Yeah Yeah Yeah [Archer]

[eleanor gwendolen ollivander]

▲

August 25th, 2028

”Have a safe walk then. Thanks for inviting me, and happy birthday again,” Nell said as she awkwardly left Rhys and Juniper alone outside, her cigarette break coming to an abrupt end. There were a lot of not-so-secret secrets that had just come crashing in, no thanks to Dahlia’s bluntness. How had she figured it out? Nell hadn’t even looked Archer’s way once the entire night. He had to have said something to her once while training her. That was the only way it made any sense at all. The fact of the matter was that she shouldn’t even have been getting worked up over this in the first place. Their weird casual semi-secret dating had been going on for years. Why shouldn’t their friends know about it now? She was more worried about how her family was going to react, and then proceed to be the most annoying individuals in the world. Frankie would want to go drinking and then inadvertently get into a fight, Benny would probably be chill, but Veronica? Nell didn’t need her sister’s validation on anything in her life, but she also had no desire to hear the absolute vileness of her words. Because Veronica would always find something wrong.

Squeezing through the crowded pub, still getting wafts of smoke off of her hands every time she had to put her arms in front of her to push by someone, Nell could feel the nervousness start to drift back into her. She had excused herself to the bathroom but had been pacing out in front of the Three Broomsticks the entire time, trying to figure out what the best way to navigate Dahlia’s statement would be. With Rhys and Juniper apparently back together again, or whatever it was they thought they were doing (it was so painfully obvious), she really didn’t care at this point. Still, she would have to find a way to either excuse herself when she got back to the table, or deal with the remaining two Cursebreakers.

Nell eventually broke free and spotted the table in the back that she had previously hunted down for everyone. Archer was still there, as was Dahlia, who was currently alternating between mouthfuls of French fries and her drink. Even from a few feet away, Nell could tell that the Greyback was already hammered. ”Rhys is walking Juniper home,” she stated, looking down at Archer. He would know what she meant by that. ’That is because they are also fucking.’ The sudden vulgarity that slipped out of Dahlia’s mouth before she drained the stein in her hand shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but Nell still stared at her, mouth hanging slightly open. ’I need more,’ the Frenchwoman said without indicating what she actually needed, as there was plenty of half-filled glasses and a sizeable amount of food left in her basket. Dahlia hopped out of her chair and disappeared into the crowd.

”I’m uhh…do you want to leave?” she asked Archer. There really wasn’t a reason for them to stay longer. It was Rhys’s birthday, and he was off apparently getting his birthday present now. She also didn’t feel like babysitting an unhinged, French werewolf either. Dahlia could take of herself. ”…and go back to my place?” she added.

jude sinclair archer ● 545

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[jude sinclair archer]

━ sharing my heart, it's tearing me apart ━

SPENDING HIS EVENING IN THE Three Broomsticks after a long day was only bearable because it was Rhys' birthday. Of course, he would always celebrate his best friends birthday by his side, but given more recent events along with Archer's never ending concern with Rhys' drinking habits...If the curse breaker had had it his way, he probably would've been cozied up in someones apartment for the evening...Regardless, he kept his spirits high and the alcohol flowing, just what the night had called for.

Archer on the other hand knew how to take things easy, and with the odd tease here and there from not only Rhys but Juniper and Dahlia also - especially about his bloody tattoo and where he was always disappearing to - Archer felt less tense as everyone began to unwind and the night began to slow down. Of course, he felt bad once he figured out what both Rhys and Juniper were doing, trying to figure out if he had a thing with Nell or not he absolutely did, but resisting the urge to watch her head to the bathroom earlier was the hardest challenge of the night.

The second hardest challenge was maintaining his focus as the drinks kept going. Archer was far from a lightweight but considering Rhys' loved pitchers and whiskey...Archer knew he had to keep up. Fighting temporarily with Dahlia over their shared food, Archer's index trailed over the glass, following the circular shape before his hand rose, finishing the remains of the drink at once.

Placing his glass down just as Nell came back, announcing that both Rhys and Juniper were heading on home, the curse breaker's eyes rolled. "I knew he'd go a little too far...But it's his birthday I guess.." He began, smiling a little. Archer broke out into a laugh as Dahlia vulgarly dropped her comment, he then added. "Definitely going over for a shag." Knowing that there was..still something between Rhys and Juniper - considering how painfully obvious it was - despite the two being broken up wasn't surprising in the least. He'd hear about it from Rhys eventually anyway.

Watching as Dahlia stood up, heading off for whatever she wanted, Archer felt like he could truly relax and look at Nell properly - for the first time during the night anyway. As she asked if he wanted to get out of there, before adding in the comment about heading back to her place, Archer's brow rose while his lips curved upwards. "Now is that code for something?" He rose anyway, reaching for his jacket and making a mental reminder to check up on the French werewolf in the morning.

Moving almost instantly as he rose, Archer reached for Nell's hand, guiding her through the dying crowd in the pub and out towards fresh air once more. He hadn't been outside during their time and the curse-breaker wished he had, the craving for a cigarette always grew whenever he drank a fuck ton. Hands fumbled inside his jacket pocket, pulling out his box and playing with it against his hand. "Smoke and walk? Or..should we talk about whatever that was?"

| eleanor gwendolen ollivander |

[eleanor gwendolen ollivander]

▲

”Of course he is,” Nell rolled her eyes. ”He’s always been that way with her. It’s like they’re Potions partners for the first time all over again.” And they were definitely mixing quite a bit up too, she imagined. It almost made her gag, thinking of Rhys that way. He probably thought he was being sly this entire time, but he wasn’t. Nell could sus out when he was back on his Juniper bullshit before he even realized it himself. The second she had heard he was going to be teaching the trainees at Hogwarts, she knew he was done for. It didn’t matter what the timeline was with Vasilia. Juniper McGonagall always seemed to win out in the end, without fail. From a distance, it was comical. She just hoped he didn’t end up the same way as the last two times. It wasn’t nearly as easy to help an almost thirty-year-old over a break-up than it was when they were in their early twenties. She unfortunately didn’t have the time anymore. But like Archer said, it was Rhys’s birthday. If he was going to slink off and pretend everything was like it always was, she would let him think he got away with it today. That was her birthday present to him.

As they got up from their table, Archer asked if her invite was a secret message of some sort. She snorted. ”What do you think?” she answered his question of her question with her own question. It certainly wasn’t code for anything. In the wise words of Dahlia, Nell was inviting him over to fuck. The crassness of the werewolf was starting to rub off on her. Nell wasn’t sure if she liked that or not.

She let him pull her through the crowded pub, not caring if anyone even saw it. They were old enough now where it was starting to get a little silly that they were hiding this. No one else would notice or care. The only ones that probably would were her family members. They always had to have a say in what she was doing with her life.

They pushed outside in what felt like being ejected from a sauna, the return of the cool, nighttime August air. Archer was fishing around in his jacket for his cigarettes, and she did the same with her own. A nasty habit. She stopped caring about that years ago. ”No, we definitely need to talk about that,” Nell said through pursed lips as she stuffed a cigarette between her teeth and ignited it with the tip of her wand before holding it up to light Archer’s as well. ”No one ever told me Dahlia got more perceptive the more she drank. Could’ve sworn we didn’t even acknowledge one another.” Maybe that was it. Had they taken it too far and by actively ignoring the other, it drew more attention? Nell let out a long sigh as she exhaled her first puff of smoke.

jude sinclair archer ● 499

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[jude sinclair archer]

━ sharing my heart, it's tearing me apart ━

FEELING A GRIN RISE TO his lips at Nell’s crassness, Archer couldn’t help but bite on his lip as he looked up at Nell. He knew he was probably more than eager to head over to hers now, now that the..tension in the room had lightened and the spotlight wasn’t entirely on them. But..maybe being around Dahlia was a good influence for them both…Though as the two stepped out into the crisp August evening and as Nell lit up his own cigarette with the tip of her wand, he let out a quiet thank you; exhaling his first load of smoke.

He listened to Nell’s reasoning with a few nods before adding. ”Maybe that was the problem all along.” The two of them hadn’t even looked at one another, let alone acknowledge one another throughout the night. Even though they had arrived together - from Archer’s apartment no less - the Cursebreaker thought they had kept their cool…well enough.

Despite their avoidant behaviour, it didn’t stop Juniper nor Rhys though and of course Dahlia’s vulgarness throughout the night was the icing on the cake…Archer had simply laughed through it all, rolling his eyes whenever he could and just ignoring all claims altogether. Of course, the only people who really knew the truth was himself and Nell.

”Alcohol not only gives Dahlia confidence but clearly a third eye.” He added jokingly. Things had grown between them in a good way into..whatever they had now. And Archer knew within himself he would eventually find the confidence to ask her if she wanted to put a label on it. But given the changes in their life as of recent, he didn’t mind waiting a little extra time.

He let out another puff of smoke then, his hand lowering to his side while he slowly closed the gap between the two of them. He loved somewhat towering over the Ollivander, even when he was simply being annoying. Eyes lowered to hers while his smirk rose to his lips as he began to speak.

”They weren’t wrong though..exactly what were we doing before coming?..and what did you have in mind when we head back?..”

| eleanor gwendolen ollivander |

[eleanor gwendolen ollivander]

▲

While she had never asked Rhys, and it did seem rather illogical, Nell did wonder if werewolves were able to sense certain things. He seemed rather oblivious to the fact that his two friends were seeing each other, and had been for years at that, but Dahlia had quite literally looked at both of them and figured it out in an instant. Third eye be damned, it felt more like some sort of animalistic intuition that allowed her to sus it out. Archer posed the idea that ignoring one another was the real problem, and she nodded her head in agreement. ”Though to be fair, when we’ve all gone out in the past, we’ve rarely talked at all. Rhys has never even come close to asking me about us before, and I always thought he was pretty perceptive.” Nell supposed that depended on his alcohol intake and whom he had his eyes on. The perpetrator tonight was definitely McGonagall, who then egged the siblings on somehow.

She let out a groan as she sucked in smoke from her cigarette. Bouncing off of his shoulder as they walked, Nell switched the hand her cigarette was in and took his with her now free one. She didn’t even care at this point. It wasn’t like anyone could discern who the two were at this time of night. The streetlamps of Hogsmeade weren’t spotlights, even if they sort of felt like it right now while they discussed whatever this was. ”You know it’ll make Rhys’s head practically spin off if we tell him how long this has been going on for.” She didn’t want her friend to feel silly for not noticing. They had done a decent job at hiding it. As for what was going to happen when they got back to her place, she looked up at him and narrowed her eyes, ”Nothing, if you keep it up.” That didn’t stop her from moving closer to him as they walked, though.

jude sinclair archer ● 330

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[jude sinclair archer]

━ sharing my heart, it's tearing me apart ━

ARCHER WOULDN'T OF PUT IT past him if Rhys along with Juniper came together and deviated some kind of plan with Dahlia to catch the two of them out throughout the night. Just from senses or clues alone. Luckily, neither him or Nell came crashing down to whatever masterplan they had cooked up...or at least that's what Archer thought. Though considering the two ignored each other for most of the night, barely even speaking or acknowledging each other's presence was probably the worst choice they made.

"I guess..but with Juniper mumbling in his ears about all kinds of shit, it's only fair he'll make some kind of assumption." While Nell had a point, Archer knew Rhys' changes of habits. Not to say Nell didn't either - she had known their werewolf friend much longer anyway. "If you gave him half-an-hour more, or if we even looked in each other's direction, he probably would've asked...Unless he had a bet going on with Juni."

Smiling small at the Ollivander's groan, Archer inhaled the smoke from his own cigarette, gently giving her hand a squeeze as the two walked. "Can't be bothered to keep up appearances?" He teased as he leaned in, giving her a faint but quick kiss on her cheek. "How long has this been going on again for actually?" Archer knew Nell would realise he was taking the piss, especially since he was just as emotionally invested in whatever they had going on in the same way he hoped Nell was.

But he understood where Ollivander was coming from, to drop the ball on it all so many years later would probably feel like a slap in the face to their friends. "It's just probably best to..act normal around them. Whatever..normal between us is." Feeling his grin slightly widen as she threatened nothing would happen if he kept up his teasing act, Archer shrugged. Bringing the cigarette up to his lips, inhaling once more - he gently blew the smoke out in her direction. "As if you could resist my..amazing charm and good looks."

| eleanor gwendolen ollivander |

[eleanor gwendolen ollivander]

▲

Nell knew that McGonagall meant well. It had taken years for her to come to that conclusion, especially after two separate fall outs between her and Rhys. She used to think that whole thing simply wasn’t meant to be, but now she knew better than that. It was painfully obvious that they worked well together, she just didn’t want to admit that to Rhys. Knowing him, it would make his ego inflate tenfold. ”Probably depends on how much more he drinks tonight,” she mused. The ability for him to discern everything would drop sharply the more shots he knocked back. For that, she was sort of thankful that Juniper had whisked him away. Any more time spent with his sister and the two of them would have gotten the entire group tossed out of the Broomsticks.

Archer’s teasing was never ending. She knew that this whole thing between them was hidden because of her. There was no point to it, except here she was, still committed to secrecy. Totally lunacy was what it was. And maybe a little bit of hypocrisy, considering what she had said to Rhys before concerning him being with McGonagall. ”Long,” she said back as she felt him lean down to kiss her on the cheek. Too long to keep the act up any longer. The only problem she had now was having to admit it to her friends and family. That yes, she wasn’t going to be some wandmaking-obsessed old maid, and that she had purposely kept her relationship hidden.

He suggested acting normal around the rest of the group, which was pretty easy at this point. Except for the part where they seemed to be catching on. The Greybacks may have been drunk, but McGonagall was going to be hard to shake. She was too smart. For all the two of them knew, she could be trailing them right this moment. Thinking about that, Nell glanced around the empty streets of Hogsmeade, just in case she spotted a suspicious looking cat. Unfortunately, there were many, their eyes glinting from nearby darkened alleyways. ”Honestly,” Nell started, before shoving her cigarette back in her mouth to anxiously puff on it. Since they were on the topic of it, why not broach it? ”Maybe once those two make it official again, we could…” Rhys and McGonagall would play this back and forth game for a few more months, like usual, and then to no one’s surprise, would announce they were dating again. This would be the third time Nell had witnessed the same process. At least for this go at it, they were seemingly taking their time and didn’t have any inciting incidents to kick it all off. Because of that, it bought her time too.

jude sinclair archer ● 459

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0