dynamite with a laser beam [elias]

The goosebumps that covered his arm where he was lightly touching Edith's back caught Elias by surprise. He supposed it was to be expected in a situation like this; he had been on edge the entire second half of the match, and now he and Edith were closer to this creep than he had ever wanted either of them to be. His face was calm as he waited for Edith to confirm that she was ready to leave, to follow through with the plan she had set for them at halftime, but he could feel his heart rate kick up a notch as the adrenaline set in. He wanted to appear natural and confident, as though bringing his fake girlfriend her coat and escorting her out at the end of the date was a common occurance. His instinct to draw closer to her had been successful on one count: they seemed to fit together naturally, her head at just the right height for him to look down at her and admire the way she looked wrapped in his arm. On the other hand, it was distracting and confusing to try to deal with this new form of interaction and how soft and warm she felt when he was fighting off the inebriation and trying to stay focused on the situation at hand.

Fortunately, Edith took the hint and confirmed that she was not interested in staying to drink or flirt with the man who, in Elias' opinion, was not even close to being in her league. The man and Elias both watched as Edith drove the point home, wrapping her arms in turn around his waist. Elias drew her in automatically, moving his arm as she did and holding her close until the offending party finally resigned and turned back to his own group of friends. Elias smiled down at her as she complimented him, automatically releasing the gentle pressure on her back so that she could step away, like they did, but Edith didn't move. He looked at her in surprise for a moment, confused by her behavior. She released him a moment later, and Elias pushed the moment out of his mind as soon as she started pulling on her jacket. She had definitely had too much to drink.

He hated to leave her alone, but the bill needed settling and he certainly was not going to let fourteen drinks be put on Edith's tab on her birthday weekend. He touched her elbow lightly to catch her eye and let her know where he was headed before making his way to the bar. Fortunately, he waas able to pay quickly as most of the patrons were still distracted by the win. His jacket was on moments later and he was out the door only a minute behind Edith, who was waiting dutifully for him outside.

The quiet out on the street was a strong contrast to the noisy pub and a bit of a relief. Elias felt himself calming down again now that Edith was fine; now outside and away from the hoardes of drunken men trying to take Edith's attention, he could see that maybe he had taken his job a little more seriously than she had intended him to, as seemed to often be the case. He smiled at her all the same, hoping she didn't really mind and was as glad to be in his company as he was to be in hers.

"Where to, birthday girl?" he asked, hoping to recover their usual casual dynamic and let down his guard again. He knew Edith wasn't the type to necessarily appreciate friendly gestures. While casually placing his hand on the waist of another friend after a night of drinking was hardly uncommon for Elias, he tried to make an effort to tone it down when they were hanging out. He wanted to be there for her, not stress her out, and he knew her well enough to expect that she would have been more than a little nervous about his behavior inside.

Edith pointed in their new direction and Elias followed, not sure where they were going but not really minding. All of the drinks and the sudden change from stressful situation to a happy and relaxed afternoon had made him a little light-headed. He looked down in surprise as Edith looped her arm around his, and he immediately looked behind them to see if some other suitor had followed them out of the pub. Slightly confused, Elias looked down at her, trying to figure out why they were continuing the charade from inside, but Edith seemed perfectly at ease. There she went, surprising him again. Whenever he thought he had her figured out, she found a new part of herself to share with him. It was amazing.

Though surprised by her new comfort with him, Elias found himself settling into their rhythm as they walked along the mostly-empty streets. The air outside was chilly, but he was perfectly warm. Another side effect, he was sure, of the copious amount of alcohol he had just consumed. He was fairly sure that it had nothing to do with the fact that she had chosen him to leave the pub with. It was no matter that they'd never entered or exited a scene in this fashion before.

As they walked, however, he had to admit that there was something about being there for Edith in a way that no one else could that made even an admittedly foreign and objectively strange way of interacting feel like the absolute natural thing to be doing. It didn't mean anything beyond what it was: Edith had asked for his help and he had been her friend. Her best friend. Elias knew Edith better than anyone else, he was certain of it, and he knew there was no reason for her to be spending time with any of those strangers from the bar when she could be strolling about London arm-in-arm with him.

"Mm," he agreed contentedly. It had been fun, even with all of the stress of supervising her drinking and keeping competitors at bay. "I had no idea you had such an action-packed day planned for us." They turned down another street rather haphazardly, and Elias was suddenly grateful their arms were linked. Clearly, Edith didn't have a destination in mind or full control of her motor abilities. It made sense now that she had taken his arm, and he felt silly for not seeing why she needed it before. Unfortunately, he was hardly at his most stable after seven drinks, and the cobblestone street they were moving down was not making navigating easier for either one of them. He caught her arm as she tripped over the uneven terrain, doing his best to keep them both upright. Laughing, he turned to steady her again, one hand on her waist and the other still on her free arm.

There was a small courtyard just up the street, so Elias steered her gently into it and onto a park bench, where she could recover a bit out of the wind. "How about we sit for a while?" he asked, smiling down at her again. She might be in charge for the day, but he wasn't going to let her faceplant in the middle of the street. Sitting beside her, he gave her a sideways look before bringing up the subject he had expected to breach far before now. "I'm surprised you haven't asked about your birthday present."

Edith figured that eventually they would come across another pub, but until then, the walking was nice. "So much action," she mused, taking a glance at a nearby clock on a bank sign. It was only a little past two and yet they had probably already had enough to drink to last them through the weekend. Plus, she hadn't actually planned anything for after the match. Hopefully he wasn't counting on her having done so or he was going to be wildly disappointed.

Elias realized she was tripping before she did; she had already forgotten that their arms were linked, it had felt so natural. But thankfully they were or she was likely to have made really good friends with the pavement. "Oops," she said between laughs, grateful that Elias was there to help her find her balance. She had the fleeting thought that maybe she should trip again, solely so he could catch her again, but that was a silly idea, wasn't it?

She nodded along at his suggestion to sit, thinking that sitting sounded awfully appealing. Why couldn't they sit in a pub, though? It had been at least twenty minutes than the last shot, right? Perfect time for more. But she let Elias guide her into the courtyard and onto a bench. She looked around as she sat down, the realization sinking in that she had absolutely no idea where they were, even though she lived nearby. Or she thought she did. Eh, she'd figure that out later.

"Oh!" Edith clapped her hands together, looking up at Elias excitedly. "Birthday present!" She held out her hands expectantly, scooting just a tad closer. Closer to the present. Not Elias. They had never really exchanged gifts, at least nothing more than buying each other the occasional beer at holidays, so she wasn't sure what to expect. Wait, did this mean that she now had to buy him a birthday present? She could hardly remember when that was right now, let alone remember the etiquette of gift giving.

Her mind rambling was interrupted, however, as Elias reached inside his jacket and retrieved a small, thin box and placed it lightly in her outstretched palms. "So fancy," she commented, shaking the box lightly to test the contents. It wasn't really that fancy, just a plain white box, but for someone that didn't really receive presents that often it was over the top. In a nice way. She stopped shaking the box after a few seconds and carefully (or as carefully as someone with a copious amount of tequila in her system could be) removed the top, her mouth forming a perfect "o" as she looked at her gift.

"Wow," was all Edith could manage to say, though she felt that it sufficiently expressed her surprise, appreciation, and gratitude. She plucked the bracelet out of the box and held it up to her face, moving her glasses farther down her nose with her free hand so she could take a better look. It was a simple silver chain with a dangly charm, and not just any dangly charm, but one with the United club logo on it. "Now I don't feel bad about making you watch the match with me," Edith said with a grin, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and holding out the bracelet for Elias to take. "Can you put it on?"

Instead of pushing the sleeve of her jacket up, she maneuvered it off completely; it was getting warm in the sun without the wind to cool her off. She held out her arm across him, her palm closed but facing up. She was trying to stay as still as possible to make it easier but she was too excited for her new piece of United merchandise to be very successful in her efforts.

Clearly the idea of birthday presents hadn't crossed Edith's mind until now, as her sudden excitement about the prospect made clear. Elias reached promptly into his inside jacket pocket, not wanting to make the birthday girl wait a second longer, and presented her with the thin, white box. He leaned back again after she had taken the gift from him, casually draping his arm over the back of the bench as he watched her shake the box like a little kid on Christmas Eve. He watched her face carefully as she lifted the lid, hoping his gift would be as well-received as he had expected.

He could tell she liked it right away, and that warm feeling he was starting to associate with being around a happy Edith was back. He had felt confident when he had seen the charm bracelet in a muggle shop the week before that she would like it, and her excitement about the gift was yet another confirmation that Elias knew how to make her happy. Why it was so important lately to prove that, he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was residual guilt from not being able to help her in January or maybe he was simply looking for justification in escorting her away from the others trying to take her attention at the bar or at the office.

"Of course," he replied immediately, and pushed his worries to the back of his mind (these jumbled, alcohol-induced concerns were for a later time) so that he could focus on the task at hand. Elias carefully lifted the chain from Edith's hand at her request, and after she had wriggled out of her jacket and presented her arm to him, moved to wrap the bracelet around her wrist.

Delicately brushing against the inside of her soft, pale wrist with his fingers felt, somehow, like the most intimate thing they had ever done. It was strangely more foreign than casually touching her waist and holding her against him as he defended her. His fingers worked as gracefully as they could at the clasp, but the alcohol made him clumsy and he missed on the first attempt. His warm fingers grazed her cool skin again and he was caught with the strange desire to make the moment last a bit longer, perhaps by intentionally struggling with the clasp again or dropping the chain from one hand. But he knew he was already taking too long and his dignity prevented him from following such a ridiculous instinct. He gathered his focus, fighting the lingering intoxication, and carefully placed the smaller end of the chain inside the clasp. He snapped it shut before lowering the chain onto Edith's arm, carefully avoiding her eye in case his inappropriate fascination was showing on his face. But as he pulled away, he couldn't resist the urge to graze his thumb along the base of her palm and feel that tingling sensation one more time. How bizarre.

He carefully reassumed his previous position before he looked at her, delaying the moment when she would surely make some comment to lighten the mood and remind him that he was crossing lines all over the place. The alcohol had turned what should have been a casual, no-big-deal interaction into a distracting and inexplicably thrilling moment. Hopefully she had been more focused on the bracelet than on him, or was too drunk herself to be taking anything he was doing seriously. She shouldn't be. "Happy birthday," he repeated. "I'm glad you like it."

Edith’s eyes flicked from the bracelet to Elias’s face, flicking back to the bracelet when she realized just how close their faces were. They had both leaned in to watch the whole process of Edith wearing a bracelet, like it was some novel thing, and she could smell his aftershave or shampoo or his regular smell. Whatever it was, it smelled really nice, and it made her extremely self conscious because she couldn’t seem to recall if she smelled nice or had even showered that morning or if she should even be caring about any of that at all.

She swallowed hard, refocusing on the task at hand, on Elias’s hands, on how warm they were, how she wasn’t cold despite taking her jacket off. It didn’t take him nearly as long to fix the clasp as she would have liked; still, she smiled as he leaned back, holding her arm up so she could take a better look at her gift. She wasn’t usually one for jewelry, but this was one exception she was willing to make. Rotating her arm at the elbow a few times, Edith watched the charm dangle back and forth, grinning as she did so.

Edith dropped her hand into her lap as Elias spoke, turning to look at him with a grin. “Thank you,” she said with a fervent nod, her grin softening slightly as her other hand turned the bracelet around on her wrist. “I love it.” She nodded again before she readjusted her position, leaning into her friend, her head at the perfect height to rest on his shoulder. It was a very comfortable shoulder, which only made Edith feel bad because he would never get to experience just how comfy a person he was. It didn’t stop her from telling him as much, however. “You’re really comfy,” she stated simply, like it was something they talked about often.

“United plays a German team on Wednesday,” she started again, not letting her last statement hang in the air for too long. “Bayern,” she added, pronouncing the city horribly wrong, but not worrying too much about it. “I was going to watch it,” obviously, “if you wanted to join.” Hopefully she was being pretty convincing, both with the prospect of the German football team and the opportunity to have another fun filled trip to a pub with her. “They kept most of the good players out of most of the match today so they could rest up for that one,” she reiterated again, fairly certain that she had already mentioned that, though this time her words came out much more quickly and closer together.

“There’s always next week or the week after or after that,” and more after that, but he probably got the gist. Or he didn’t have to pick just one. He could watch them all with her and she would be just fine with that.

Whatever Edith had or hadn't noticed about his behavior up until now, she seemed strangely at ease. Oddly enough, whenever Elias allowed himself to stop worrying what she was thinking or how he was appearing, he was comfortable, too. His attention was caught by the way she was gently turning her arm so that the charm he had bought for her glimmered in the sunlight. It was an absorbing sight, the memory of the strange excitement he had felt placing it on her combining with the appealing image of his gift actually being worn, a visual reminder of their friendship. The urge to be touching her again, in whatever way, hit him again.

Before he could decide if these new but frequently-occuring impulses were a result of the alcohol or something else, and whether it mattered, Edith had moved closer and rested her head against his shoulder. Elias looked down at her in surprise, another wave of confused emotion hitting him. It was new and unfamiliar, but strangely comfortable, like she fit there. He automatically moved his arm so that it rested lightly on her shoulder, only recognizing after the fact that he might be touching her in a way that she didn't want. But what had been her intention, then? And why did this feel so familiar, like he had done it a hundred times before, when he knew for a fact that this was not the way things were between him and Edith?

It took him a moment to recognize the position, why it felt so comfortable. He often sat this way with Maja or Lea, talking or reading together in the evenings, snuggled up on the sofa in their sitting room at home. It was a position of trust and affection that he had shared many times, just never before with Edith. He cared about her just as much as he did his sisters, so why shouldn't he be able to be close with her, too? Clearly, Edith wasn't thinking anything of it, chatting casually to him while he was worrying about things that didn't need to be worried about.

Comfy? Well, that was a better assessment than 'boney' or 'stiff,' as far as he could tell. He smiled down at her, wishing he had something clever to say back. "You, too," he told her simply. Hadn't he just determined, after all, that he was more comfortable with her than he would ever have expected? She was chatting on about football, and Elias couldn't help rolling his eyes at her pronunciation of "Bayern" -- there was a reason some of the German regions and cities had English names; it was just too painful to listen to. Not that Bavaria was of highest concern to him; there were much more important (and much more German) areas and things that Edith should learn first before worrying about how to pronounce the team name.

She was adorable, honestly. Though watching football was hardly his favorite pasttime, there was something about sitting with Edith in her dingy muggle bars, away from their worries tied to the magical world, that made the time fly by. He laughed as she went on and on, as though he needed real convincing to spend time with her. "I'd love to," he told her honestly, before dipping his chin and planting a light kiss on top of her head, not unlike the way he would when sitting with his sister.

He didn't know what made him do what he did next: Perhaps it was how right he had been in choosing that charm for her, or how happy he had been all day with her, or how that light brush of his lips on her hair had made his heart race in a way that it definitely did not when it was a sibling he was snuggled up against. But without thinking, before he could stop to consider what on earth was making him act the way he was, he had tipped Edith's chin up toward his own and closed the distance between them, his lips softly meeting hers.

“Perfect.” She smiled, preparing to rattle off the rest of United’s schedule anyway, just in case Elias had any doubts about just what he was agreeing to. But all thoughts of their match against Manchester City the following week were pushed from her mind before she could say anything. She felt the pressure on the top of her head, heard the kiss as it happened. That was… different. But, Edith realized with a foreign feeling in the pit of her stomach, it was a nice different. The ultimate comfy and cozy and friendly.

She decided not to say anything about it, not wanting to scare him out of doing it again, just in case he wanted to. Just in case she wanted him to. She was about to get back into whatever conversation they were in a moment ago but before she could remember what that was, his fingers were on her chin. She was fully expecting him to push her away and off of him, clearly changing his mind about what he had just done, so what actually came next caught her completely off guard.

As unprepared as she was to find her lips on his, she didn’t pull back. She didn’t know if she wanted this, but she knew that she didn’t not want it. Her eyelids closed as her breath caught in her throat, a large handful of conflicting thoughts suddenly clogging her mind. Elias. They were friends. Drinking buddies. Colleagues. And they were kissing. He couldn’t have meant to do this, right? His mouth must have slipped, or something. He must have forgotten who he was with.

But a second had passed since the kiss had started and he still hadn’t changed his mind about it. Maybe it wasn’t a mistake. At least Edith didn’t feel like it was. She leaned into it, unsure just what exactly she was supposed to be doing. This was all very new; not just doing this with Elias, but doing this at all. She would never admit it to anyone, especially not Elias, that this was her first kiss, though it was probably painfully obvious. What was she supposed to do with her hands? She opted for the option of leaving them folded in her lap, her thumbs fidgeting as she tried to decide if that was the right choice.

She wasn’t sure how long it lasted or who stopped first. Edith moved back the slightest bit, her fingers moving up to touch her lips, touch the place where Elias’s lips just were. They had been much warmer and softer than she would have expected. She was smiling, wanting to do it again, but then it hit her. It didn’t matter if she had liked it. She wasn’t supposed to like it. Just a month ago he had told her that he was getting married. Today was probably the first day that she hadn’t thought about that fact, but her ignorance didn’t change anything.

But maybe he had changed his mind about all of that and had just forgotten to tell her. That would be okay. All her bad thoughts about this situation evaporated on the off chance that he knew exactly what he was doing. “Eli,” she started slowly, looking down at her lap. But she didn’t know what to say next. Thanks?

Her lips were soft and her cheek was cool and Elias' breath had caught in his throat. He had no idea why they hadn't been doing this for months. He had spent so many afternoons with Edith and never been this close to her. Despite the fact that the idea had never crossed his mind before this moment (or at least, not seriously), he felt now that he had simply been wasting time before. He was too busy wondering at the goosebumps that were running up his arms and fighting back the smile that was threatening to interfere with the task at hand to notice right away that Edith was rather still. Elias pulled back, reluctantly, as he realized how suddenly he had acted. He hadn't been thinking of Edith at all; rather, his own desires had overtaken him before he could give thought to whether it was the right thing to do.

The expression on her face wiped away his fears for a moment: the soft smile, the way she was looking up at him. But then her face had fallen and she had turned away. Not able to read her expression, he was overcome with doubt again. Why had she stopped smiling? Had he done the wrong thing, upset her with his sudden decision to change the nature of their relationship? He remembered suddenly the other friendships he had had over the years that had developed into something more, and how it had never turned out the way he had wanted it to. Things had always been more difficult once that kind of intimacy was added and it stopped being a simple friendship. But in those cases, it hadn't been Elias wanting something more; he had gone along with it because it felt alright, like something he should do. This was different, wasn't it? He was the one who wanted to close the distance between them again, pull Edith closer and do what he could to make her happy.

"I'm sorry, Edith," he replied after a moment, a touch of anxiety coming through in his voice. "I should have asked first." He touched the back of her neck gently, hoping to convince her to look his way again. He had to know what she was thinking, had to know if he needed to be asking for forgiveness or not. "It just felt right," he admitted, trying to catch her eye. That was his only excuse for being so forward and forgetting to take Edith's feelings into account. All he knew was that being close to her and seeing her smile made him feel warm and light.

"Was that okay?" He had to know. She hadn't pulled away, hadn't yelled at him or hit him, so he was hoping that she didn't regret his actions. Or at least, didn't hate him for them, even if she wanted him not to touch her again. He knew it was foolish and illogical to be getting so attached so quickly, but he couldn't help the feeling that now that he had kissed her once, it would be heart-breaking not to be able to do it again.

Edith had no idea what she was expecting. Some big speech telling her how great she was and how much he loved it? For him to come to his senses, realize what a huge mistake he had made, and leave? Whichever option he picked, she wasn’t expecting silence. It seemed like the moment that passed after she had said his name took forever. She was trying to come up with a way to change the subject, to make a joke that would take them back to before the kiss, to all the fun they were having, to her staring awkwardly at him every time she remembered he was wearing a Beckham jersey. No, that wasn’t going to help anything.

“What? No,” she shook her head quickly, looking up as he started apologizing. She was glad he hadn’t asked, hadn’t given her the opportunity to miss her chance to kiss him. Five minutes ago the idea of kissing anyone, especially Elias, seemed absurd. But now it seemed like the greatest choice she had made in a long time, even though she still had no idea why.

It just felt right. Elias knew how to phrase exactly what she was feeling. She smiled, relief washing over her. She wasn’t sure why she was feeling nervous; he had been the one to kiss her, after all. She nodded slowly, trying to think of something better to say than ‘yeah’, which was all she was coming up with. But her gaze drifted south to his lips and couldn’t help but think what it would be like to kiss him again, this time with a bit more notice ahead of time. She would be doubling her kissing experience, literally, might even do something less awkward with her hands.

Was it okay? ‘Okay’ didn’t even begin to describe it. It had made her feel light and warm and fine and fuzzy and all these words she was too embarrassed to tell him. Never mind that she had nothing to compare this kiss to, so it was automatically the best one she had ever had. But she needed to play it cool, not be too eager, try to rein in her tequila-fueled thoughts. “Yes,” she said with another smile. But maybe that was too unenthusiastic? She didn’t want him to feel under appreciated or anything. This was complicated.

“I could have brushed my teeth or had a mint or something,” she shrugged, hoping to give off the aura of a cool, collected adult who had done this sort of thing millions of times. But it was either the tequila or the whole situation that made her grin, suppressing a laugh as she turned towards him. “I think the only thing crazier than us kissing,” she felt herself blushing at her use of the word, “Was that I really liked it.” Her eyes widened as she realized what she said, her thoughts catching up with her mouth.

She turned away from Elias quickly and sat back, crossing her arms across her chest and staring up at nothing in particular in the sky, too embarrassed by her own admitted feelings to look him in the eye. “Hope that’s okay,” she said, really hopeful she wouldn’t have to say that again.

It had been alright. She wasn't upset with him. In fact, though he was having a hard time being sure, it seemed as though she actually might be as happy about it as he was. Well, maybe not quite as happy as him, but at least pleased. Not angry or disgusted or scared by what he had done. It took him a second to make sure he had understood her correctly. So, she had definitely liked it, but that was crazy? The look on her face made it hard not to laugh and Elias was forced to bite the inside of his cheek as she turned away, clearly embarrassed by what she had said. He didn't want her to think he thought her foolish; after all, he knew just what she meant. It was crazy, after all. He had been rash and a bit reckless, but it had been wonderful all the same.

"Yes, that's okay," he told her, unable to fight back a smile any longer. "I liked it, too." She was adamantly avoiding his eye, but now that she had given him a hint of how she was feeling, he couldn't restrain the urge to have her close again. Arms reached out to pull her gently toward him, and he adjusted himself slightly so that she could rest comfortably against his chest again. It just felt right, he had said, and the feeling was redoubled as she softened against him. Even ten minutes before, Elias would have expected something like this to be complicated and awkward, but now that he had acknowledged what had been sitting in the back of his mind for months, things felt easy. Simple.

The flutters of happiness still hitting him and making smiles break across his face made it seem as though a great wish had finally been granted. Was it possible that he had actually been wanting this, that it wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment, alcoholic-euphoria-induced turn of events? Unable to resist, he dipped his chin to kiss the top of her head again, letting his lips linger a bit longer this time. His arm curled around her and, finding her hand, he locked his fingers in between hers. His eye was caught by the simple silver bracelet again, visual evidence that he cared about her dangling from her wrist. "I'm glad you like your gift. It looks nice on you."

It was okay that she had liked it, he had liked it too, but Edith still couldn’t make herself look at him. What was the next step after the first kiss with your best friend? Did calling it the first kiss mean she was expecting another one? Well, yes, but was she supposed to ask or hint at it or just do it herself or…? Even as Elias pulled her back to him, she was playing through different scenarios in her mind. But as she leaned into him, her thoughts slowed down, eventually stopping as she made herself comfortable.

Her breath caught in her throat as he kissed her again, even though her own lips weren’t involved this time. She closed her eyes, finding it hard to believe that any of this was actually happening. But intertwining their fingers together just confirmed that this was reality. Still, Edith gave his hand a squeeze just to double check. It took a lot of effort to lift her now heavy eyelids, looking down at her wrist as Elias talked about his gift. She smiled as she looked, her eyes moving from the bracelet to their hands. “It really does look nice,” she agreed before closing her eyes again, “Thank you.”

Everything was making Edith feel warm: her proximity to Elias, the sun peeking through the clouds, the tequila still working its way through her system. She tried to recall just how much they had to drink but the shots of tequila after half time were more of a blur of tequila at this point. “We drank a lot,” Edith nearly snorted as she laughed, pointing out the obvious. “Like, a lot.” She nodded slowly as she laughed again. “There was no tradition of birthday shots or celebration shots, by the way,” she admitted. “I made that up.” She smiled to herself, unsure if Elias would be able to see it or not.

“Worth it, but now I think I need a nap.” Her last word was almost lost to a large yawn, which she didn't take care to cover as that would require moving. And that was the last thing she wanted to do. She would be perfectly content taking a nap right then and there, having no qualms about napping on a park bench, especially if she could convince Elias to be her pillow. She wasn’t kidding when she told him he was comfy.

It felt wonderful to be cozied up with Edith, not worrying for once about his responsibilities. He was following his instincts and simply reacting to her encouragement: the way she had drawn close to him in the pub and then nuzzled up against him on the bench and smiled when he had kissed her. It all felt natural and it made him happy in a way that wasn't usual for him; so much of his time was spent thinking about other people and how he could please them that it was rare for him to spend so much time doing things that were simply in his own interest.

He couldn't help smiling widely as she laughed about their afternoon together. Much of it had been irresponsible, that was for sure, but today had been all about the birthday girl's wishes, not about being a responsible adult. "I forgive you," he replied easily, smiling down at her again to let her know he couldn't have been upset with her anyway. "You get to make up anything you want. It's your birthday."

Edith was nodding off as she talked, so Elias did his best to hold still and be a good pillow for his friend. As her eyes closed and her head drifted to the side, he watched her, a little amazed at where they had ended up. Surely if someone were to pass by now, they would assume they were two lovers, sharing an afternoon alone together. But was that how he saw them now? Edith was his friend, first and foremost, and the idea of calling her something else seemed foreign. The concept of her as his girlfriend was a foreign one, but not completely unwelcome. This new intimacy was certainly feeling natural and right, though in the back of his mind he knew that this was hardly a simple path to be heading down.

Elias didn't know how much time had passed with the two of them sitting there in silence, Edith dozing lightly while Elias watched over her. It wasn't until heavy clouds began rolling in, speeding the darkness brought on by the setting sun, that he glanced down at his golden watch. He thought perhaps a little over an hour had passed since they had left the pub and wandered over to this quiet courtyard. As content as he was to sit with his best friend nuzzled up against him, sharing their warmth, he thought she might be less than appreciative if he allowed her to get soaked by the coming spring rain. He adjusted himself slightly on the bench and flexed the fingers that were still entwined with hers, pulling his hand cautiously away from hers so as not to startle her.

"I should take you home, Edith," he told her softly, smiling down at her gently as she woke. "It's getting dark." Elias waited patiently while she sat up, trying not to watch her too closely while she moved. He had been given plenty of time for that while she slept. When she looked like she had fully regained consciousness, he stood up and offered his hand. "Do you know where we are? I can take us back to that main street where the pub was. Can you guide us from there?"

Evening was falling quickly and the dropping temperature was exaggerated by the wind bringing in the storm. Elias moved closer to Edith as they set off, ready to wrap his arm around her or offer his jacket if she gave any indication of being cold. The walk back to the pub was quicker this time, Elias' sense of destination and increasing sobriety helping him move with more purpose on the second journey. It felt natural to link their arms again as Edith took the lead, directing them back through the muggle streets toward her apartment.

He slowed down as they reached her front step. "You'll be alright?" he asked, trying to judge her sobriety. This wasn't the first time he'd dropped her off after an evening of drinking, but he felt responsible for her well-being all the same. A pang of anxiety hit him as he waited for her to unlock her door and say good night. He knew what might be expected of him in this moment: a farewell kiss at least would be the typical way to end what had somehow turned into a date. But he hadn't decided, hadn't made up his mind whether that was what he wanted -- or if he thought that was what Edith wanted. Edith's feelings on the subject mattered more, somehow. After a moment's hesitation, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek before stepping back.

"Good night." He couldn't keep the smile out of the farewell. As mixed-up as his thoughts had become, there was no fighting the now-familiar lift of happiness in his stomach when he touched her.

She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep until she was waking up, her hand feeling decidedly empty now that it wasn’t sharing space with Elias’s. She wasn’t sure how long she had been out, though she was sure it hadn’t been long enough if her only option now was going home. “Okay,” she agreed reluctantly, nodding as she slowly sat up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She could tell that she was still quite drunk; maybe going home and taking another nap wasn’t the worst idea.

Edith took the offered hand and stood up, taking the opportunity to stretch and put her jacket back on as Elias talked some more. “I should be able to,” she said with a nod and a smile, quite pleased with her ability to find her way home from the pub. She never wandered too far from home for a pint, and that pub was no exception. She linked her arm with his as they walked, toying with the idea of getting lost so they’d have to stay like this as long as possible. But it was getting cold and rainy and there was always the possibility of them drinking again tomorrow, right? Plus, her actual birthday was Monday, so they’d have to spend more time together then, too. And she could plan ahead, follow through with her mint suggestion from earlier. Just in case.

The walk to the pub was quiet, neither of them speaking, the side streets they were using relatively devoid of traffic or other people. But it was nice, just walking, holding on to Elias. They were back at the pub in no time and she only hesitated for a brief second before leading them in the direction of her apartment only a few blocks away.

“Absolutely alright,” she nodded, reluctantly taking a step away from him as she fished her keys out of her pocket. As she fiddled with the lock, she tried to figure out if she was supposed to ask him up for coffee or something, fairly certain that Claudine wasn’t home to ask weird or prying questions. She got the door open before she had figured anything out; she turned back to Elias with a smile, deciding she could offer to make tea so that he wouldn’t get stuck out in the rain, even though he would probably apparate back to his own apartment instead of walking. But before she could make up her mind, he had leaned forward and kissed her cheek, and that was answer enough to her unspoken question.

She returned his smile as she nodded slowly, “Night.” After a small wave of her hand, she turned back to the door and stepped inside. Immediately she regretted not saying something else, something a little more eloquent than ‘night’ but she would just figure that out later when tequila wasn’t making most of her decisions for her.