peach sky [will]

Oh, it was all happening. Will was dimly aware of Honey's fingers unbuttoning his shirt, the softness of her touch as they kissed. She moved back and gave him room to breathe but he stayed seated and in a bit of a daze. He squinted at the money as he hastily got to his feet, clearing his throat and adjusting himself as innocuously as he could. "Probably a bit too much," he countered, about to take a couple back but she had his hand and he eagerly followed.

He tripped after her, one hand placed on the wall as they kissed, ignoring the rough and cracked brick beneath his palm. He stepped into Honey's body as she yanked him forward and he held her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted it gently upwards so he could kiss her properly in the shadows, unable to stop himself from frowning as the kissing stopped. He stepped backwards before he pulled her along, inserting the key to this front door before slamming it shut behind him, hands on her face as he kissed her again and backed her up the stairs.

----

It was a warm morning.

Sunlight filtered through the half open curtains, a breeze fluttering them but Will was in the kitchen. He scooted about as quietly as he could, the radio on low and playing a song he didn't recognise as he gathered some plates. He'd managed to swallow his swear word as he accidentally touched the pan so his fluffy pancakes were decidedly less fluffy because he'd beaten the living daylights out of them. Dressed in a pale blue tee shirt and a pair of boxers, he was barefoot, the dark hair curling at the back of his neck still damp from the shower.

He hadn't wanted to wake her and so, he'd left a cup of tea on the bedside table and hoped he hadn't offended her. He'd actually spent most of the time he'd been awake trying to corral Dave, his goofy Wolfhound, because the minute he realised Honey was in the place, he'd just about lost his mind. He'd almost killed the mood with his barking and trying to knock the redhead over and it wouldn't surprise him if the dog had decided to take his place in bed next to her.

"Morning," he called over his shoulder brightly as he poked at the pan with a smile, flipping the pancakes onto a plate before he scooped up some scrambled eggs and added them to a separate bowl. There was some toast, jam and honey, as well as a newspaper that he hadn't read yet. "How'd you sleep?" He asked politely, nudging his glasses further up his nose with the back of his hand. He turned with a smile and motioned for her to sit, depositing the plates and he was distracted by how pretty she looked first thing in the morning. He tried not to stare. He failed.

"Sorry about Dave," he grinned sheepishly as he chewed on a piece of toast. "He's a big fan of yours." And he wasn't lying. "You look nice," he told Honey genuinely. Will really wanted to say that he thought she was prettier in the mornings but he wasn't sure how she'd take it and if it was even polite to mention it in the first place.

Honey had always slept well there; it was early when she had rolled over and thrown an arm over the dog, who had joined her in bed a few minutes before, and fallen back asleep. It was still early when she woke up for the second time, blinking sleep out of her eyes and slowly recognizing where she was. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling for a few minutes as she considered her next steps; if it was anyone but Will, she’d leave. Left alone in the bedroom, it was the perfect chance, but it was Will and she had silenced any little alarm bells she might have had last night (thanks, gin).

She turned her head to glance at the clock -- the shop wasn’t open until ten so she had a little time -- and spot the cup of tea. Sitting up, she swivelled to set her feet on the floor, pull the cup toward her; it was still warm and she sipped it without worrying if this was too much. It was just Will being Will; it was earl grey, like it always was, and it was perfectly sweetened, too. She had another sip before she stood up and wandered the room with her tea; she wanted to borrow a t-shirt and peeked in a couple drawers even though she knew exactly where he kept them.

She’d been morbidly curious and half expected to find some things the girlfriend -- the ex -- had left behind, might have been pleasantly surprised to find nothing. Maybe they hadn’t been that serious. Not that it mattered now and then again, what had she ever left at Harlan’s? Honey pulled on a plain black t-shirt and considered it for a second, unable to think of anything but maybe her toothbrush and a tube of mascara. There was a brief hesitation, rethinking everything; maybe they hadn’t been that serious; she shook her head and told herself to fuck off. Of course they had been serious, even if it might not have been obvious now, standing in Will’s bedroom, tell-tale sounds of breakfast-making coming from the other side of the door.

Honey took her time in the bathroom, scrubbing her face, pulling her hair up, swishing mouthwash, pushing back thoughts related to what she was doing there at all. It didn’t escape her that she had used both their breakups to her advantage; she had told him about Harlan, sort of, leaving out the important bit about Harlan and Bérénice. She could blame her decision last night on the gin but she didn’t know what to blame it on now because as she stared at herself in the mirror, she decided to continue not telling him.

Tea in hand, Honey headed out of the bedroom, Dave darting around her once he realized there was food on the stove. “Morning.” Her reply was a bit groggier than his, but she smiled when she caught his eye, watching him as he turned back to cooking. “Great,” she answered honestly, having a seat as he offered; Grace had spent the last few nights with her but she had slept far better here and she didn’t want to think about why. “You? You’re up early.” Though he usually was, she supposed. Not everyone loved to sleep in until the last possible minute.

She tipped some eggs onto her plate and picked up a piece of toast, waving off Will’s apologies for the dog. “I’m a big fan of his,” she said around a bite of toast, ripping off another corner of it to not-so-sneakily sneak it to Dave under the table. She looked back up, smiling softly at the compliment. “Thanks.” She had swallowed her mouthful of toast, at least. “And thanks for--” she motioned with her toast at the breakfast spread. “Perfect, as usual.” Had she seriously been annoyed by all of this before? She’d thought he was trying to hard, but maybe that was just trying, in general. Grass is always greener, or something.

“I’m gonna have to dine and dash,” she said with a little laugh, hoping it was clear she wasn’t in a hurry to leave despite what she’d just said. “Shop’s open at ten.” She supposed he remembered that -- when was the last time Honeydukes had changed its hours? -- but she mentioned it in case he hadn’t held on to those sorts of details. She set her toast down and sipped her tea, watching him over the rim of her cup. “Last night was fun,” she said, in between sips.

Dave gambolled out of the bedroom and skidded towards Will who simply bent over and gave him a scratch behind the ear affectionately. He was a bit of a snuggle monster, which would have been fine had he been a smaller breed but Dave was a bit of a brute. Honey said she slept well and Will smiled, nodding in agreement. "Out like a light," he replied, only telling half the truth.

He had slept well, really well in fact. He was also acutely aware of the fact that it was Honey asleep next to him and how easily they slotted back into their past. Will hadn't been creepy enough to watch her sleep but her body heat warmed the mattress in a way that Bérénice never quite managed to do and it lulled him into a restful slumber.

He grinned quickly. "Sorry," he added, being particularly careful as to not wake her, much the same as he'd done when they were dating. "I had to get some milk and the paper," he explained. Plus Dave needed a quick walk. It had been a while since anyone had visited but he was just glad to have someone to make cups of tea for, as pathetic as it sounded. Will had always been an early riser, even on his days off but a glance at the clock made him wonder why he'd been such a moron because he could still be in bed, entangled.

She looked good in his tee shirt, he'd noticed, but decided to decline to comment, dropping into a seat as Honey did. He smiled, wide and genuine as she fed the dog, amused and relieved she felt comfortable enough to do so. "He can have a bit of pancake if you want," he offered as he sipped his tea. Will had often thought about writing Honey a note and inviting her over to walk Dave but he'd never been sure if it was appropriate. It could be interpreted that he'd wanted to see her (he had) and that Dave missed her (that was also true.) The dog had been a bit mopey since Honey's departure.

"Oh my pleasure," he answered Honey quickly with a smile and a shake of his head. "It's just nice to have someone to cook for," he replied. Bérénice hadn't stayed over that often and she was usually in a bit of a hurry to leave and his breakfast consisted of a slice of toast, eaten on the way out of the door. Gone were the days of making bacon sandwiches and fruit smoothies. He'd lost his way a little bit over the past couple of months. He'd stopped baking and his oven had packed up and he'd only recently decided to fix it. He decided that morning to get back to that mindset.

"What?" Will asked in alarm, his head jerking upwards, his dark eyes wide. "Oh." Then he laughed. The panic eased visibly as he spread some jam on the crispy bread, offering her another smile. Ten o'clock. He remembered. They had some time.  He knew she had to leave but he didn't want her to just yet. This felt nice. Comfortable and warm in his small kitchen, the radio on, sun streaming through the window.

Will offered Honey a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. "I had a really nice time," he told her genuinely, desperate not to fuck things up as he always did. He had a bit of a crisis around three that morning as the gin wore off and he realised he'd just slept with his ex but so what? Waking up, he wasn't overcome with the sudden urge to apologise, which was foreign and oddly exciting. He hadn't woken up feeling guilty or nauseous or empty. He was happy and excited and energized. People did this all the time and it happened so organically, he couldn't have stopped it, even if he wanted to. And he really didn't.

"Thanks for coming to see me," Will said gently. "And listening to the whole thing," he added, wafting his hand through the air casually as he wrapped his fingers around his mug of tea. He appreciated her and it couldn't have been easy with her going through her own break up at the same time, too.  "We should do this again sometime," He looked back at Honey before he gave her a quick smile. The breakfast or the sex, whichever seemed slightly more appropriate.

Will had had a nice time; Honey smirked softly before she took another sip of tea. “Mm.” She caught his eye, thought that maybe ‘nice’ was putting things mildly. It had been nice but she was thinking about some other ways to describe it and could feel her cheeks getting warm as she thought about it-- “Me too,” she said, hiding another smirk behind her mug.

She was pleased it had worked out like it had, especially since she didn’t think she had set out to do Will. But what had she meant to do? Tell him about his girlfriend, end his relationship, make herself feel better? She did one, avoided the other, and had decided he was better off not knowing about the last one. His relationship had already ended so she had taken the opportunity to distract herself and telling him about Harlan would have taken the night in the wrong direction--

So,  it’d been nice. And easy. And familiar. And enough to make her wonder why she had broken up with him in the first place. it could have all been avoided, anyway. The past year, all of this with Harlan.

He thanked her for coming to see her; he had believed her when she had said she had wanted to see him, without her telling him the real reason. And he thanked her for listening and she nodded, shrugging one shoulder lightly. “Of course.” She could use now to tell him, that her own boyfriend had been the reason for everything but then: We should do this again sometime. Honey swallowed and lowered her tea, figuring he wasn’t talking about breakfast, hoping he wasn’t talking about breakfast. “We should.” She returned his smile, laced with a small smirk.

She didn’t think this was sustainable, considering what had happened last time. They’d do this and the something serious would creep up on her in about six months. She’d just have to make a point to not go on holiday with him anywhere. Or mention Harlan. Or Harlan causing his breakup. There was no reason to think Will would find out but wow this was a lot to keep track of already and they weren’t even anything.

“I’m sort of busy through the end of the school year, but…” That’d give her some time to figure out if this was a good idea or not. She smiled again, nodding. “We should.” She was close to asking if now was okay but it’d be easier to excuse her behavior (to herself, or anyone) if she wasn’t sober.

Dave nudged her foot with his nose, effectively distracting her. “I should probably..” She tilted her head toward the door. She pushed her chair back and stood up, grabbing another slice of toast to eat while she wandered toward the lounge, looking for her dress.

Honey was letting him down easily and he appreciated it. He smiled at her again as he finished his tea. It wasn't quite a no and it wasn't quite a yes which was equally as dangerous. Will decided to steadfastly ignore the voice in his head that clearly stated ha, sucker! It was bad form, flip-flopping back to an ex because she'd shown him the slightest bit of attention but it had happened so naturally. "Of course," he commented gently at her needing to leave as he wiped his hands on a napkin. There was a but hanging precariously in the air between them. They could figure it out another time.  After all, she would be busy for most of the year.

"How is the shop?" He asked, not trying to make small talk but because he was genuinely interested. Will hadn't been there in months and it was a piss-poor excuse - he was allowed to buy some of her fudge.

Honey stood and Dave followed her, his tail wagging, but Will stayed seated for a couple of minutes as he watched her. She looked so natural in his flat and there was a strange pull of something. It wasn't feelings but it did feel like nostalgia, warm, comfortable. Maybe that was why they'd ended things because it was comfortable. For once, he hadn't woken with a debilitating desire to apologise or explain himself. He was a grown man, he was allowed to have casual sex but he hadn't changed and neither had she.

She'd snatched another piece of toast and he chuckled which turned into a heavy sigh as he watched her move, his dog obediently following her as she wandered around. "Do you want to take some of this with you?" He called after her, meaning the breakfast because it seemed a shame to waste it.

He stood and pushed his chair back, raking a hand through his hair from crown to nape as he moved to lean against the door frame. Honey's dress was folded neatly and rested on the arm of his worn and plush leather sofa. He strode forward to offer it to her. "Sorry," he added with a sheepish grin. "It's a habit." At least Honey never had a problem finding her belongings in the previous time she'd stayed over. He couldn't quite vouch for the shoes  because Dave was around.

The Wolfhound flopped morosely onto the floor as if on cue and Will turned and headed back into the kitchen. "You're breaking his heart, you know," he joked as he began to clean up the plates and stack them in the sink, making sure there was some leftover bacon for Dave because the poor thing deserved a treat.

“The shop is good,” she said around bites of toast, eyes scanning the floor for her discarded clothes. Dave was hot on her heels and she paused every few seconds to give him a good scratch behind his ears. “Got a lot of new ideas to try once things slow down.” She meant that in a work way but she glanced at Will and smirked, just in case it could have been taken any other way. She needed to keep herself distracted; work, Will, whatever.

He offered her to take some of the breakfast with her and she didn’t think that she should stick around any longer than it took her to get dressed; it was already too much that she’d had a bit of a lie in, had tea, a meal, everything that felt like they could just pick up where they had left off. “I doubt I’d find the time to eat it, being honest.” She really did need to be busy with work today, and that usually meant forgetting to eat until she had closed the shop so she wasn’t technically lying.

Her dress was seemingly nowhere to be found -- she thought she had made it up the stairs at least before taking her clothes off but it would just have been one more thing to add to the list of ‘just like old times’ if she hadn’t managed -- but Will was there to help, as usual. He handed her her dress, neatly folded in what was probably the first time in months, and she took it from him with a soft smirk. “Thanks.” She handed it back to him after a second so she could take her borrowed t-shirt off; never mind she was standing in the lounge; never mind how Will might have felt about this sort of thing; never mind that she hadn’t located her bra yet. It took her a couple more seconds to find it and get it on, taking her dress back from Will and meeting his gaze as she pulled it on over her head.

She lingered for a second before she turned, back on the hunt for her shoes. Finding them, she sat on the arm of the sofa to pull them on, glancing at the dog as Will said something. “I think he’ll manage.” She said it with a smile, looking from Dave to Will over her shoulder. “Somehow.” She stood up, fully dressed, trying to decide the best way to leave gracefully.

But just like she had decided she couldn’t just leave while back in the bedroom, Honey crossed back to the kitchen and pulled him into a hug. She pulled him close, arms around his waist, letting herself linger for a moment too long, enjoying the feel of him, before she stepped back. “Should do this again,” she repeated, heading back to the lounge to give Dave another pat on the head before she turned to apparate home.

[[ out ]]

Will smiled back as he caught her eye. He had to realise that she owned a business and she couldn't - she shouldn't - be dropping plans on a whim to spend time with him. She had things to try and he nodded then the penny dropped and he flushed quickly, hiding his very ungentlemanly smile behind his hand. "Sounds lovely," he admitted. "Send me some samples any time." But she didn't want more breakfast.

Will forced himself to bite down on his tongue at the risk of sounding like his mother and pester her to eat. "No problem," he called back brightly as he  wiped down the counters, glancing at Dave who had chosen Honey over him (no contest). "Your lucky day, fella," he mentioned to the dog. Could dogs have pancakes? He was sure it'd be fine.

He held Honey's dress awkwardly as she handed it back to him briefly. He was completely distracted. He knew he should look away and give her some privacy but she was right there. In his apartment. Unashamed and gorgeous. It was rude to look anywhere else. His grip on the garment tightened. His big dark eyes swept over her, taking the opportunity while she turned around to find her underwear - had she always had freckles across her shoulder blades? He should have known that.

His front teeth rested on his lower lip as he tried his hardest to keep eye contact with her but failed. Miserably. "No thank you," Will grinned as he tangled a hand in his still damp hair, starstruck and wondering what on Earth had happened in the past twelve hours to shunt them back eighteen months.

Honey was dressed and looking radiant but also about to leave. He'd always liked the way the sunlight made her hair shine. He'd thought that when they were dating and it had felt awkward to tell her that back then so Heavens knew how terrible it would be to voice that opinion now. "Nothing bacon can't fix, I'm sure," he added in jest but the hug caught him completely off-guard.

Instantly, Will's arms were wrapped around her neck as Honey squeezed his waist, taking a step back to support her, one hand on her back and the hands of the other gently curled into the hair on the back of her head. It felt nice and he hated the word nice He was a writer and that was a filler word but he hadn't...really been hugged in such a long time. He gave a soft laugh that reverberated as he briefly rested his chin on top of her head, a hand gently stroking up and down her spine slowly before she stepped back. The cool air of his home rushed up meet him and he gave a quick, involuntary shiver. She needed to come back.

He nodded eagerly with a smile as she patted Dave. "You know where I am," he managed to say just before she disappeared. Dave let out a whine and flopped down onto the floor, resting his chin on his outstretched paws, the same time as Will let out a sigh. Absently, he scratched his chest as the faint whiff of Honey's shampoo quickly disappeared.

"I know," he cooed to the dog who simply flicked him a glance with his big dark eyes. "Walk?" He offered because that usually cheered him up. Instead, Dave just schlepped off and collapsed onto the sofa as though it was a lot of effort. "Same, mate, same," he agreed with a nod in sympathy at Honey's departure. He took a deep breath, his hand at the nape of his neck before turning back to the kitchen as he began to clean the dishes, shaking his head fondly and still in a daze. Hurricane Honey had well and truly landed.


[all done!]