One Night Standards (Alfie)

[Deleted]

It’d been a couple of weeks since the whole Zombie Island debacle with Alfie, and the pair had pretty much been pretending like it had never happened in the days that followed. The first time that they had hooked up had been fuelled by alcohol after a night in on the firewhiskeys, and Esther hadn’t really made a big deal about it. In her mind, she’d had a good time and she didn’t see a problem with it... However Alfie’s refusal to acknowledge it by instead insinuating that he’d lost his memory, combined with the denial about this most recent kiss at the Halloween do had made it pretty clear to her that he had considered both of these occurances to be big massive mistakes.

And it was fine - they were totally cool. Esther understood that not everybody was cut out for casual flings with friends. It was easy enough for her to not have to worry about catching feelings when she was convinced that she was basically incapable of having any in the first place. Still, she had bones and blood and a beating heart like everyone else, and with those things came basic human needs, and one of those for Esther was the reason why she had woken up rough this morning, and why there was an undressed Quidditch player currently in her bed

Esther was sitting at the dining table that morning in their flat. Wearing a silk thigh length robe, her hair hung messily around her face as she shovelled cereal into her mouth in slow motion. She made minor moaning noises like she’d caught death in the form of a hangover, hunching over her breakfast bowl dramatically as she heard footsteps towards the kitchen, setting the stage for who she could only assume was Alfie approaching. Looking for sympathy, or maybe just to share a laugh with her friend, she could only hope she hadn’t kept him awake all night with whatever god awful noises could have been coming from her bedroom.

alfie edward o'callaghan

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

A sigh slipped from Alfie's lips as he crept open his bedroom door and poked his head out. Esther was sitting alone at their kitchen currently nursing a hangover, but all he could hear was a man breathing deeply on the other side of his wall. Alfie was beyond agitated. He was seething this morning after the ruckus provided by Esther and her boy toy of the night. He tried not to listen to them and to distract himself, but the sounds were constant. Admittedly, Alfie was jealous. It would be the ultimate challenge hiding it at this point. Another part of him was feeling incredibly hurt. Why would she shove some other male in his face like that?

Alfie wanted to ignore Esther for as long as he could, until at least the afternoon, but he also really craved coffee. It was a part of his morning ritual and set on a timer in the kitchen. He didn't always eat breakfast, but he'd always drink his coffee. It was already sitting on the counter for him, practically calling his name. The nonconfrontational part of Alfie didn't want to make a big deal about last night, but he also kind of did. He wanted her to know. So, Alfie made his way down the hallway and into the kitchen where Esther was sitting feeling sorry for herself. He wordlessly turned the bright kitchen light on. It flickered, which inwardly made him smile while trying to maintain a poker face. "Morning." he told her, lacking any enthusiasm in his voice he'd usually have while talking to the blonde. Alfie grabbed the coffee, turned on his heel, and started to walk toward his bedroom swiftly, curious if Esther would notice how pissed he was. It was the week of a Full Moon so he was more angsty than he'd like to admit.

@esther

[Deleted]

Esther knew it was only a matter of time before Alfie would emerge. He was a creature of habit in that regard. The shuffling of footsteps into the kitchen confirmed that, but it wasn’t exactly the reaction she had expected.



Alfie switched the bright kitchen light on and Esther winced, reaching her hand to her face to rub her temples and shield her eyes simultaneously. “...Morning” she replied to his greeting, hesitantly peeling her eyes open again as they slowly adjusted to the brightness. She noted how incredibly flat he sounded. Esther sat up straighter, fixing the semi-pretend hunch she’d adopted as part of her act to exaggerate her hangover and get a reaction from Alfie, because she hadn’t pulled it off the way she had imagined. It wouldn’t take a Legilimens to work out that her friend was in a mood, and she immediately felt guilty knowing that it was probably because she’d come in late last night with company, talking and laughing loudly and banging around the place. She even seemed to recall they had put loud music on at some point really early in the morning. And then of course there would have been the other noises, too.



As Alfie began to walk away in a huff, Esther called out after him, “Sorry if we kept you up all night…” The blonde rubbed the back of her neck seemingly abashed. “I was kinda wasted.” she added with a kind of sheepish chuckle.

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

Esther flinched to the lights turning on which gave him a slight burst of satisfaction. It didn't last long though.

When Esther apologized to him about the ungodly sounds that came from her bedroom he took a sip of his coffee. Kind of similar to what he did to students to make them continue to keep talking. Usually the less he said, the more they'd say, sometimes conveniently incriminating themselves. Alfie didn't want to hear any more details of her sexcapades. He'd heard enough, and had a wild imagination, and boy was he jealous. Alfie felt like it should have been him. Which sounded kind of weird but fuck he couldn't help how he felt at this point. It was so frustrating.

Alfie stayed standing because he wasn't planning on sitting with Esther this morning. Hell, he wanted her to know he was pissed at her. "You don't say..." he nodded but he couldn't ignore the gaping feeling in his chest. Alfie sighed, "Who is that anyway? Your new boytoy?" he asked dully..okay, maybe he came off more annoyed. As the words fell out of his lips he wished he hadn't asked. He didn't want to know because it hurt too much.

@esther

[Deleted]

If Alfie was trying to communicate that he was pissed off, he was doing a good job at it, that’s for sure. He was certainly effective in making Esther feel guilty, and as he retorted with "You don't say...", Esther skimmed her teeth over her bottom lip, eyes widening for a second in a rather surprised expression.

Clearly she had done the wrong thing and kept him up all night. She had acted obnoxiously and selfishly in her drunken stupor really, so she didn’t blame him for being annoyed. But that wasn’t it that had her a little stunned. It was really more that Alfie was usually so chill and forgiving? Maybe she’d just crossed a line this time? Or maybe it was something else? Regardless, she was conscious of treading lightly for the time being. She had resolved to just say nothing, allow him to go back to his room if he wanted and let it all blow over until he entertained her with a question.

"Who is that anyway? Your new boytoy?"

The blonde shrugged giving off an air of nonchalance because she usually played down the significance of random men she met since she knew it would never evolve into anything more than a casual thing. “Some guy called Freddie. You might know him actually - he plays Quidditch.” Mentioning that was really a tactic to see if she could get Alfie to lighten up. Maybe if Alfie knew him it would soften the blow a little and take the pressure off of her. Maybe he would cheer up a little if it turned out to be someone that Alfie knew in some way or another. As the sound of stirring occurred from her bedroom, it was apparent that they were about to find out.

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

Alfie didn't like the tension that was quickly growing in the kitchen. He was ready to hide in his bedroom for the rest of the day and ignore the clueless blonde. When she informed him on the man of the night, he sucked in his bottom lip, having to bite something. Was she trying to piss him off? Alfie didn't have anything nice to say, especially as he started to put pieces together.

So, she was Esther into quidditch players now or something? He couldn't remember a time she had ever been into young jocks. His stomach hit the floor at her poor decision making. Since moving to the UK, Alfie had developed an interest for quidditch. One of his favorite teams was the Ballycastle Bats. Alfredo or Freddie De La Vega was most likely who she was talking about if it was a 'Freddie' in the quidditch world. Merlin, he wish he didn't have a face to the name. This somehow made things so much worse.

Alfie couldn't hide it now. The words slipped past his lips and there was no holding back now. "Really? That kid from Brazil?" he asked her with a furrowed brow, following with a judgmental, "Isn't he a little young?" 

@esther

[Deleted]

Esther wasn’t really sure why Alfie had suddenly escalated the situation to being personal. She could understand why he’d be upset by her late night antics since it had affected his sleep, sure, but this wasn’t his usual joking tone. This wasn’t their standard taking the piss and teasing back and forth. As he furrowed his brow at her questioning her decisions, she couldn’t help but think he was being a little… nasty. She couldn’t help but feel judged.

Esther arched a brow at him then and slid her cereal bowl a few inches away from her signaling a loss in her appetite. She laced her fingers together in front of her resting her hands on the table. So he did know of Freddie, then. The description fit the young man currently waking up in her bed. So what if he was a little younger than what was conventional? They were both consenting adults just having a good time. No problem, right?

“What are you like my dad now?” She asked him coolly. Alfie was being such a dick! Were they coming up to a super super moon or something? “What’s your problem anyway? I said I was sorry. What else do you want me to say?” she got up and picked up what was left of her sad breakfast bowl and walked around into the kitchen past Alfie and dumped the remainder into the trash.

alfie edward o'callaghan

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

Alfie knew what he said was a low blow as soon as the words left his mouth. Deep down, somewhere inside of him, he regretted saying it. The words hurt. Alfie couldn't remember the last time he and Esther had actually fought about something that wasn't petty. Usually they would bicker and it would be more comical. There was nothing funny about this!

His lips formed a tight line when she asked if he was her dad now. Alfie sighed, suddenly feeling like he was talking with one of his students. Fuck. The Prodessor feigned a calm expression but alarms were going off in his head.

“It's probably just better not to talk about it.” he told her simply, raising the mug to his lips to take a sip of coffee... Now was a good time to leave but Alfies feet were suddenly rooted into the floor as the pair spiraled further into a soul-crushing altercation.

@esther

[Deleted]

There was a weird kind of energy in the place that Esther had never really experienced before with Alfie. Usually they were quite free to be themselves around each other, flaws and all, however she couldn’t help but feel that he was really upset with her, and over something quite trivial too. So what was the deal? There was more to it. Obviously.

Esther began to wash up her cereal bowl, Alfie still hovering in the kitchen beside her. He suggested that “It's probably just better not to talk about it.” and the blonde rolled her eyes rather dramatically. Of course he would say that - Alfie had an uncanny ability to completely avoid any topic that might be conventionally awkward, just like he had with her before, like that first time they had hooked up and he pretended not to remember it. She had let it go in the past, but now he had gotten her worked up. “Typical.” she muttered, though intentionally loud enough for him to hear her. It was then that her bedroom door creaked open and out emerged the young Quidditch player. He was dressed, but looked dishevelled in a cute bed-hair way.

"Morning." Esther addressed him rather flatly, barely taking a glance at the man. Hopefully he wouldn't make himself at home and just leave swiftly and gracefully the way that one night stands were intended. Especially given the vibe in the place wasn't particularly welcoming...

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

Alfie took in a huff of air when Esther muttered 'Typical.' That stung, only because it was true. Especially lately. Alfie couldn't remember a time he had been such a damn coward towards Esther. Hell, he'd never been good at romance, or dating, or one night stands, but usually, he didn't have to worry about those kinds of things with Esther. The more the Professor feared ruining their friendship, the more Alfie seemed to screw up. Nowadays, he found himself yearning for the blonde. He felt fucking pathetic.

Esther's door opened behind him, a bronze, shirtless body emerging from the dark bedroom. Alfie found himself wishing he didn't stay in the kitchen to see the brawn half-naked quidditch player as he casually made his way out of the bedroom. Alfie's jaw clenched, unsure of what to say. Luckily, the younger man greeted him first, puffing up to Alfie like a peacock. "Morning.." he greeted, seemingly noticing Esther's cold demeanor right off the bat. The kid looked stupid, but maybe he wasn't that stupid...

His eyebrows lifted, "Good morning. Sleep well?" Alfie asked awkwardly, in his typical Alfie fashion...immediately regretting that question. He cracked the smallest of smiles, clutching the coffee cup in his hands and taking a long sip as his eyes bolted over to Esther to see what the hell she was doing. "Just lookin' for my shirt--oh, there it is.." the quidditch player shared, picking up the shirt from off the couch and throwing it on over his head.

Alfie accidentally spit his coffee back into his cup as a reaction, a bit spilling onto his crisp white shirt. The images of what happened on their sofa flooding his imagination.

@esther

[Deleted]

Esther managed to barely curl the edges of her lips into a small smile at the Quidditch player as he greeted her back, clearly having picked up on her tone. She felt a flash of guilt about it, but the more overwhelming emotion was the frustration she felt was at Alfie and his childishness.

Her brows arched slightly as Alfie greeted the young man with a good morning and asked how he slept. Her gaze suspisciously moved from Freddie back to him where their eyes met and she shrugged vaguely. Freddie moved around the living room looking for his discarded shirt from the previous night and Esther kept her eyes set on Herbology Professor, watching curiously as he spat his coffee back into his mug.

He really was acting like a hot mess this morning and she would have laughed had it not been so weird and concerning. The coffee spilled onto his shirt and Esther's first reaction was to help him with it but she stopped herself mid-action and placed a casual hand on her hip instead, "Are you alright there, Alfie?" she asked him coolly, before turning back to Freddie who was at least clothed now. "Last night was fun, thanks." she told him, smiling a little more lightly this time. "I'll owl you or something, yeah?" she told him - not that she was at all genuine - and then proceeded to usher him out of the house. He gave Alfie a slight nod of the head as he took the hint and began to leave, seeming rather confused with whatever was going on in the kitchen between them.

[alfie edward o'callaghan]

This was so awkward. Alfie wasn't sure how he always got himself into these sort of situations. He couldn't get images of the quidditch player and Esther last night on their living room sofa. When Esther asked if he was okay, he didn't look at her. "Oh, just peachy keen.." he said flatly, clearly things weren't okay as he poured his cup of coffee into the sink. Alfie was going to retire back to his room but it seemed the quidditch player was leaving as he slipped on his shirt, Esther quickly started to escort him out and relief washed over Alfie when he realized she wasn't going to allow him to linger around. Alfie gave him a curt wave as he was rushed out the door.

Silence fell upon them, tension in the air was thick. He breathed in and leaned up against the countertop, "So, do you like him?" he asked her quickly, hazel eyes falling upon her before tearing away because he couldn't believe he asked so blatantly but it was obvious he wanted to know.  

@esther