love/paranoia | bianca

[oberon anteros blishwick]

won't quell the desire

to know what was really going on

April 12, 2028
Bianca Alia Rivera

Oberon was late. But this was about as expected as snow in the wintertime. It only lingered in the back of his mind heavily because it was probably the one singular topic his parents had ever disagreed on. And since Obie was not accustomed to his parents disagreeing as such, the topic as a whole just made him uncomfortable. Apparating into the familiar neighborhood, Obie lost his balance a bit when his feet touched the floor. Fortunately, there was a wall to lean on as he tried not to think about how close he’d come to apparating into said wall.

Composing himself, he went to Bianca’s door and knocked casually. As if the agreed-upon time was the current time—or half an hour later. She wouldn’t be surprised, would she? It wasn’t as if Bianca met Oberon yesterday and only just found out he was someone who was perpetually late because he was lost in his thoughts again. And he had a good excuse—sort of. Unfortunately, he had not been able to leave work as early as he’d thought, and several meetings had run long. Plus, an appointment with the Minister’s advisor and Undersecretary had taken forever.

The door finally opened. ”Sorry—that Undersecretary really likes the sound of her own voice.” Obie explained immediately and quickly in their native Spanish before anything. Though, he noted the stressed look in Bianca’s eyes. Stress, itself, was not new, but something was different. Perhaps this would be an excellent time to finally ask about a rumor he’d heard.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

12 April 2028

Bianca needed something strong to drink, but she’d had a particularly busy week at work and had therefore completely missed an important development at home. No more wine at all. She’d tried Accio, she’d tried a few different types of charms, she’d even gone banging kitchen cabinets until it was absolutely confirmed a million times over and she'd slammed it shut for good measure. Bianca was stuck in her apartment, waiting for Oberon to finish cloud-watching or counting cobblestones in the street or whatever was making him so late, and there was no alcohol in the apartment to settle her nerves…so Bianca grimaced while rummaging through one of the kitchen cabinets until she finally found the almost-unused tin of Turkish coffee. It was too strong for British tastes so she never had an occasion to bring it out, but it’d do the trick for now.

Her grip was deadly tight on the spoon as she scooped the finely ground coffee beans into a mug, and it took a moment for her to realize her jaw was clenched. Bianca cleared her throat, tried to relax her posture, and addressed the Batman toaster. “I know the circumstances are unusual, but it doesn’t change my feelings—” she cut herself off at the use of the dreaded f-word and tried not to flush at how stupid she sounded. Pouring the boiling water into the mug, she tried again. “I love your son,” she said matter-of-factly to the bowl of fruit, “And we've been together a long time so I’m very certain about my feelings…which is why we sneak around and I let other women flirt with him and think they have a shot.” That last part was muttered under her breath, definitely not something she was ever actually going to say, and probably the reason she started to stir her coffee so hard that she was at risk of breaking either the spoon or the mug.

Letting out an anxious sigh, Bianca resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands (because come on, she wasn’t that sort of person) and instead took a long sip of coffee. The bitter taste at least helped distract her from the thought that this weekend would be an absolute trainwreck. They’d hate her. They’d hate this strange situation they were in. They’d hate something. Bianca barely heard the sound of knocking, and her feet sort of absentmindedly took her to the door while her mind focused on producing every worst-case scenario that might happen. Oberon was talking, and it took Bianca a moment to focus on him. “…what?” she finally asked, slipping into Spanish easily even if she hadn't registered anything he'd just said. It was probably the first time she'd ever need him to repeat himself. Trying to calm the nervous butterflies in her stomach and breeze by the mistake, Bianca shooed him in and snapped, “Why are you so late? I was going to send a search party soon.”

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

won't quell the desire

to know what was really going on

April 12, 2028
Bianca Alia Rivera

Oberon looked at Bianca, the far-off look in her eyes painfully obvious. Is this what he looked like when she tried to tell him something and his mind was elsewhere? Merlin, no wonder she got snippy with him at times. ”Erm—“ Oberon prepared to repeat himself, but Bianca seemed to come to her senses in that split second. ”I’m sorry!” He responded again, his hands gesturing to match his tone. What did it matter now? He was here, wasn’t he? Immediately, he smelled the coffee and entered her kitchen to search for a mug. Not long ago, Bianca had moved the mugs from their ancient and ancestral home at the far left cabinet, and yet Obie still checked that cabinet first despite their new home existing on the other side.

Muttering under his breath, Obie opened and closed the cabinet doors before walking to the other side. ” I still don’t understand why you moved these.” She was a creature of habit. Since when did that involve moving anything? Finally, he found a mug, and Bianca had left the tin of coffee out. It wasn’t rare for them, but it was odd not to see some whiskey, tequila, or wine out by this time. ”What’s up with you anyway?”” With a quick wave of his wand, the hot water poured into his mug. ”Get into another fight with that Editor?” Oberon mused out loud, clearly joking. But whenever a scene like that occurred at the Ministry, it was the talk for a few months until the next thing came along.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

Since Oberon apologizing for being late was something that happened at least every other week, Bianca waved it off and only rolled her eyes once through his hasty apology. It wasn’t like he didn’t know that being late drove her insane, and she’d definitely called out embarrassed interns and Hit Wizards for being late to briefings. And it wasn’t like she didn’t know that being late was in his DNA and unlikely to change after literal years of this same back-and-forth. So his excuses and her annoyance were simply part of the routine. Anyway, she had other things on her mind and Bianca sipped at her coffee as another pulse of stress hit her. She immediately moved to the fireplace to check that she had a full pot of Floo Powder, because the sudden thought of being late to meet Cade’s parents was almost enough to send her spiraling again. She frowned at the pot as she wondered whether her travel permit had expired yet.

He was talking again, and Bianca wandered into the kitchen to watch Oberon hunt through kitchen cabinets for a mug. “They’re on the right. Where they’ve been for the last year,” Bianca pointed out unhelpfully as Oberon made himself a cup of coffee. She didn’t have any particularly strong feelings about kitchen organization, but Cade did and he’d complained a few times that the kitchen looked like it’d been set up by someone who never cooked. Which was true. She hated cooking and he’d been doing most of it for the entirety of their relationship. So she’d sacrificed a few weekends getting everything ‘just right’ for him and occasionally justifying to Oberon why it looked like someone else had started living here. Go figure.

She was still dwelling on the deep clean she and Cade had done last weekend when Oberon asked about him, as if he’d pulled his name straight from her mind. Bianca did a double-take as she stopped staring at the oven and glared suspiciously at her Unspeakable friend, wondering if he’d secretly learned Legilimency overnight. “No, nothing’s wrong!” she snapped, not quite registering that it wasn’t really what he’d asked. “Why would you even ask, I don’t think about Woodward at all. No, don’t put sugar in Turkish coffee.” She grabbed his arm before he could even think of reaching for the sugar bowl (which was also in a new spot) but then let go so she could pace to the other end of the kitchen. She couldn’t help pacing when she was anxious – probably that deep-seated Auror desire to constantly be in motion. Bianca finished her cup of coffee and fished her wand out to quickly refill.

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

won't quell the desire

to know what was really going on

April 12, 2028
Bianca Alia Rivera

Oberon raised an eyebrow as Bianca scurried to the fireplace. Merlin, Hogwarts wasn’t on fire again, was it? The urgency in her step was familiar, but her anxiety filled the air, which was unusual. Bianca and Oberon’s personalities varied in so many places, but they were not the anxious types. Each wore their armor in different ways with equally different weaknesses. ”Oh really?” He responded. ”Maybe if you invited me over more often, I would remember.” His tone was matter-of-fact, a smug grin on his face. As their individual careers grew, their changing schedules and free time could not be helped. And two years later, Purifiers still trickled into Azkaban, remnants of a failed cause.

Bringing the cup to his lips, Oberon carefully tested the temperature. Still too warm, he placed the mug down, and absent-mindedly went for the sugar bowl. But not before she nearly made him jump out of his skin, wide eyes to match her tone. ”Merlin—calm down.” His brow furrowed as he took back his arm and watched her movements. ”Bianca.” Oberon spoke her name calmly, his eyes trained on her pacing form. ”Bianca.” He spoke again, louder in his tone. Obie wanted her to look at him. She was acting crazed, which could be a few things. Some more probably than others, but he still wanted to go through the process of elimination.

Obie had a feeling—a hunch. But statistically, the probability of this hunch was so low that Obie felt he had a better chance of getting elected Minister for Magic. Relaxing a bit, he leaned against the counter and picked his mug back up sans sugar. ”Are you ready to tell me what has got you all—“ With his free hand Oberon merely made a motion in place of a word to accurately describe the frazzled mess before him. But she’d know what he meant.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

Oberon’s complaint about not seeing the inside of her apartment enough was familiar, and Bianca’s counterargument easily rose to the tip of her tongue. It wasn’t even that she was hiding a secret boyfriend at home – she just preferred getting invites to his, or even better to his parents’. Because there, she could enjoy homecooked food and authentic Spanish and a little taste of home. Which had never felt quite so far away as it did these days. “Bring your mama and you might get an invite more often,” Bianca pointed out, a little anxiety floating away at the reassuringly familiar thought that Oberon was a package deal with his family.

Merlin, his family. Mr. Love Doctor probably never had any problems introducing girls to his parents or charming the witch’s hat off his maybe-someday-future in-laws. She pulled his arm away from the sugar bowl but couldn’t help the pacing that followed soon after. Bianca just thought better when she was in motion, and she could feel her stress radiating all the way down her body and out through the soles of her feet. But it didn’t quite help and Bianca took a long sip of her refilled mug. Maybe caffeine wasn’t the answer – that thought registered to her a little late. She could vaguely hear Oberon calling her name, and she tolerated it for two more seconds before whirling on him.

“What?!” she snapped, watching him look at her incredulously like she’d just proposed they go treasure-hunting for hidden pirate loot. He was watching her, so Bianca returned the stare easily and crossed her arms. And then took a good look at him, probably for the first time since she’d let him in. Because he was experienced with this whole romance thing, wasn’t he? And his family did have a reputation in the United Kingdom for being good at this thing, didn’t they? She wavered at the thought. Oberon probably would have really good advice about how to handle this situation, but he would tease her mercilessly if he ever found out why. After all the warnings she’d given him over the years… “My friend has a problem,” Bianca said, deciding to test the waters in the most roundabout way she could imagine. Merlin, it wasn’t fair that she was a star of the interrogation room and still so bad at lying. “She’s nervous about something since it’s a new experience for her. I don’t really know how to help her.” That was the understatement of the century.

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

won't quell the desire

to know what was really going on

April 12, 2028
Bianca Alia Rivera

Oberton rolled his eyes, but with his entire being, before sipping on the coffee. It was pretty good, but he didn’t say anything as Bianca was already energetic enough at the moment. He would’ve said it was usually the other way around, but Obie was more likely to stare off into space rather than let his energy get the best of him in this fashion. ”You know, this behavior is very unbecoming of a Ministry Department Head.” Oberon commented, rather unimpressed with the display before him. Of course, he wasn’t serious. If anyone would remind Bianca that they were all human, it was him.

Finally, Bianca stopped. Oberon kept his eye on her as she clearly thought through something, and finally, she began to explain. Obie imagined if he were some character on some Witch TV sitcom, he’d break the fourth wall and stare at the camera right about now. Mentally, he noted that idea to tell his father, who worked at Witch TV. ”Your friend?” Obie drank more coffee, although he felt quite alert without it. Really, it could have gone either way. Bianca couldn’t have been using ‘a friend’ to speak about herself and, indeed, had a friend who needed assistance.

But Oberon knew that timing was important with this one, so he played along. ”Anything I can help with?” Oberon offered genuinely. ”What is it?” Something told Obie this wasn’t work-related. While she stressed and worked herself to the bone, she rarely looked this upside down and frazzled at work. That was her element and the appearance of keeping her cool under pressure. This was definitely not that.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

Bianca felt a rush of indignation swell inside her at Oberon’s statement. It sounded exactly like something one of her nosy tías might have said, except replace ‘Ministry Department Head’ with any other noun. In the same way her coming home from football practice muddy was unbecoming of a young lady. Or like repeating a swear word she’d heard her older brother use was unbecoming too. She whirled around to stare at Oberon like she could suddenly develop the powers of a basilisk – and if willpower was the only variable, then she’d have been able to. “They’ll never find your body,” she threatened, hoping he could hear the ring of truth in her words. Because hey, she’d build her career on investigating grisly murders. She knew all the best places in the city to dump a body.

But no, she actually needed his help which made murder unproductive. Still, Bianca filed it away for later – for the next time he’d be tragically late to something. Bianca decided she was done drinking coffee, but she still kept the mug in her hands. There was still a wave of nervous energy coming off her, and she needed to redirect it somewhere. The future potential of still having her dignity rested on these next few moments of the conversation, and Bianca wanted to have her wits about her. He seemed willing enough to help, but then again – this was Obie. He had a good heart. There would never be any situation where he’d leave her out to dry.

“Well, let’s say…there are certain moments in your life where you need to make a good first impression. A job interview, a performance, first day at work…” Bianca felt like she was starting to ramble – another strange sensation, because she preferred to be cheap with her words and not chatter like a monkey. There were some people where she wished sometimes she could jam their mouths with a sock without being accused of harassing her employees. She just needed to keep it together. Remember the stakes. “…meeting your partner’s parents for the first time,” she finished in a mumble. A moment later, she straightened and fixed Oberon with an intent gaze like she could pull the correct answer out of him by sheer willpower. “So…how do you do that? For my friend, I mean.” She looked at him expectantly and waited for him to give her the answer.

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

won't quell the desire

to know what was really going on

April 12, 2028
Bianca Alia Rivera

Oberon badly suppressed a grin. Now there was the Bianca he knew. The famous glare forced everyone in her path to step to the side and out of her way lest the Head of Law Enforcement steamrolled them on her warpath. Still, he had to counter her statement. ”You’ve never been questioned by my mum.” Not that she was frightening but something about her nature made you a willing participant. Oberon could never hide anything from his mother, even if he tried. Something told him Bianca wouldn’t be able to either, and then, as a last resort, a charmed chancla out of thin air might solve the problem either way.

Testing the coffee again, Oberon took larger sips now that he was sure it wouldn’t burn him. All the while, he patiently waited for her drawn-out explanation until she finally got to the point. ”Right, yes.” Obie encouraged her to continue. Fortunately, he was not drinking coffee, for the hot liquid would have certainly traveled down the wrong pipe. Partner’s parents? How in Merlin’s name did that relate to work? Obie blinked a few times, digesting the question and the look in his longtime friend’s eyes. ”For your friend, right?” Outside his department, Oberon preferred to be himself as much as possible. But he asked in all seriousness, as he would speaking to his Department Head.

Friend or not, it was a good question and one of the more anxiety-inducing parts of a relationship for some individuals. For Oberon, he found that he was good at meeting parents and families. Coming from a large family himself, he was probably more comfortable had it been the other way around. Waiting a few moments, Obie almost forgot about the mug in his hands. ”Well—I’d tell your friend to be themselves.” It was the easy answer. ”Trying too hard to impress them will make y-your friend and their partner seem unnatural.” Oberon caught himself slipping the ‘r’ at the end of ‘you’ so he wouldn’t get Bianca’s wrath for implying this was not about a friend.

Putting his half-empty mug down, Oberon crossed his arms and thoughtfully let his gaze wander as if he were lost in thought. At the same time, he paced to a different part of the kitchen. ”When is the meeting?” He asked, now on his quest for more knowledge. But the rest of his questions were far less vague, and a more patient person would have waited to ask, if not at all. It was a shame Oberon was not that person. ”And how long have you been sleeping with whoever reorganized your kitchen?” At least he was out of reach to instantly strangle and far enough to dodge something flying at him, but his intrusive thoughts won out this time.

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[Bianca Alia Rivera]

There was a ring of truth to Obie’s words, and Bianca internally winced at the shared experience of having a Latina mother. The British hadn’t been prepared for Bianca’s direct approach of slicing through polite manners and subtle innuendos when they wanted to insult someone, but she was nothing compared to her mother. She was an absolute wrecking ball, and despite all of Bianca’s best efforts she’d proven impossible to beat in an argument. That had been the source of a lot of frustration growing up. Bianca put the coffee down and crossed her arms. She locked Oberon in a glare, the same kind she used whenever she wanted to break a criminal, and informed him sternly, “I think your mama would take my side. And then I’d like to see you try and smile.” He was having too much fun and needed to be reminded who he was talking to.

That was what made it so hard for Bianca to admit, at least to herself, that she wasn’t holding the power in this conversation. She wasn’t used to that and it made her uncomfortable. So she overcompensated for this loss of control by ensuring that she could at least keep herself in perfect control. Her back was rigid, her hands tightly folded, and her gaze was focused. They might be at her home, and they might be old friends, but this was research for her. Absolutely no different than the life-or-death situations she’d faced before at work, because embarrassing herself in front of Cade’s parents would actually kill her. Oberon was taking this seriously, which was unusual, but Bianca nodded solemnly like she greatly respected her imaginary friend’s problem.

She shot him an unimpressed look at his first bit of advice, and shifted restlessly as she watched him pace around the kitchen. “Your advice is to ‘Be yourself’? Are we in a gum commercial?” Obie was pacing, and there wasn’t enough space for two people to do that in the kitchen, so Bianca leaned against the counter and glared at the ceiling. “That seems risky. If you don’t know her, my friend seems…tough. Standoffish. That doesn’t seem like the kind of girl parents want their son to bring home…” Bianca wallowed in that thought for a moment and the anxiety returned, gripping her heart like it was a squeeze toy. Merlin, they really were going to hate her, weren’t they?

It went against her instincts to willingly share details, especially because Oberon did look like he was enjoying this too much. She glared at his back again but reluctantly answered, “This weekend.” If he really needed that information to give better advice, then she’d play along for a moment. Because she really needed his help. The urge to kill him spiraled quickly at his last question despite her earlier decision to hold off, and Bianca inhaled sharply as she felt her face flush. Thankfully her skin wasn’t lily-white like all the British around her so it didn’t show as much, but she grit her teeth and wondered where she’d put the hot coffee. It couldn’t be an unrelated question. He was snooping and Bianca would get him for it. Someday. “Why the interest? Were you hoping to shoot your shot?” In another circumstance, she might’ve been willing to tease him with a little physical contact. But he was wisely staying out of reach and she couldn't guarantee what she might do if he got too close. She wouldn't even need her wand to knock him out.

oberon anteros blishwick

[oberon anteros blishwick]

won't quell the desire

to know what was really going on

April 12, 2028
Bianca Alia Rivera

Oberon paused, offering Bianca a stern look. Not because he was attempting in any way, shape, or form to intimidate her (that was impossible), but because he considered her words. There was a high probability that she might be right. His mother adored Bianca, and her raised eyebrow and elbow to her son’s side about how he and Bianca would make a great pair had lessoned but never completely gone away. But that was typical. The moment she stopped, Obie might grow concerned. But knowing that Bianca’s mama was across the world in Chile, she treated Bianca like the daughter she never had. ”That’s not fair.” Oberon rolled his eyes. ”You know she likes you more than me.” He teased.

Bianca’s response was typical. Defensive in tone, word choice, and body language. Oberon took every open opportunity to put physical distance so her hands would not so easily end up around his neck. ”Right—but there’s no chance she’s standoffish all the time, right?” Bianca certainly had moments where she was more relaxed, laughing and having fun. How many random nights had they lounged on her couch watching those muggle films she liked so much? Obie still held his tongue, wondering when she would admit that there wasn’t a ‘friend’ because if how she interacted with his parents was any indication, then she wouldn’t need to worry about this meeting.

Thankfully, Oberon was far enough away to avoid a punch to the face or anything of that nature. Bianca’s gasp in Spanish answered his question, well, partly. There was someone. His poker face began to slip as his curiosity grew exponentially. Still, her blatant insinuation did make him laugh. ”There’s no need to deflect—besides, you had your chance with me years ago. I’m sorry to say that ship has sailed.” Oberon approached the small island in the kitchen, which was just one obstacle between himself and certain death at this point. But he leaned forward on it, offering Bianca an innocent smile. Truth be told, Oberon had certainly been a little smitten with the girl before him at first, but their approach to relationships was too vastly different ever to be compatible. Her confidence, authenticity, and beauty had quickly caught his attention. But, some things were best left platonic.

”So.” Oberon clasped his hands together while still leaning on the countertop. ”When were you going to tell me? At the wedding?” It didn’t necessarily bother him to be out of the loop, but he’d figured by now that it was clear that he could keep quite literally any secret safe. Especially hers, but perhaps there was more to this than he had assumed. And this conversation hadn’t been the only sign. Visiting his large family in Colombia had taught Oberon to watch and observe. The details mattered. ”Because I know you didn’t choose these kitchen towels. When had you ever had matching kitchen towels?” Obie clearly remembered a time when she had exactly one kitchen towel and her explanation that paper towel rolls were sufficient for everything. Still, all of a sudden…a few hung on the oven door handle and neatly near the stove, and Oberon was sure there would be clean ones in a cabinet if he checked.

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