[shorditch] I can't see where you comin' from... [jane]

...But I know just what you runnin' from.

It had been a few months since Jane and Darren had started sleeping together and it was going surprisingly well. Darren loved that she spent nights at his house. He loved her being around and he didn't even mind that she had started leaving things over. Normally Darren was the one nighter kind of guy. He rarely ever even brought girls to his flat because then the crazy ones would know where he lived and he didn't want to deal with that sort of drama. Everything was different with Jane. They had always been close, she was probably the best friend he would ever have in his life, but throw sex in too, and everything was perfect. He woke up with a smile on his face that only grew as he saw her beautiful blond hair spread out over the pillows next to him. Now that school was back in Darren had the apartment to himself again and it was just the two of them now. Last night had been particularly exciting when Jane came over. They watched zombie movies, drank beer, and then moved the party to his bedroom.

This morning when he woke up he kissed her on the forehead before leaving to use the loo. Sometimes Darren felt like a different person was staring back at him when he looked in the mirror. He was far less angry, he couldn't even remember the last time he threatened Alvin in the past couple months. Jane must of done this to him. He pushed his dark hair out of his face and then brushed his teeth. Retreating from the bathroom he went down the small hallway to the kitchen, he was starving. He looked in his fridge: beer and day old pizza from the parlor underneath his flat... not what he had in mind. He looked outside at the snow that was falling and then decided it was time to wake up the angel in his bed. He turned on the coffee pot and washed out two mugs while it brewed. He hoped the smell of fresh coffee would be enough to get her out of bed because he was not looking forward to the wrath of Jane when he roused her before she was ready.

After pouring his coffee black and fixing hers up the way he knew she liked it he crossed back to the bedroom. He set the mug down on the crate next to her side of the bed and smiled. "Good morning." He said and then took a sip of his own coffee. She didn't move, so he pulled the covers down off of her a little. He was pleasantly surprised to see her still barely clothed from the activities of last night. "Jaaaaane." he taunted with a playfulness in his tone that was rare. "As much as I'd love for you to lounge around my flat dressed just like that all day, there is nothing here to eat." He waited for her to start moving around and continued to sip his cup of coffee every so often. "Lets go and get breakfast?" His scratched his bare stomach with his free hand and then ran it through his hair yet again. He thought about kicking the bed but he didn't want to make her mad at him. He just wanted her to get up so he could take her to breakfast. He was trying really hard to be a good guy when it came to her, he hoped she realized just how much work he was putting into this. And most of all he hoped it would be enough.

Jane Lennon was not a morning person, and particularly not on her days off. Thus, she was less-than-pleased when she heard Darren trying to wake her up. Perhaps if she ignored him and pretended to still be asleep, he would go away and try again later? No. No, he wouldn't. This was Darren Hadditch. He was persistent. Too persistent. Ughhh.

"Alright! Alright. I'm up." Rubbing her eyes, Jane sat up and then stretched. What time was it? Running one hand through her hair, her eyes searched for a clock. Ten o'clock? Well, that wasn't too dreadfully early. She looked over at Darren, offering him a small smile. "Good morning, Darren." Sometimes she wondered how she had gotten so lucky to finally at least be slightly more than friends with him. She had wanted this for a very, very long time. And, now, she finally had it. However, she couldn't help but want more.

She wanted more than just shagging. She wanted a relationship. But, she was scared to say anything. Maybe eventually, though? Maybe today? Maybe. Maybe not. She looked to her side and noticed the coffee that he had poured for her. I say poured because she didn't really like anything done to it. She drank her coffee black. Reaching over, Jane took the cup and brought it to her lips to take a sip or two. Mmmmh. "Thank you for the coffee. I guess I won't beat you up for waking me, now. Ass." She grinned to show that she was teasing before putting the coffee back and getting up out of bed.

Grabbing her jeans, Jane pulled them on as she made her way to the bathroom. She had left a toothbrush there, just for occasions such as this. Nobody liked morning breath. Wetting her toothbrush before putting the toothpaste on it, she called out to him. "So, where are we going for breakfast?" With that, she brushed her teeth, spit, and then rinsed her toothbrush before placing it back in it's little spot. The thought made her smile. She hadn't ever brought her things to Padraig's and left them there. Somehow, with Darren, it felt right... even if they weren't technically together. They had been best friends since they were eleven years old. He knew things about her that nobody else did.

After brushing her hair to get rid of her bedhead, Jane walked back to Darren's bedroom. She finished getting dressed by pulling her t-shirt and hoodie on, and then she sat on the bed to pull her socks and sneakers on. All ready.

"Happy now?"

He thought about backing away as she started to move around, just in case any fists came flying at him. Jane wasn't the most fun person to wake up in the world but he had tried his best to be delicate about it. She promised to not beat him up since he brought her coffee and the idea make him laugh out loud. "What a relief." He shot back at her, a flirty smile on his lips. He watched as she rose from the bed and started to put her clothing on, that made him frown a little, but then he reminded himself that it meant he could have fun taking them off again later. When she left the room he set his cup of coffee down on the crate by the bed and then went to the cardboard box in the corner where he kept his clean clothing. He really needed to buy furniture, but that was pretty low on his to-do list. Digging through it he heard her yelling from the bathroom. "The Diner, where else would we go?" Darren replied with a smart tone, it wasn't like there were any other plausible options. Darren had grown up in Shoreditch and even though he had moved out of his parents house he hadn't moved far. Jane and Darren had been going to the same diner since they were young, even when they only had enough money to buy a cup of coffee and sit there for hours.

He pulled off the pajama bottoms he had on and slid into a pair of dark jeans and then turned to face her as she walked back into the bedroom to finish getting dressed. She was a tornado of energy it seemed and before he realized it she had beat him in the race to get ready. She was sitting on the bed pulling on her socks and shoes and Darren had yet to find a proper shirt to put on. "Slow down." He said with another playful grin and then turned back to his box of clothing. Pulling out a green shirt and then a pair of socks that were as close to matching as he felt like looking for her joined her on the bed. He put on his socks and then finally his shirt. "Of course, we could always just stay for a little while and... work up an appetite?" He arched a brow at her and grinned. He was already hungry but that didn't mean he wouldn't rather stay here with her, if she was in the mood. He waited a moment and then stood up, ears open for her reply, which he assumed would be something smart. He grabbed a striped gray and black hoodie from the ground and swung it up over his head.

"Its your call?" He said, sweater half on. He pulled it the rest of the way down and then grabbed his wand off the crate where the coffee cups were. He would wash them out later... probably.. eventually. Cleaning was not Darren's strong suit but luckily for him he had a girl who didn't seem to mind too much. He tucked his wand into his back pocket and then patted the pockets of his jeans instinctively, he needed to find his smokes.

The Diner. Of course. What had she been thinking? Whenever Darren had visited her, even over summer holiday when they were in school, that was always where they went. Greasy food was her favorite, and they had plenty of it at The Diner. Thankfully, she had always lived a pretty active lifestyle to burn off all of those calories.

Jane smiled when she walked out of the bathroom, enjoying the view as Darren was changing. He really was gorgeous, and he knew it. She laughed at his instruction to slow down, and rolled her eyes. "And women are the ones who take forever to get ready, right?" She snickered, grinning at him as he sat down beside her. After what he said next, she couldn't help but roll her eyes again.

"I just got dressed. I'm not getting naked again.. yet."

She smirked at him, then getting up to grab her wand off of the same crate where his had rested and sticking it in her back pocket. She grabbed her pack of cigarettes off of the crate as well, and gave Darren a small smirk. "Need a cigarette?"

"Normally, yes." He replied quickly at her jab about women usually being the ones to take the longest to get ready. Although Jane, as usual, didn't fit that mold either. It was just another reason that Darren was so interested in her. She was different from anyone he had ever met and some how she was everything he had ever wanted at the same time. "Is that a promise?" He winked at her with a quick, cheeky smile. He hoped she'd take off her clothes again soon. As soon as possible if Darren had his way, which he tried very very hard to get. "Because I hope it is." He smiled again and now that he was finished getting ready he was really starting to crave that cigarette. If only he could find the bloody things. Before he found them Jane was there and offering, he nodded and reached for two of them out of her pack. Putting both squares between his lips he used the tip of his wand to light both and then handed one back to her. A larger than normal exhale of smoke escaped his lips and then he inhaled again.

"Thanks."

He still needed to find his own pack so that they could get going. He walked out of the bedroom and into the little living area and found what he was looking for. Sitting on the couch, inches away from behind swallowed up by the cushions was the white and red pack of smokes he'd been searching for. "Got em'" he spoke loud enough for her to hear, the lit cigarette hanging off of his lips casually as he did. "Lets get going then?" He moved toward the door and held it open for her to pass through before shutting it and using his wand to put up the charms and enchantments to keep unsavory folk out. Once he was finished he turned around and walked down the stairs that scaled the side of the old building. Making his way to the side walk he turned left to take the familiar path that led to the diner. He had taken this walk with Jane more times than he could count but today felt fundamentally different. Before they had been friends, and now they were more than that. The whole idea made Darren nervous which was something he rarely felt. He thought about reaching out for her hand but suddenly the idea seemed foreign to him.

Instead of doing something cute, romantic, or charming he fell back on his default of being her friend. That was the way it had been for so long Darren sometimes had a hard time falling out of the routine. Of course, sleeping with her hadn't been a challenge, but the rest of it was new to the eldest Hadditch boy. He had never been in a 'relationship' and he wasn't even sure if that's what this was, not that he was going to bring up the topic. He was totally fine with the dynamic between them staying exactly how it had been aside from the part where they slept together and she didn't sleep with anyone else. "So the Christmas Cup is coming up, we might still be able to get tickets... if you want to go?" He assumed she would, Jane was on the Quidditch team back when they were in Hogwarts and they both loved the sport. Darren had never been good enough to make the house team, or at least he had never really tried to be. Once his brother became captain he had given up on trying all together because there was no way he would let Alvin have any kind of control over him.

"England's got a pretty good line up this year, that Sorcha Coghlan is kind of a bad ass." He spoke about Quidditch fluently and with ease. He wanted to go to the Christmas Cup but even more than that he wanted to go with her. He hoped she would accept his invitation because he had actually already bought the tickets for the two of them. It took him two weeks of back room gambling to save up the sickles for them but he didn't plan on telling her that part. Actually there was more and more he didn't plan on telling her these days. As they both grew older it seemed like they had begun to run in separate social circles. Her being an auror in training, a contributing member of society, and he was a small time thief and all around menace. He hadn't intended for it to be this way but when he thought about it he didn't really see it going any other way. As of now Darren hadn't really broken any big laws, just done things that were... frowned upon... but he didn't want her to be the one frowning upon him, so he didn't bring them up.

Jane laughed at Darren's question as to promises. "Not a promise. Just... an objective. Something to work toward. Yes?" He was lucky that she cared so much for him, because he truly was impossible at times. But, she loved him. She knew that she did, as she always had. It was the little things that he did, really, that made her love him. The way he looked at her. The way he teased her. The way he insisted on lighting her cigarettes.

She smiled up at him. "And thank you." Taking a long drag, she exhaled as he exited the room. She soon followed suit, glad that it did not take him long at all to find his own smokes. She then grabbed her heavy, leather jacket and put it on.

"Yes. Let's." With that, they were both outside and down the stairs [after Darren had set up his wards and such, of course]. She had grown up in this neighborhood. Everything was familiar. The people, the places... Speaking of the people, there was Mr. Ashley. Sr., they called him. He was one of the only decent father-figures that Jane had had, growing up. And her best guess was, from the look on his face, that he intended on giving her a fatherly lecture later...

Giving the older man a smile and a wave, she continued to walk alongside Darren. Wait. The Christmas Cup. "You're serious? I'd love that." She smirked, not being able to resist teasing him. "Sounds a little like a date, though, don't you think?" Grinning, she was even so bold as to drape an arm across his back. "You're kind of sweet, when you want to be, Darren Hadditch."

Giving him a playful wink, Jane thought to herself that she wouldn't really mind an actual date with him. I mean, they were already shagging... What would be the harm in actually trying to have a normal, functioning romantic relationship? Hm...

As they walked down the street Darren noticed Jane make eye contact with Mr. Ash, as he had come to call him, and smirked. He waved at the older man with a big, proud smile that clearly said 'Guess what we did last night old man..' and continued to walk. After asking her to go to the Christmas Cup with him Darren felt a weird nervous pang in the pit of his stomach. He pushed it down, pretending it was just hunger, and listened for her answer. She said yes, and the tightening in his gut started to unfold, and then she started messing with him, and he felt normal again. He was happy that she had agreed to go with him and when she called it a date he thought about correcting her. And he also thought about not correcting her. She slid her arm around his back and he followed by putting his arm on her shoulders, holding her as close as he could without having to stop walking. "Don't tell anyone that." He whispered, a playful tone in his voice. "The people around here with think I've gone soft and then their goes the Hadditch name." He imitated 'there goes' with his fingers, like a little explosion going 'poof' and then planted a kiss squarely on her lips.

He assumed she would know he was kidding but in a sense he wasn't. Darren was having a hard time figuring out who he was when he was with Jane. When he was with the neighborhood thugs, other wizards, his little brother, he knew exactly who he was and what he wanted at every moment. And he was quite clever when it came to getting it. With Jane however, things had begun to change more rapidly than before. Before he was confused, but stable. Now he found himself in a whirlpool of mixed emotions and thoughts. Things he never thought he would want he suddenly found himself craving. Things he would normally do seemed immoral to the Dark Wizard. It was strange how someone could come into your life and completely upend everything you thought you knew. Darren was struggling to stay afloat but when she threw around words like 'date' and 'sweet' she was really rocking the boat. Part of him wanted it to be a date, but most of him was terrified that if this became something real, it would be over too soon. Darren stayed out of relationships because he had never been with anyone he actually cared about before. He'd much rather just mess with people's heads and leave them hanging.

He was not okay with someone turning the tables on him.

"Don't tell anyone, eh?" Jane couldn't help but to tease him further. "Are you ashamed of me?" Wait. Was he? I mean... she was an auror-in-training. The blonde frowned for about a microsecond before forcing a smile back to her lips just before he kissed her. She returned the kiss, albeit a little half-heartedly.

Did he even want to be with her? Or was he just sticking around for the sex? I mean, of course they had been best friends since they were eleven. Still, though. Running her free hand through her hair, Jane's mind began to wander. Did he want her as his girlfriend? If not now, then would he ever? Why did it even matter? Did she really want to complicate things? Though, if she actually thought about it, things were already complicated between them.

She was already in love with him.

The thought hit her, and soon she began to feel anxious. Why was it that, whenever she was faced with the possibility of having genuine romantic feelings for someone, she panicked? Did that say something about her character? Was she really that damaged? Possibly. But, she did want to be his girlfriend. She did love him. And the idea definitely scared her. However, she was a Gryffindor. She was supposed to stand up to her fears.

Jane looked up at him cautiously as they walked, and opened her mouth to speak. "Would that really be so bad, though? A real date? ...Wouldn't you ever want to be my boyfriend? I mean... it couldn't be that awful, to have a real relationship, right?"

Would that really be so bad?

Darren thought about her question for a while, possibly long enough for her to get impatient and think he wasn't listening before he finally responded. She had asked him quite a few things all at once and he wasn't mentally prepared to answer all of them. Whether or not he would ever be emotionally prepared to answer them was still unknown. He swallowed hard. "No that wouldn't be so bad." And then he smirked and said something he probably shouldn't of. "You put out after dates right?" He nudged her with his side and then smiled playfully. She was being serious but he was incapable of having that conversation right now. He had no idea what he wanted. Months ago he would of said hell no and possibly ran for the hills, but everything was different now. Parts of him never wanted her to leave his side. He wanted her near him all the time, and he assumed that was what being in a relationship was. He had a pretty badly skewed idea about relationships though. He had never been in one, and every one he'd ever witnessed had been terrible.

He knew he would never treat her like his father treated his mother. Jane deserved better... but was he capable of giving her better? Or was he destined to be another jack ass like his father? He bit the inside of his lip, the pain helping him to focus. He knew she wasn't going to give up that easy. He assumed she would want a real answer so he thought about it some more. "Why do we have to put the label on it?" He asked with a little bit of a frown. Darren was direct when he spoke to her, dropping his arm from her shoulders and taking a large step so that he was standing in front of her, facing her, and blocking her from walking. For a brief moment Darren had clarity on the situation, for a fleeting second he was able to tell her how he really felt. However his revelation blinded him from realizing it might not of been what she wanted to hear, and so he spoke. "I want you, I want to be with you. I only want to be with you. Can't that be enough?" It was a hell of a lot more than he had ever afforded anyone else before.

Jane smiled at Darren's response, and then laughed out loud at what he said next. "Well, it depends on how good the date is." She winked playfully at him as they walked, and pushed him lightly with her hip. At least he hadn't completely shot her down? She supposed that she was proud of him for that. She reasoned that they were definitely dating, and dating exclusively. That is, she was not seeing or sleeping with anyone else. He had better not be, either, if he knew what was good for him. However, based on his behavior, she could guess that he was not. He was smarter than that.

Ugh. But, why did she have to rock the boat? Now he was being too serious. She stopped as he pulled away from her and stood in front of her, blocking her path. "Because, you mean something to me. And I don't want to be just your little shag buddy." She looked up at him. "But... if you don't want that, then I understand. Just... let me know if you plan on seeing anyone else. Because I can't do that." Jane found herself frowning a little, crossing her arms over her chest.

He said that he wanted her, and only her. She supposed that that was good enough. "Yeah... I suppose." Jane offered him a small smile. "Do you want to go to the Regan New Years Eve party with me, as my date, anyway? It's pretty formal, but... I can't think of anyone else that I'd want to go with."

The fact that she didn't want to be his shag buddy didn't surprise him but the words still stung a little. Normally that was exactly what he wanted from girls. Even calling them 'buddies' was too presumptious for Darren most of the time but that wasn't what he wanted from her. It might have started out that way but things were changing all around him and he was smart enough to know the difference. Even if he couldn't explain it. He sighed when she said she couldn't do that, mirroring her small frown. He wanted to reach out and tell her that wasn't what he had intended on but he couldn't find the words. Darren was a wordsmith but he wasn't exactly an emotional puppy dog. He had told her the best answer she was going to get from him and even that tiny bit of heart had drained him. It was difficult for Darren to trust anyone let alone think he might be falling in love with her. She was something special indeed. He moved back to stand beside her and wrapped his arm around her once more, he had missed her being close. Darren was independant and he was having a hard time understanding the feeling he got when she wasn't pressed up against his body. He just wanted her around all the time, even though that was less than plausible.

With the life he led having Jane around was actually a terrible idea. She might not rat him out or investigate him on purpose but he had a feeling she wouldn't turn a blind eye if he blatantly broke the law right in front of her. Besides they were doing so well, he hadn't been chewed out in a while, he wanted to keep that streak going as long as he could. She asked if he would go to the Regan ball with her and that made his eyes grow a bit wider. That was a real date. Dresses, and Suits, and Champagne... that was intense. He took a moment to think about the answer even though every fabric of his being was screaming 'say yes!'. Darren wanted to go to the Regan ball either way. He was trying to get more jobs and more of a reputation in the real world. He wanted out of the kiddie pool of petty crime and it was difficult, even for someone as smart and dedicated to the cause as Darren Hadditch.

"Yes we should go together." He said finally, even though she might take his pause as hesitation he hoped that she didn't. This whole dating thing was new to Darren and he was still learning. At least he was still trying, most girls never got even a fourth of the attention that he was dedicating to Jane Lennon. He had always given her most of his attention though, he couldn't help himself. "So when you say formal does that mean you will be wearing a dress?" He asked as the corners of his mouth turned up into a smirk. She usually showed up in jeans and leather jackets, not that he minded, but seeing her all dressed up made him smile. He didn't have a tux or dress robes but he would deal with that problem later. "Come on lets get going, I'm hungry." He pulled her to a faster walk but not so fast that they couldn't speak as his stomach rumbled. Crossing the street and then entering the diner he smiled at the familiar setting. Everything around him was changing but at least they still had this one tradition.


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