After All This Time, I'm Still Into You -- Darina

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina had just Apparated to a remote spot around the corner from where Daniel's apartment was located, and took a minute to steady her breathing.  She was going to Dan's apartment.  His apartment, where he lived alone.  He had assured her multiple times it was a dinky apartment,  but it was still HIS apartment.  Her boyfriend had his own apartment.  Boyfriend.  She could scarcely believe it was okay to refer to him as that again.  They had seen each other a few times since that night in London, mostly for coffees and strolls around Diagon Alley.  Their jobs kept them incredibly busy; Irina's training with the Cursebreakers had gotten very intense, mostly physical, and Dan's Quidditch practices kept him in Appelby most days.  Today though, today was mercifully free for both of them, so they had decided to spend it together.  No chaperones, no curfews, no house elves to interrupt them.  Just them; Irina and Dan, Darina as he so adorably put it that night.

Irina dressed in a simple, v neck grey tank top and white linen pants, with silver sandals on her feet.  She had tied her hair up into a high ponytail; the heat in Northern England had never gotten bad, but there was a bit of mugginess hanging in the air.  In the shopping bag she had slung over her shoulder she had brought a ton of Mexican takeout with her.  She had seen Dmitri and Dan with the telltale bag from the place multiple times, but she had no idea what had been in them - so she got some of everything on the menu.  It had been pricey but she didn't care.  The smell of greasy Mexican food was somehow calming to her, and she finally started walking towards the building.

She made her way up the stairs to the building he lived in, and stood in front of the door for a few minutes.  She could hear him, faintly, moving about in there, and she smiled softly to herself.  She raised her fist and knocked on the door three times, before taking a tiny step back, so she wasn't right on the doorway when he answered.

@daniel

[Deleted]

Irina was coming over tonight, so he was getting the place cleaned up. He was still living in this little temporary apartment, so he didn't have sat that much stuff there to clean up anyway. He did some by hand, but most with magic, letting things clean themselves and move on their own, like with the sweeping, while he did the hard parts like scrubbing the dishes. The apartment was a studio, so it just had a bed, a countertop, the kitchen, and one chair all in the same room, with the bathroom off to one side next to the closet. He didn't have a TV at first, but considering what his and Irinas plans were tonight, he made sure to get one. It wasn't that big, or fancy, but it would do for their purposes.

He had finished up, and was making sure everything looked fine when he heard the knock on the door. He was wearing a simple black T-shirt and slacks, just a casual look that he didn't even think about when putting on. He had not shaved the last two days, trying out his wild German hair growing skills. He opened up the door as soon as he reached it, swinging it all the way open to get a good look at her. He shook his head and smirked, pausing for just a brief second before wrapping her in his arms in an embrace and kissing her. One of his hands reached up to play with the ends of her hair in her ponytail, and he pulled away. "You know that look drives me crazy," he commented, not actually sure if she was aware of that fact. He pulled her inside and shut the door behind her. He kept one hand on her waist as the other gestured to the room, "well, here it is! Nothing special."

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Daniel opened the door, and Irina only had a moment to register that he had a little scruff on his chin before he was kissing her.  Electricity flowed through her, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.  She smiled a little as he mentioned how the way she had her hair drove him crazy, giggling a little as he played with her ponytail.  She hadn't known that, but now that she had that knowledge, she would take care to wear her hair like this more often.  "You have scruff," she said by means of response, reaching up and leting her fingers explore his face.  "I think I like it," she declared, kissing his cheek and giggling at the feel of the scruff on her chin.  She let her other hand sling around his waist as he ushered her into the apartment. 

She took a moment just taking it all in; it was small yes, but what did he really need?  He had a chair, a bathroom, a small kitchenette, and a bed.  Of course he had a bed Irina, it was where he LIVED after all.  "Nice place," she commented, looking at him with a small smile.  "It is special Danny because it's YOURS.  Not yours and your sisters, your families, yours.  I can't imagine how that must feel to have somewhere that is only yours," she explained, squeezing his side gently as she leaned her head against the crook of his shoulder.   She just stayed there for a moment, savoring it, 

"OH!  Before I forget," she exclaimed, and she reached into her shopping bag to pull out the Mexican food.  "Mexican takeout, courtesy of that place you and Dimi would always get food from and refuse to share," she told him, teasing him at the last part.   She crossed over and set the bag on the countertop, before walking back over to him, standing by his side.  "So..what first?" she asked, looking up at him curiously.

@daniel

[Deleted]

She mentioned the slight hair on his face, touching it, kissing it, and saying she thought she liked it. He grunted a little, still unsure about how he felt about it. Her emotions of calm and serenity were nice, and it was hard to think of how he felt about his facial hair while they were touching him so much, wrapping into his 'emotional feelers' or whatever he was going to start calling them. She looked about the apartment and said it was nice, and special because it was just his. "Well, it feels great, but I am hoping to move in with Tri," he said, using a little nickname for her brother and his closest friend. "But that'll still be close enough. It'll be nice to live with him," he added.

Then she was speaking and his eyes widened as he turned toward her, grinning at the food. "you are a stalker," he said firmly, as if this was a statement of fact, a well known fact that she would do well to not forget. He released her as she crossed to the counter top, and asked what they would do first. "Well, I'm thinking Tangled first - the movie," he clarified, gesturing to the t.v. set across from his bed, "and we'll eat during it, and go from there," he suggested.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina nodded as she began to unpack the variety of food items she had brought with her - nachos with the works, cheese and chicken quesadillas, burrito, enchilada, fish chicken steak and pork tacos, a huge tub of guacamole and for dessert, some churros. Had she gone overboard? Most definitely, but hey her boyfriend lived alone and she wasn’t entirely positive what kind of cook he was. At the very least he could have leftovers after a long and grueling Quidditch practice and being unable to fathom the idea of making his own dinner. “You and Dimi living together makes sense,” she commented, though she felt a mix of amusement and a very small twinge of horror of her brother swinging open Dan’s bedroom door to find the two of them in a compromising position. “Perhaps instill a knock first rule when you do move in together? For all our sakes?” she added, only partially teasing. She began organizing the food in a way that made sense, mostly to get her mind off what it was going towards.

As she set out the plates, Irina caught the slip Dan made and felt her cheeks pinken. She gasped, then laughed. “Daniel Hoh, I was trying to keep my emotions and thoughts entirely pure but you just HAD to go in that direction,” she mock teased, wagging a finger at him before hopping onto the bed, sitting in a cross legged position. She frowned slightly at the blank television, wondering when it’d turn onto the movie he had just mentioned. “Why won’t it just turn on?” she asked him curiously, twisting to her left to look up at him.

@daniel

[Deleted]

Daniel let her unpack the food while he got the DVD all set up and turned the television on. He had set up his pillows against the wall so it would be easier for them to sit up and watch the movie. Since he didn't have a couch he kind of had to work with it. "Yeah, it's meant to be," he joked. He wasn't sure how long it would last, though. He really liked his space, being alone, and living alone had been great... it just depended on how well he handled it all. He laughed at her idea about a 'knock first' rule. "I think that is implied with personal space, and I won't make anyone knock on the front door," he explained.

She set out the plates and then laughed at his comment about the movie. He laughed, too, and shrugged, "hey, hey, it was funny," he argued, trying to make his case. She beckoned him forward with a finger and jumped on the bed, which made him laugh even more. He turned his attention to the television as she asked about how to make it work, and then sat down on the bed, his feet hanging off. "Well, you have to press the button," he said, reaching for the remote beside him and pressing the power. The television lit up and the Tangled movie menu was showing. He turned to look at her, "science!"

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina pretended to put on an air of mock surprise. “But what about the code? Knock three times in swift precision, turn around counter clockwise and then knock twice with your palm flat against the door? It’s the obvious door knock of the secret society of the Appleby Arrows, by which I am obviously in the know for due to my family,” she retorted, holding in the urge to burst out laughing. She wondered if Dan would actually believe that ludicrous statement she made up off the top of her head, but she didn’t get a chance to find out as her laughter burst forward. She buried her face in her hands as her shoulders shook with mirth. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” she said, wiping her eyes and grinning over at him. “But there is the secret club house,” she said seriously, tossing her long dark ponytail behind her shoulder. She kept her emotions calm, not giving away whether or not she was telling the truth - he’d find out sooner or later regardless.

Irina watched, interested, as Dan reached for a rectangular looking thing with a lot of buttons on it, and clicked a red button. She couldn’t hide her amused surprise as the screen lit up to show what looked like a type of Menu for this movie, Tangled, they’d be watching. She wrinkled her nose at his comment and stuck out her tongue. “Hey, pureblooded witch over here remember,” she reprimanded lightly, nudging his shoulder with hers. “I think my dad would go to a pub sometime to watch...soccer? That’s what your dad played; he went to the pub to watch him when he was still playing. Anyway, that was the extent of these contraptions in the Krum house,” she explained to him. She also knew he was fully aware that Irina wasn’t really the indoor girl type; she’d prefer climbing trees or, yes, building igloos, to sitting in front of the telly all the time. For Dan though, she’d make an exception.

Irina waved her wand and plopped some guacamole, a few tortilla chips and a burrito on her plate before levitating it over to her. “It’s better when it’s warmer,” she told him, scooping up a copious amount of guacamole on a chip before devouring it in the most unlady-like manner. She did take a minute to chew and swallow before asking her next question. “What’s this about anyway? Which fairy tale is called Tangled?” she asked him curiously.

@daniel

[Deleted]

Daniel shook his head as she talked about 'the code' and proceeded to come up with a long and complicated process. Before he could call her out on that bull, she started laughing loudly and he did too, her laughter and her emotions of amusement so infections that he felt like he might burst from laughing so hard. He shook his head and leaned forward until his forehead was against the mattress. Finally, he stopped laughing as she apologized and mentioned a secret clubhouse. He shook his head, turning toward her and sitting up again. Oooh, she was trying to hide her emotions from him. But, he cheated, and reached out to grab onto her hand so he could get a better read on them...

She reminded him, when it came to the tele, that she was a pureblood which. That was a pretty lame reason, Dan thought, but to be fair he knew most pureblood families were weird about not learning basic muggle stuff. What the heck did purebloods do for entertainment? Play Quidditch all day? Well... that was basically what he had done at the Krum home, so. "Football, yes," Dan confirmed in the midst of her sentence, nodding. "Well, I do remember your house being super boring because of the lack of televisions," he mused.

Dan watched her use magic to get her food to her and he nodded at her words about it being warm. He reached for his wand and waved that, then set it aside as his own food flew toward him. She started to eat and he chuckled, "you're disgusting, kid," he said, shaking his head. He made a show out of very, very carefully preparing a chip with quac and cilantro and gently eating it, smirking all the while.

She asked what the move was about, "Mmm!" he started excitedly, turning toward her a little more, "it's based on Rapunzel. The girl with the long hair. This version is more magicy than the original story... well, as for as Rapunzel herself goes," he grabbed the remote and pressed play, the title started, "you'll catch on."

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina's emotions spiked if only just for a minute as Dan grabbed her hand. She knew he wanted to feel more of what she was feeling, which in any other situation was perfectly normal, but in theirs was a little more special.  She squeezed his hand lightly and let her guard down, allowing him to soak in what she was feeling; excitement for her first Disney movie viewing, a flutter of nerves at the idea of being alone with her boyfriend in his studio apartment, an elation of the concept of uninterrupted alone time, sher contentment just being with him, and of course love.  So much love that it made her feel like a sappy romantic.  She didn't have to say anything, the benefit of dating an Empath.  Instead she let go and turned her attention back to her food.  She was soon distracted again by Dan's enthusiasm for the movie they were about to watch.  "I'll take your word for it," she said with a small smile.  She sort of rememebered the story of Rapunzel from her studies into Mythology, but all she remembered was that the girl had super long hair.  Not much else stuck out to her, but if they had made an entire film out of it it had to have some interest.

She wrinkled her nose as he called her disgusting and proceeded to eat some guacamole in the most ladylike manner.  "Oh, disgusting is it?" she asked, scooping up another healthy serving of guacamole on a chip.  She opened her mouth to take a bite, but at the last minute turned it around and shoved it directly into Dan's.  "Your scruff needed some more earth tones to it," she said teasingly, laughing at the mess she had made.   "And last time I checked, the amount of time you spent at our house growing up you were perfectly fine with 'boring'," she added with a smirk.  "Unless you've been in love with me since we were little," she added casually, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder and fluttered her eyelashes dramatically.

@daniel

[Deleted]

Daniel felt her emotions when he took her hand, of course, but they didn't bother him. If anything it was almost exciting to feel them with her. That was the way he wanted to look at it. In all reality, he did want all of her emotions, all of them, it was just hard sometimes. But not right now. She squeezed his hand and he smiled softly at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling with happiness. She was excited and full of butterflies and anticipation. She was giddy and content, twitterpated and deeply in love. He took it all in, letting his own emotions mix them together, and didn't say anything as she let go. 

She wrinkled her nose as he called her disgusting and that caused him to laugh. She was about to feed herself but then turned the chip and guacamole into his mouth instead. "Ah!" he exclaimed, trying to chew but knowing some of it didn't make it into his mouth. "you're the worst," he said, nodding toward the napkins, "I expect you to clean up your mess," he said firmly, leaning his face toward her, his chin jutted out.

She fluttered her eyelashes at him, tossing her ponytail around and he glared at her, "nope, nope. Not gonna work on me. You guaced my face."

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina laughed at his indignation. “But the messy guac look fits you so well!” she insisted, though she knew it was impossible to hide the fact that she was completely kidding. She rolled her eyes playfully as he jutted his chin out towards her; he wasn’t going to let her get away with this she suspected. So she grabbed a napkin and wiped off the guac on his face, intentionally leaving a bit closer to his lips. “Oops, missed a spot,” she quipped before leaning in to kiss him. She lingered, trying to stifle in her giggles before she broke away. “Tasty guac,” she commented, kissing him on the cheek quickly before snuggling up next to him, burrito in hand. “So are we going to watch the movie now?” she asked jokingly, leaning her head into the crook between his shoulder and neck.

Irina was shockingly silent as the first few minutes of the movie played, until…”Wait, pause,” she said, grabbing the remote and pointing it to the television. It didn’t pause of course and she frowned before holding it out for Daniel to do. “Did she seriously just KIDNAP the baby because of her HAIR?” she asked incredulously, instinctively reaching for her own jet black hair and twirling it around her fingers. “Like..I get it’s magic because of the flower but that’s just messed up,” she declared, taking a bite of her burrito. This time she decided to take a smaller, more ladylike bite. She offered it up to Dan after she had swallowed. “Want to try?” she asked him.

@daniel

[Deleted]

She said the messy quac look fit him so well and he just narrowed his eyes more at her. Then she attempted to wipe his face, kissing him to get the 'missed spot', and he laughed. "Yeah, yeah, turn toward the movie," he said, as if this was all her fault that they weren't watching. Well, it kind of was. Shoving food in his face. But then she paused the movie to ask a question and Dan slowly turned to her, one eye wide and the other slightly twitching, "are you gonna do that the whole time!?" he asked. He wasn't actually annoyed, but he did want to be prewarned if they were pausing.

"It was magic hair, dude. People do dumb things for magic," he explained. "As for the burrito, no thank you. Nice bite taking, by the way," he complimented, then kissed her nose and turned back to the movie, pressing play. "See, she's not horrible to the baby. They're singing and stuff."

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina raised a brow and tried to hide her smirk at Dan’s twitching eye when she interrupted the movie. So these movies were not to be peppered with discussion, at least in her boyfriends eyes. “Well with that type of twitch…” she trailed off, then laughed. “No, last time I promise,” she told him, crossing her heart. “Besides, if I did have a strong emotion about something in the film, you’d know,” she told him, tapping the side of his forehead gently with her index finger.

She snuggled back into her spot next to Dan and allowed him to press play. She was quiet as promised, though her emotions weren’t exactly nonexistent. She felt pity for Rapunzel, being trapped up in the tower, and really hated Mother Gothel for lying to the girl for all those years. She laughed at the parts with Flynn Rider and the guardsmans’ horse and found herself humming along to the songs. By the end of the film though, Irina felt tears pinprick her eyes as Rapunzel thought Flynn had died. She found Dan’s hand and squeezed it tightly, just to reassure herself of his physical presence. She wiped away the tears quickly as it was obvious that Rapunzel had healed them and they went off to live happily ever after. “That was….excellent,” Irina declared as the credits rolled. “I don’t think I’d really fancy being kept locked in a tower for sixteen years though. I’d go mad.” She turned around, bouncing onto her knees on the bed and looking at Dan expectantly. “What’s next?” she asked, cocking her head to one side.

@daniel

[Deleted]

She had a good point, he would know if she had an emotional reaction to the movie even if she didn't say anything. Once the movie was playing again he hoped they would be safe from the pausing. They ate and snuggled the rest of the movie, and he could definitely tell which parts she liked more than others. It was actually really fun sensing someones emotions while watching a movie he'd already seen before. He didn't have to watch her face like most people did when trying to gauge people's reactions to movies. At the end he turned toward her as she spoke, grinning. "Now, Aladdin! It's one of the best ones," he realized he was going to say that about all of them...

One Aladdin and one Hercules later, they decided that was enough movies for one night and Dan laid back, offering for her to snuggle up with him with his arms open to her, "and now we sleep? Please?" he faux pouted.

Irina Rose Krum
(wrap it up please!)

[Irina Rose Krum]

After watching the next movie, Irina had to agree wholeheartedly that Aladdin was one of the best movies she’d ever seen. Of course, the movies she had seen she could count on one hand, but really! There was the pet tiger (who wouldn’t want a pet tiger), the magic carpet ride, and of course the hilarity that was the Genie. She was sad to find out that the man behind the hilarity had passed on, but at least his work would live forever. Next on Dan’s list was Hercules; she had of course read the mythology of the Greek gods, and thought she’d know the plotline going in. To her surprise, it was nothing like the myth! Hera was Hercules mother, Hades was the bad guy, and Meg had been Hercules’ first wife before Hera drove him mad and made him kill her, which sent him off on his Thirteen labors. Still, the movie was funny - it actually made her root for Hades at some parts - and it had a happy ending, something that seemed pretty common among Disney movies. The music was catchy too; she found herself humming along to the jazzy tunes.

As the credits rolled on Hercules, Dan turned off the TV and flopped down on the bed. “Who knew watching movies could make you so tired?” she said teasingly, though her own eyelids were drooping with fatigue. She curled up next to him and laid her head down on his chest. “Imagine if they ever lifted the ban on magic carpets; that’d better be the first thing we do,” she mumbled, already letting her eyes close. She yawned and snuggled closer, mumbling something resembling the words night night, before delving down into a deep, mercifully dreamless slumber.


the end