middle of nowhere. [tag; honey]

"Yeah, that's kind of an old man's sport, isn't it?" Her grandfather liked golf, the one on the muggle side of her family, and he was, most assuredly, old. "And despite your taste in drinking venues..." she trailed off with a laugh, trying to figure out how best to work in a compliment about how fit he was, but coming up with nothing short of just flat out telling him. There would be plenty of time for that later, surely.

She grinned at his question, shrugging as he pinpointed her motivation for the class. "That is actually exactly it," she said, trying to be as casual as she could, shrugging it off like she really didn't need to keep an eye out on her competitors. Never mind that everyone else in the room was complete rubbish. "I was hoping inspiration would strike, but I got a little distracted." He could make it up to her for being the distraction, that much she was sure of.

Dogs? That grandfather from her earlier thoughts owned several, all work dogs on their farm, and every single one of them was a lovable ball of fur. But she had never had one of her own; apparently dogs and a chocolate shop weren't really great ideas to mix together. So sure, she liked them enough. And she was about to tell him as much when his hand was on her cheek, and Honey Bea couldn't focus on anything except how nice it felt there, how warm her face suddenly was, how much she was enjoying being so close to his face.

And then his face was on her face and Honey couldn't keep herself from grinning, even as she was kissing him back, both from the feel of his beard on her and from the sheer relief that he could actually take a hint. She quickly forgot where she was, enjoying herself far too much to care that anyone could see them, even getting just a bit more thrill out of it because they could. Her hands were in his hair, tugging at the locks as she leaned into him. The taste of ale was bitter on his lips, but for once she found herself not minding it at all.

There was a little cough from behind the bar, followed by a much louder and more obvious one. It took a lot of convincing to get Honey to peel her lips off of him, and once she did, she shot a very apologetic look to the barman, her gaze turning into an eye roll as he walked away. Her hands were still in his hair and she had every intention to continue what Will had started, but she at least waited until the barman busied himself with a large group of customers.

"I feel like I should ask you for your last name, but," she leaned in again, picking up where she had left off. His beard didn't startle her as much as it had before, but it still caught her off guard enough to make her smile into the kiss, her chin apparently a very ticklish part of her body.

"But," she started again, only vaguely remembering where she had been going with her train of thought. "The only thing I want to know about you right now is if you live any closer than Hogsmeade." She was impatient and was hoping to make it explicitly clear what she wanted. She leaned in once more, this time getting closer to tuck his hair behind his ear and whisper, "I'd like to do very inappropriate things to you and I don't want to offend the barman any more than I already have with my drink order."

She trailed her hand down his arm as she leaned back, settling it back to its original spot on his thigh. With her other hand, Honey finally picked up her glass to take a sip of her drink, immediately regretting the decision; she was definitely an 'only sweet is acceptable' kind of drinker and whatever had been attempted in her glass was no where near close. "You tasted much better than this drink does," she said with a grin, hoping not to be overheard by anyone behind the bar.

Will had to admit he wasn't this kind of guy.

His friends were, though. They hit bars and clubs like a pack of wolves, circling like sharks and picking off the weaker prey. It was a strange and amazing thing to watch. It was like seeing an elderly person break dance. It was so bewildering, he couldn't help but stare. Their success rate was pretty darn high but he couldn't bring himself to join their wolf pack. The fact that they called their group of friends a "wolf pack" might have something to do with it.

Maybe Will was riding the rush of adrenaline. Honey was as subtle as a sledgehammer and he'd be the first one to admit that she'd have to spell it out for him. As her hands were in his hair, he dropped his own from her cheek. They went to the back of her neck, applying a gentle force to keep her still before they brushed down her back, catching her bra strap through the material of her ruined jumper before sliding further down her spine to her hips.

He  had to do it now, he figured. Honey didn't seem like the type to wait around. Neither of them were doing anything untoward, it was perfectly fine. No one was getting upset. Her lips were soft and addictive. They felt like rose petals, all velvety. She tasted sweet, too, he'd noticed. He was just thankful he wasn't wearing his glasses in case they bumped noses.

He took a breath as they parted, looking a bit dazed and confused in the process. Will's eyes seemed a little darker in the dim light of the pub, his pupils dilated as he stared at her. His last name? What was his last name? He'd quite forgotten. He cracked a lopsided grin. "You can call me anything you want to," he replied honestly as he gathered her back to him. His hands were around her waist as he pulled, almost lifting her off the bar stool and on top his lap as they kissed deeply.

He was dimly aware of a dozen sets of eyes on them both as a shot of excitement dinged down his spine. Rather than replying to the cough, Will simply kissed Honey again. In the meantime, he lifted his left hand and held up his middle finger to the person who had tried to intervene. The action caused a little bit of laughter and someone grumbled into their pint, muttering something about "the youth of today". As they parted, he reached out and ran the pad of his thumb across her jaw line, both alarmed and pleased by the slight redness of a faint bead rash on Honey's face.

The kiss had gone smoothly but her next comment made him choke on his drink. Will managed to swallow the ale before it came out of his nose as he blinked back his tears and squinted at the redhead to make sure that this wasn't some sort of cruel and twisted joke she was playing with him. Her breath was hot on his ear and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing to attention. He paused. The voice inside his head was positively screaming at him. Half of him wanted to ask if she was sure and maybe walk her home but the other half, the much bigger half, wanted to go full on cave man, put her into a fireman's carry and break down the pub's door.

"I can't imagine that would be difficult," he joked. So she lived in Hogsmeade. It made sense after all. He was still recovering from the bomb shell that she was involved in Honeydukes. He had to admit that he was a little nervous. If he blew it now, he doubted he'd see her again and he did really want to. Taking the glass from her hand that she no longer wanted, he simply downed the contents before placing it back on the sticky bar. Taking her hand, he hauled her out of her seat and out of the pub, leaving a squad of gawking middle aged men behind them both.

Was he confident? Hell no. For much of the evening, Honey had seen him in dim lighting. Once bathed in the bright light of his apartment, she might just scream in horror. "I don't live far," he told her as he gripped her hand and lengthened his stride, leading her down a rabbit warren of dark and rain soaked streets. Will was a Londoner through and through. He knew a lot of shortcuts but thankfully, the journey from pub to home took less than ten minutes.

Will called Bedford Square home. The small square was lined with Georgian townhouses and a small green park in the middle. They walked diagonally across the centre, the street lamps illuminating their path. His flat was above the offices of Write Hand Press. With minor fumbling, they fell through the pale grey painted door of the fifth townhouse along. He cupped her face to kiss her once more before slipping off his coat before remembering his manners. "Can I take your coat?"

Inside the apartment was warm and cosy. The walls were a navy blue and grey and the ones that weren't painted in decadent hues were left as exposed brick. It was light and airy, which was a feat considering that Will effectively lived in the attic. They went upstairs and he flicked on the lights, showing quirky art and crammed bookshelves. Large windows showcased the glittering lights of London and the worn but comfortable dark brown leather sofas. "Drink?" He asked Honey over his shoulder as he hoped he had enough stuff in to make some sort of cocktail.

At which point his goofy and gangly and overly large Wolfhound, Dave, appeared. Sensing a new friend and possibly snacks, he sauntered over and sat directly on Honey's feet, wagging his tail and blinking at her. "Oh crap, sorry," Will said hastily as he tried to move the heavy dog. Grunting, he attempted to pick up the giant hound but to no avail. "Dude, come on," he hissed at the dog who turned and licked his face. "I have company. Go to bed."

He may have lived close, but the walk was taking what felt like an eternity. She was scolding herself for even suggesting the change of venue as she would have been completely content spending the rest of the evening in the pub, his face in close contact with her own, with none of this silly walking to cut into their time together. She honestly had no idea where they were going, not knowing her way around London very well, yet she was very close to making themselves very familiar with the next alcove or alleyway or stoop or even just the next darker-than-usual shadow when they cut across a park and it seemed like their final destination was finally in sight.

They could have apparated to and been inside her own home by the time Will got the door open, though he immediately made up for making her wait with another kiss. "I'm not wearing a coat," she pointed out, having quite forgotten one when she left for London. "Though if you want me to take my clothes off you only have to ask," she added with a sweet smile and a shrug. She was only somewhat joking, though he definitely seemed like he would want to get into his actual apartment before any of that happened. Honey Bea followed him up the stairs, fully enjoying the view she was receiving as she did so.

His shelves were stuffed with books the way hers were stuffed with sweets, and while the extent of her reading reached to various cookbooks, she definitely didn't mind. The view was exquisite too, and the one out the windows too shabby either, she noted with a smirk. Her own home was cramped but cosy, though now that she didn't have to share it with her entire family it was really quite nice. Living above Honeydukes had other perks too, like the continuous and permeating smell of chocolate, which Will would need to experience for himself some other night. Hopefully soon.

Drinks? If she had to, if that would help, but honestly Honey was starting to get impatient. She wanted more of what hr had started at the pub, what he had really started back at Annie's class when he made the very fortunate mistake of spilling her eggs and sugar everywhere. She wanted to get her hands on him, to feel her way around him, and find out everything else about him later. She was going to protest, to offer her own order of events, when he proceeded to throw yet another wrench in her plans in the form of a dog. She would have been upset if he hadn't been so cute, referring to both the dog and to Will.

"Oh, no, it's fine," she cooed as she reached down to scratch behind the dog's ear. Now the dog question from before was making sense, and she was thrilled to know his mind had jumped to bringing her home even before kissing her. "I'd miss you too if you left me at home all day," she kept her hand busy with the dog but looked across him to smirk at Will for a few seconds before continuing. "Plus he can probably smell the treats," she straightened up and reached a hand inside her bag. There were some plain white chocolate truffles lingering in there somewhere; she felt around for the roundest candy and pulled it out, checking the bright white foil wrapper before unwrapping it and holding it out for both Will and his dog to see.

She had just enough time to say "Dog friendly," before the phrase was put to test, but it was enough for him to not bother Will or Honey any further. "About that drink," she helped Will back up to his feet, closing the space between them and sliding her arms around his waist, not minding too terribly that one of her hands had aimed a little low. "Maybe we could just skip straight to afters." She let her lower hand give a little squeeze; there was really no point in trying to keep from being so particularly forward now that she was standing in his living room, especially now that she had already used her 'you taste better than this drink' line.

Honey stretched up to kiss him again before stepping back to pull her sweater up over her head,  all the while never breaking eye contact with him. She had on a thin but tight camisole underneath, but she was fairly confident that the effect of her undressing was all the same. She tossed it to the side, still maintaining her gaze. She was close to saying something along the lines of 'Is it hot in here or is that just you,' but instead settled on what she hoped was a very cool "Since you owe me a new one anyway." She finally looked away as she steadied herself as she stepped out of her boots.

"Or drinks and a tour?" She said with a light shrug, fully willing to take her time after realizing she was still standing in the entryway. "I'm in no rush," Honey reassured him, resuming her bum grabbing position in front of him.

This must be a cruel joke.

Absently, he looked over his shoulder briefly, half expecting a gaggle of his friends to jump out from behind the curtains and laugh at him. Will was feeling warm, despite his home feeling comfortable. He was sure he felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his neck. Honey made him uncomfortable, but it wasn't a bad thing. She was like a redhaired hurricane, a tour de force and he was all too happy to be swept away.

Dave the Wolfhound was far too large to be manhandled and so he sat, steadfastly, gazing at Honey with adoration as she unwrapped the sweet. Dave took it from her hand gently, his large tongue giving her palm a lick of thanks before he took it and retreated to his bed in the corner of the room and hunkered down. The writer laughed, flushing pink at her words. Whether they were true or not, he wasn't sure, but they were rather cute regardless.

His blush spread all the way down his neck swiftly as the tips of his ears turned bright red. "I, er, " he began, swallowing nervously. Whatever foolish notion he'd had at the bar had soon left him. It occurred to him, with pinpoint accuracy, just how far outside of his comfort zone he actually was. He must be enduring an out of body experience of sorts. All Will could do was watch in a dim sort of daze as Honey removed her jumper. In the second or two where her face was covered, he couldn't help but let his gaze drop. Big brown eyes scanned down the lithe forearms, to her perfectly ordered hips and the expanse of creamy white skin made him bite down hard on the insides of his cheeks.

Internally, he was screaming. His mind was boggling. This was absolutely mental.

Clearing his throat, Will slid a large hand through his dark tresses, looking a bit like Dave in the sense that he was utterly perplexed. Off came her shoes and he shifted his weight. Drinks? Oh right, drinks. He said he'd get her one. He didn't want to show her around. His toes curled in his socks as his thoughts jumbled. This, he felt, was a once in a lifetime opportunity and he needed to take it. Fast. He didn't think Honey was the type to wait around.

Stepping over to her, Will reached out. His warm finger gently and slowly tugged the strap of her camisole over her shoulder. He dipped his head, pressing his lips to the hollow of her clavicle, letting them slide their way leisurely over the curve of her shoulder. She'd been so forward and they were now so close. Will did appreciate all of her bum grabbing, he definitely needed the coaxing but he was pretty sure he could continue unaided.

Honey smelt nice. She smelt very feminine. A soft floral perfume and hints of other things; sugar, fresh air and excitement. Will slid his nose slowly up the side of her neck, placing a kiss just behind her ear as his warm hands dipped to her hips. Absently, they slipped beneath the thin material of her camisole and across the groove in her lower back, his fingertips stroking up her spine in slow, feather-light movements. He could feel the heat clinging to her body and despite them both being fully clothed, his mind was running away with itself.

Her skin was smooth and soft and even with his eyes closed, he could feel the way she was reacting to him. Outside, it had started to rain again. So high up, he could hear the rain smattering against the glass, slowly trickling down the planes as the droplets reflected the city lights below. In here was safe and warm. Grabbing the hem of her camisole, it was up and off her body almost instantly, tossed carelessly with her discarded jumper as he took a  half step backwards.

"If I was artistic, I'd paint you," he said with a slow grin as he admired her exquisite curves. Her eyes seemed so large in the dim light, it was awfully enchanting. "But I can't so I'm just going to have to make you breakfast. Here we go." With that, he stooped and picked Honey up as though she weighed nothing and tossed her over her shoulder, her hipbones colliding with his collarbones in a fireman's lift. Giving her a jiggle, his long legs strode directly to the bedroom as he kicked the door behind him.

Every part of her was tingling as his fingers traced around her lower back and she was eager to return the favor. She was melting into him, fitting almost perfectly into his arms, her neck arching almost to its full potential to give him as much area as possible to explore with his lips. Every few kisses would cause her to bite her bottom lip, determined not to laugh at how ticklish his beard was. This was too good a moment to ruin with that.

Her hands found his waistband, only to be met with a belt in her way, which she definitely didn’t have enough time or resolve to deal with. She settled for getting her hand under his shirt, which in retrospect was not a bad option at all. Honey hardly had any time to enjoy it, though, as he tugged at her hem and he had to relinquish her grip to free up her arms to help him in his efforts. She could understand him wanting to look at her, but all she wanted was for him to hold her again, to give her that sense of wanting. She wasn’t usually one for the long buildup, though now she was questioning just why that was.

“Pity,” she said with a pout, watching his face as his gaze drifted south, her pout quickly turning into a grin to match his own. His comment about breakfast caught her off guard, even though she was staring straight at him, and it took her longer than she would like to admit to understand just what he was talking about. But before she could even start thinking about something equally clever to say in return, she was up and over Will’s shoulder, one arm snaking around his waist for a bit of stability. Her other hand, however, was at the perfect level to grab his bum one more time, and she did so without hesitation.

She had absolutely been expecting the evening spent together, but she had been fairly confident up until this point that she was going to have to be the one to initiate things, despite him being the one to kiss her first at the pub. And as he closed his bedroom door behind him and tossed her down onto his bed, she had never been more excited to be wrong.

DONE. boom baby