[hounded hare] put my heart on my chest so that you can see it too [ryan]

It was late. The last time Justin looked at his watch, it had been close to two o'clock in the morning. The last bar flies were staggering out into the street, making their way home or maybe to another watering hole. Justin wasn't at all drunk. He was peppy, smiling brightly as he made his way to his destination. In his clean-cut shirt, khaki pants, and bomber jacket, he hardly looked like the kind of boy to be out at such a late hour. Justin was on a mission. He carried a bag containing that night's dinner, to be shared with his not-boyfriend Ryan as he finished up his shift at the Hounded Hare.

Truthfully, Justin and Ryan still weren't officially boyfriends. He wondered sometimes if they ever would be. Ryan still went out every once and a while and picked up other boys. It still killed Justin a little to think that the boy he liked was out with someone else, but he managed as best he could. It helped that more often than not, Justin was the one sharing Ryan's bed. And he was the only one that made Ryan food, that came to keep him company when he worked late shifts at the Hare, or just came by to hang out and play video games or watch movies. It was nice, and Justin could sometimes forget that he wasn't really Ryan's, not the way he wished he was.

Justin pushed open the door to the Hare, looking towards the bar, trying to catch Ryan's eye. He smiled at him, his hazel eyes bright and eager. "I brought food," he told Ryan once he was at the bar, his eyes locked on the other as he bustled about, getting things ready for closing.

@Ryan Hadditch

At this hour, Ryan was alone. He was the last person in the bar, getting ready to lock up at the end of the night. The regulars had all left just after last call, making things easy for Ryan. All he needed was to check the liquor levels, clean up the back, wipe down the counter, and take out the trash. He heard the door jingle and shook his head. “Hey, sorry, mate, we're closed.” He started, before he turned around and noticed Justin standing there, looking adorable. “Ah, no, I was wrong. Never closed for you, huh.” He smiled charmingly.

Things had been going really great with Justin lately. Absolutely swimmingly. After their night together, after their big fight, Justin had told Ryan that he wanted to be friends with benefits. It was more comfortable to Ryan than calling him his boyfriend, and he clung to the title, and to the freedom that came with it. He was free to go to clubs just like before, pick up a random guy, and do whatever he wanted with him. That usually meant getting off and going home and never seeing that guy again. That was how Ryan worked. That was how he was comfortable. He didn't take guys home and he never slept with the same guy twice—usually.

There were exceptions to every rule, and Justin was an exception. Ryan let Justin stay over at his apartment. Sometimes they played video games, sometimes they watched bad horror movies and he laughed while Justin cowered, sometimes they made out and that was all—but most nights ended the way most days started: with Justin in his bed.

They weren't boyfriends. That implied exclusivity. That implied feelings and commitment and all sorts of crap that Justin never asked for and Ryan wasn't planning on just giving out, at least at this rate. He liked things the way they were. He had all the good parts of a relationship—the free food, the company, and all of the really slow, sensual sex—with none of the emotional vulnerability or fear. Maybe Justin was slowly dying inside, waiting for things to move onto the next level, but Ryan didn't need to know that. He had no desire to make things official. Justin wasn't doing like he was. He wasn't going out with guys and meeting other people. He wasn't dating around. It was basically like he was committed already.

Ryan grinned. “Bar's nearly done. You wanna set that up for me?” He asked. He finished up most of the chores while he let Justin set up the food, and did the proper thing by clocking out. He'd finish up the bar when they were done eating. Besides, he needed a drink and was gonna give one or two to Justin, too.

“So, what'll you have?” He teased. “I've got a full bar for you this time. You want something sweet and girly like normal?” He asked.

Justin loved that smile. He liked to pretend that he was the only boy Ryan gave it to, although he knew better. "You only say that because I don't drink hardly anything," he teased. "If I was as thirsty as your regular customers, I think you'd be less generous." e sat at the bar, taking out a few tupperware containers and a set of disposable utensils. He cast a quick spell to heat up the food, pushing it towards Ryan.

"I've already eaten," he explained. "I had dinner with my parents and my little sister, so I brought the leftovers." He opened the container, steam swirling up from the inside. He pointed to each thing as he named them. "Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans." Justin gestured to the still-closed container. "That's home-made bread pudding. You can have it if you eat all your vegetables." He smiled, teasingly.

He watched him as Ryan finished cleaning up. "Surprise me," he responded to the question about drinks. He trusted Ryan to mix up something delicious, even if he usually got Justin drunk in the process. Justin liked this time alone with Ryan.

Awh, so Justin wouldn't be eating with him? That was a shame. Even so, it was nice that Justin had brought him dinner at all. He was starving, and finishing up work wasn't sounding great on an empty stomach. The spread sounded good, too. He looked forward to sliding up next to him and eating it.

“Ooh, bread pudding?” Any sweet was a treat to Ryan, though he treated himself frequently. He loved that Justin never forgot dessert. He never forgot anything. He was adorable. He would have to make him something that would blow his mind behind the bar to make up for this.

Ryan thought to himself. He definitely wanted to make  Justin something with Midori, since the melon liqueur was delicious and fruity and definitely up Justin's ally. While he could always add vodka and sprite or club soda and make something delicious and alcoholic, Ryan immediately had another idea. He'd never tasted one himself, but he knew a shot that would be good for this occasion, and the name was so funny he couldn't help himself. He carefully filled two shot glasses with a bit of Kahlua, and carefully layered baileys on top. Lastly, he carefully added the midori, making a green layer to top off the rest.

“You can take a shot, right? Especially one this sweet.” It wasn't really a question. “It's called a quick fuck.” He laughed. “Fitting, right?  It's a little naughty.” He winked.

"You'll love the bread pudding," Justin promised with a smile. "I learned how to bake from her." He watched as Ryan considered the different bottles arrayed before him. The former Hufflepuff was still pretty clueless about alcohol but he'd noticed a few go-to bottles that Ryan used when mixing drinks for him. His lover took out two of those bottles, plus one he didn't recognize.

Justin loved watching Ryan do mixed drinks. He could make the coolest-looking concoctions. Most of the patrons at the Hare ordered beer or straight liquors, at least the few times Justin had arrived early enough to see Ryan at work. It was a shame, since Ryan could do wonders with the drinks he mixed.

"Are you trying to tell me something, Mister Hadditch?" Justin's voice was low and teasing as he gave Ryan a slow smile. He admired the drink for a moment before picking his shot up and toasting Ryan. "To a good night!" He knocked back the shot, but he still coughed after he swallowed. Justin was getting better, but he was still a drinking novice.

Once he'd caught his breath, he joined Ryan behind the bar. Justin grabbed a towel and started to dry the clean glasses and put them away. He figured they'd both be back at Ryan's place more quickly if he helped out. "How was it tonight? Busy?"

Ryan laughed as Justin teased him about the drink. “I could be saying something, yeah.” He teased back. He certainly wouldn't mind a quick fuck with Justin now or anytime, basically. There was just something about the other that drove Ryan absolutely wild. He thought Justin was the sexiest, most adorable man he had ever met in his life, and that was saying something. He certainly didn't mind that the other ended up at his place more often than  not nowadays. Jane was gone again, in Africa or something, and Ryan was lonely at home without a roommate. Justin helped relieve that restlessness by keeping him company at night and during the mornings before the other had to go to work.

Ryan took the shot. It tasted more like coffee and less like midori, but he didn't think melon coffee would be particularly good anyway. He just liked the shot for the name, really. He had really just wanted to make the joke. He quickly mixed up midori, vodka, and sprite for Justin and passed it over to him. “Okay, that was a joke. Here's a real drink for you, while I finish cleaning up.” He was nearly done.

He liked that Justin was willing to help. He was such a Hufflepuff. He helped himself to a few bites of the food as he finished up cleaning. “Tonight was pretty good. Mostly regulars. There was a quidditch match on the radio, so they got a little rowdy, but that makes the night go by pretty fast, you know?”  He finished up cleaning. All that was left was the glass from Justin's drink.

Ryan set down to eat the meal, avoiding the vegetables.

Justin sipped at his drink as he helped clean up. It was tasty, and he was sure Ryan had made him something similar before. It was good, and he realized he was probably going to regret drinking on a semi-empty stomach. Dinner had been a while ago for him and the alcohol always hit him hard no matter what. He shrugged, drinking a little more. He had a late class the next day. It was one of the reasons he was here and up so late. He could afford to sleep in, and he preferred doing it in Ryan's bed if he could. Justin seemed to end up there most nights. Ryan didn't seem to mind too much.

He blushed as Ryan confirmed his intentions, but it was hardly a surprise. They didn't play crossword puzzles in bed, and they were in bed a lot. Justin liked it, but it still made him schoolgirl giddy when he thought about the things they did together, the casual way Ryan wanted him all the time. Or the way that Justin was willing to let him have his way, as long as it was with him. "Play your cards right and I might not put up too much of a fight," he teased, flirting openly but with that strange mix of innocence and sexy that Justin managed to pull off. It was likely all the blushing he did.

"Eat the veggies," he called over his shoulder, not even needing to look to know Ryan was skipping them. "You'll like them. They're covered in butter and garlic so they shouldn't kill you." He turned, kissing Ryan's neck before taking another drink and going back to drying. "I'm trying my best to keep you from getting scurvy."

Ryan didn't want to eat his veggies, but he supposed they wouldn't kill him, in moderation. Also, the promise of garlic butter was enough to make him bite a broccoli floret experimentally. It really wasn't that bad. He took another into his mouth as Justin dried glasses for him. “Mm, baby, you don't have to do that. I'll finish up as soon as I'm done eating, then we can get out of here.” He offered. Justin's sly comment wasn't lost on him, and Ryan was ready to see how much of a fight the other would put up when he tried to go for him. Probably none at all. Justin liked to play, but he was pretty much always putty in Ryan's hands.

He wondered how he had gotten this lucky, really. Justin brought him dinner to work almost every night. He always waited for him to go home and he ended up with the beautiful boy in his bed most nights. Ryan smiled at him fondly. It was really great, their arrangement. It was like having all the perks of a boyfriend with none of the commitment. He liked the way things were.

He finished up his meal, feeling full and smelling like garlic butter as he stood and used magic to clean the plates. He slid behind Justin, playfully groping his ass as he moved. “You come here often?” He joked, finishing up the glasses. Now would usually be the time he led the way out, but this time he turned and pinned Justin to the  bar. “You're fucking adorable, you know that?” His body pressed against the other, pushing him into the hard surface.

Justin smiled to himself as he heard Ryan finishing off his plate of veggies. He had guessed that the garlic butter would do the trick. The Hufflepuff loved taking care of Ryan. It was something that he knew the other boys Ryan slept with couldn't do. He didn't let anyone else close enough for that. "The quicker we finish up, the quicker I can get you home." On nights like this, it was usually a foregone conclusion that Justin would spend the night in Ryan's bed. It was something neither of them fought against anymore.

The slightly older boy giggled as his not-boyfriend have gave him a friendly grope. He was just setting down the wash cloth when Ryan pinned him to the bar. He squeaked, his face going an adorable shade of pink. Ryan could make him blush without effort. His compliments outside of the bedroom were pretty rare, so they always got a ride out of Justin. Tonight, Justin was feeling bolder. He wanted to see how far he could push his lover.

"Hmm, I'm here pretty often," he said, playing along, biting his lip and running his hands down Ryan's chest. "There's this bartender here, works the late shift. Whenever I see him, he makes me think naughty thoughts..." He flicked his eyes up to Ryan's, mischief there. Justin hoped hopes Ryan would play along but he also would not be disappointed if he simply apparated them back to his bed.