind, but rather a welcome moisture. Finally, she blinked, and several tears made their down her cheeks.

She was frozen in silence for a moment, taking in everything he had just said as he laughed slightly. She did care about people, that was one of her flaws. Of course she loved music, for a long time it was all she had. 'Putting up' with him going on about plants was a joy, not a burden.

But then came the most important part of his words. His confirmation that on top of everything else, he wasn't rejecting who she was. He wasn't rejecting the part of her that had caused so much turmoil in the past, the part of her that took down the people who had hurt him. He, in a manner of speaking, was grateful.

She had forgotten what words were for long enough that she was worried the silence might seem cruel, so she tugged at his hand to encourage him closer and she kissed him. It was easy to give in completely to the kiss, seeing as they were sitting on her old bed and incredibly close already. She released his hand, only to move it behind his neck instead. Her other hand rested on the bed just behind him to give herself a little leverage as she pulled him closer to her, leaning toward him until the position of their knees was just obnoxious. So she adjusted, and in a gentle lead was guiding him to lie down so she could lean over him and kiss him instead. She'd let up if he resisted, of course, but for now words seemed to not form in her brain, let alone come out of her lips.

@phil

[Deleted]

Andy didn’t respond to him much but it was clear she was paying attention. Phil was worried for a moment he was just upsetting her as he could notice the clear signs of tears starting for form. He continued and could tell from her expression that they weren’t necessarily tears of sadness. Still he didn’t like to see Andy cry under any circumstances. She squeeze his hand the whole time as he spoke. Finally getting a number of things off his chest that had been building up since she rescued him. If not even longer. Possibly since they broke up. Something Phil never should have allowed to happen, even if for whatever reason he thought it was the right decision.

Phil waited for any type of response from Andy but it was met with silence. Instead, which was followed by Andy gently pulling him closer with the hand she had been holding. She kissed him as they got close enough, Phil returning it just as much. Andy’s hand let go of his eventually, moving to the back of his neck in an effort to continually pull him closer. Something which he wasn’t about to resist. Moving on what felt like instinct only his free hand that wasn’t helping to support him moved toward her and rested on her waist, giving in even more so to the kiss. As they continued to kiss it was clear their current position wasn’t exactly working. Andy gently pushed him to a more comfortable position with him lying down and her leaning over him. The embrace barely breaking as they moved.

The idea of stopping wasn’t even a notion in Phil’s mind. What thoughts were there were hard to exactly pin down. All there really was, was the desire for Andy that had been building up for sometime. Letting her go had been one huge mistake and he wasn’t about to let her go now. Phil’s hands found her sides as they kiss. Pulling Andy in closer as they kissed till she she was essentially on top of him. Phil’s hands slowly began to find their way to her bare skin. If he had allowed himself to think of what was going on or what he was doing he would probably have been filled with nervous thoughts. Yet, there wasn’t any room for that in the raw instincts and desire he had for the girl before him. His kissing lead down her neck for a moment as between the kissing and his own heavy breathing Phil finally spoke. “I love you Andy.”

@lestrange

[Deleted]

She felt like she could stop kissing him and answer now, her brain had finally started to recall what words were, but she hadn't kissed him like this in so long. Sure, they had kissed in the hospital and told each other how they felt, but this was different. There weren't people around now, they were home. Literally and figuratively speaking. He was home, she had always known that, and the Leaky Cauldron was the first place she really felt like she could sleep soundly, knowing she had people surrounding her who loved her. 

He pulled her closer and she lifted a leg over him, easing herself into a move comfortable position on top of him. She had felt his hands before, they had made out plenty of times. But things were different now. They weren't just teenagers in love. They were adults in love. Traumatized people in love. Broken people in love. Happy in love. His hands on her skin felt like electricity, and she had to remind herself that breathing was important. 

He kissed her neck and spoke, "I love you, Andy". She surprised herself by releasing a laugh. A small, giggle like laugh. She pressed one hand into the bed in order to lean back a little so she could get a clear view of his face, and placed her other hand on his cheek. "I love you," she kissed his forehead. "I love you," she kissed his nose. "I love you," she kissed his cheek. This pattern lasted for a long time, saying "I love you, I adore you, I need you, I want you," between kisses wherever her lips found home. At some point she managed to flourish her hand toward the door for it to lock.

---

Eventually they were out of breath, side by side under the covers. It was kind of funny, to think that this was the room where she had always wished Phil wasn't a wall away. Where she felt like she might die every night when they had to say goodbye and go their separate ways. 

She turned toward him, pressing a hand against his chest. "Thank you. For telling me why you love me," she finally said, more than a long time after their initial discussion earlier.

@phil

[Deleted]

Their touching and kissing grew ever more intense as they continued. So many times they had just been making out as teens but never letting themselves go too far. There was always the worry someone was going to just bust in on them. His parents were smart enough to know what would obviously happen if they were left alone for too long. This is why they had never been sure when one of them might creep up to check on them. This was different. There wasn’t any nervous worry about someone catching them, or what they were doing might be wrong as people would say they might be too young. They were adults now. Adult in love who had been waiting for this for far too long it felt like but he never really admitted to himself. As Phil confessed his love between the kisses Andy let out a cute giggle before moving to allow some space between them. Looking at her from such an angle was such a beautiful sight.

Caressing his face with her hand for a moment she leaned back in to kiss him. Repeating how she loved him back over and over again. This continued as she locked the door with a wave of her hand, something Phil had completely forgotten about till just now. Even if he had forgotten it, now that it was locked it was the last thing he seemed to need in his head. His arms wrapped around Andy tightly as he pulled her even closer hands now fumbling to remove articles of her clothing. “I want you just as much, love.” He breathed out between his own kisses.

---

They now laid there both out of breath next to each other. Phil, still coming to terms with what had finally had happened. He had imagined it happening enough times but here they were. Andy turned toward him, resting a hand on his chest as she thanked Phil for telling her why he loved her. Phil let out a quiet small laugh, and his arm moved around Andy to pull her closer to him. “That was only a small part of why I love you, Andy. There’s so much more I haven’t had a chance to say or think of just yet. Still, I hope you’ll allow me the chance to tell you all of them as I think of them over time.” With that, he leaned in to kiss her forehead. Still marveling at just how beautiful she was and how lucky he could be in this moment.

@lestrange