[mp] all the small things. [jacq]

“Thank you.”

She could feel as well as hear her blood thrumming in her ears and she beamed back, feeling vaguely as though she were floating. It all still felt so surreal; that all of their interactions over the years had come to this singularity.

“Och, well, ye ken my grand scheme now,” she laughed, snapping her fingers once as though she’d just been duped. “Merlin forbid I win on my own wit alone, that’s no allowed.”

Jacq thought she knew where he was going with this: on average, Andy tended to play more aggressively, taking higher risks for the possibility of greater rewards. She was more of the opposite end of the spectrum, tending to choose moves that were lower-risk but with a more reliable payoff. There were, of course, exceptions… but when in doubt, this was typically what played out. After a moment of thought she began a counter, not convinced she wanted to take the bait just yet.

Frankly, Jacq was delighted that he seemed as giddy about her simple kiss as she felt – and merely grinned mischievously when he not-so-subtly requested she repeat her strategy.
“Dinnae even think about using my own trick against me, now that ye ken its efficacy,” she mock-threatened, though her tone actually invited it. Reverse psychology at its finest: boys simply couldn’t resist the temptation of doing exactly what they were told not to. Right? She was about to find out how accurate that theory was.

"Course not," Andy said, flashing her another grin, "If we played on smarts alone, we both know you'd cream me," It was true, but Andy wasn't a sore loser about it most of the time. Jacqueline was the smartest person he had ever met, hundred-year-old wizards included, and there was no way he could beat her on intellect alone, but Andy liked to think he made up for it in guts and luck. Though, it was probably more bravado and recklessness.

Teasing with Jacq reminded him of when they were kids, always joking around, always getting into something, but this also felt new in a way. Andronicus supposed it was flirting, and the teenager hoped that he was doing a good job at it. He had always been a bit of a clown, and he hoped that she still liked that too. "I would never," The teenager announced, pretending to be shocked and dramatically placing his hand on his chest. Playing dirty wasn't out of his wheelhouse; Andronicus hadn't been sorted into Slytherin for no reason, but he'd never do it when the game was important. And he'd never cheat around Jacqueline.

He bounced a little on his heels as she took her took and made a clicking sound with his tongue. "I see what you're up to, you know,"

He had no idea.

Taking his turn, Andronicus realized too late that she had decided on a closed game, moving in from the opposite side as he'd liked for his gambit, and sighed. His knight was primed and ready for the taking, but the bait wasn't as good as it could have been, but she might still take it. Stepping to the side, Andy closed the space between them so that their arms were touching and smiled, his eyes flicking to her lips and back obviously. Andy might have been on a path of redemption, but he was far from perfect. Maybe he would play a little dirty.

She wrinkled her nose in his direction at his mildly-self-deprecating remark – though couldn’t help but feel flattered nonetheless. How many teenage boys would voluntarily say something like that? Not many, she was willing to bet; and she was fortunate enough to have one of them. It wasn’t that she was seeking a power-move, or to ‘win’ the intellect competition. She was simply grateful to have a friend – now boyfriend – who respected and supported her as much as she did him.
And as their playful banter continued, any ancillary nerves she’d had initially had begun to dissipate.

“I see what you're up to, you know.”

“Mm, I’ll bet ye do,” she replied flippantly – but her grin betrayed her. She kept sneaking sideways looks at him, wondering if he’d taken her hint. It felt so silly and so wonderful at the same time.

He made his move, then, and she looked back to assess the board. Her gaze lingered over his knight, absently nibbling her lower lip in thought. It was too nicely-positioned – he was likely trying to set her up, luring her in only to trick her. But where was the catch?
“I ken yer tricks, Andronicus Octavian Lovecraft,” she warned him without taking her eyes off the board, the corner of her mouth turning up slightly.

She felt him move closer, his arm brushing more solidly against hers, and instinctively she leaned into his warm presence. Part of her wanted very much to tuck her hand into the crook of his elbow and rest her head against his arm, like she’d seen many couples do… though was hesitant to be too forward too soon. Furthermore – in a rare turn of impatience – she very much wanted him to kiss her cheek, of his own accord.

Jacqueline made her next move (disregarding his ‘innocent’ knight for the moment), and tried to anticipate what he might do next. She glanced up at his face to track where on the board he was looking – but instead felt that uncanny swooping sensation in the pit of her stomach again, because he was already looking at her.

“What is it?” she asked gently, relaxing a bit further into him.

"Nothing, nothing…." Andronicus said as he felt a flush rising in his cheeks. Had she always been this beautiful? The teenager thought about it for a moment, and the blush crept toward his ears. Jacqueline was by far the most attractive witch he had ever seen, and he supposed he had always thought that about her. Even before "attractive" was a physical thing, he had always been drawn to her intellect and personality. Jacqueline knew who she was, and she did not hide herself from the world, and Andy had been a bit jealous of that when they were kids. She was good and kind and beautiful, and she made all of it seem effortless.

"Just… you look really pretty today," the teenager said, unable to pull his eyes from hers even though he knew she'd probably sink the pink in his cheeks. He felt warm but in the best sort of way. It was exciting enough that he'd missed where she had moved her last piece too, and he didn't even care. Andronicus loved playing chess with Jacq but quickly learned that he'd replace just about any hobby for more time spent staring at her. With freckles like stars in the sky and a smile that made his heart race, he felt silly for having not asked her out so much sooner. Now that he had accepted how he thought about her, it was the only thing he could feel.

He slipped his hand into hers gently and finally looked away to make his next move. He was probably going to lose this game, but Andronicus still felt like a winner today.

/end

She caught the color rising in his cheeks, and felt her own body beginning to do the same. Her fingers twitched, and in her mind’s eye she saw herself reaching up to cup his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin against her palm… but her earlier uncertainty over doing anything too quickly too soon was the only thing that stayed her hand.
So she smiled her thanks and replied with a smile: “Ye’re a sight for sore eyes, yourself.”

Deliberately setting aside any self-consciousness she might still have been holding onto, she lifted her eyes to his and held them there for a moment, embracing the sensation that the ground was dropping away under her feet. Jacqueline didn’t put much stock into ‘predestination’ theories – but if she did, this might be the closest thing to it. Now that they were together, truly, it felt as though it had always been meant to be.

“I'm that glad to have ye,” she murmured.

He slipped his hand into hers, and she curled her fingers around his without hesitation. Where their skin touched she felt the strangest tingling sensation, like the feel of the air just before a storm. Jacqueline felt the most at-peace she had in a long while, and was determined to make this moment last.

[[ out! ]]