Magical Hogwarts

He could tell that look wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót genuine, but that was probably what offended him more?óÔé¼ÔÇØof all people to judge him?óÔé¼ÔÇØbut then, she had just said she?óÔé¼Ôäód at least managed one relationship without cheating (barely). Still, it wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót a competition. Charlie grinned lopsidedly. ?óÔé¼?ôMm.?óÔé¼?Ø He slid his hand around to the small of her back, pulling her closer, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin material of her blouse. If he was being honest, he had been seconds away from Honey being more than a barely a couple of years ago ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ but he kept that thought to himself, unsure if it would help or hinder his cause with the redhead.

She didn?óÔé¼Ôäót react visibly to Bellamy, which he decided to interpret as a good sign. Victor, between them, she said, and Charlie had a swig of his whiskey (that hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót been the mental image he?óÔé¼Ôäód needed). Hector, next. Charlie raised an eyebrow at her. Roger, in school ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ Charlie nodded; he remembered the older Slytherin, a prefect and a wanker (as if the two weren't mutually exclusive). Nora, who wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót gay. Charlie laughed. ?óÔé¼?ôJust curious, was she??óÔé¼?Ø

But what were people naming their kids? He'd teased Honey about having a fetish for that sort of thing once but maybe he'd hit the nail on the head. Admittedly, they had been born in the seventies, and in Britain, so there wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót about to be a bunch of Britney?óÔé¼Ôäós and Tyler?óÔé¼Ôäós. And he was a Charles, but nobody ever called him that ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ even when he was in trouble his mum still called him Charlie (unwarranted, Kate?óÔé¼Ôäós shrill Charles needled into his train of thought and he had another drink of whiskey, emptying the glass).

But back to just the one; he deduced that given she?óÔé¼Ôäód been cheated on by Harlan, she hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót cheated on him. Absently, Charlie rubbed his thumb softly against her spine. If he'd tried a little harder, this time last year, would she have given in? Sounded like it. But would things have turned out like this if he'd been the cause of their breakup? He brought his eyes up to meet hers and wet his lips.

He was thinking too much. Perhaps this was why they never talked. He set his empty glass on the table and looped his other hand loosely around her waist without overthinking that. ?óÔé¼?ôHave you been having affairs since you were sixteen then??óÔé¼?Ø he smirked ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ and he was being generous, assuming she hadn't had a boyfriend until then (he was fairly certain, at any rate, because that had been around the time he'd started keeping tabs).

Honey finished rolling her eyes, her gaze landing on Charlie?óÔé¼Ôäós lips as he laughed. ?óÔé¼?ôCan you blame her??óÔé¼?Ø She smirked, giving herself far more credit than she was due. She blinked as she realized--rather late--how close they were; had he really pulled her closer when she was going on about her past relationships? She smirked again-- again giving herself too much credit.

Charlie finished his drink and Honey had another swallow of hers, just barely not finishing it. (A cider and a whisky in thirty minutes, on an empty stomach; she could do worse.) She raised her eyebrows as his thumb moved against her and she tightened her hand around her glass as he rested his other hand on her waist; she regretted not leaving herself more alcohol so she could drain her glass dramatically. This was too comfortable, almost, and that should have made her more uncomfortable. She considered suggesting more drinks so they had an excuse to move, but she got distracted by his question-- accusation.

She rolled her eyes again, hearing his smirk as much as she was seeing it. ?óÔé¼?ô?óÔé¼?£Course no.?óÔé¼?Ø Not technically, anyway. She had kissed someone else while dating Roger, but that was it. It wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót cheating if she hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót slept with anyone--and she hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót slept with Roger, either, because she had limits once--and-- ah, fuck. She thought that counted as cheating now anyway, having been on the other end of it, but she wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót about to clue Charlie in to any of that. ?óÔé¼?ôDidn?óÔé¼Ôäót have emotions ?óÔé¼?£til I was twenty-eight, at least.?óÔé¼?Ø That was a good save, anyway, because that was when it counted, per Charlie?óÔé¼Ôäós rule that it was when emotions got involved.

Honey picked up her glass and drained it--not dramatically--keeping hold of it as she set it back on the table. ?óÔé¼?ôWhat about you, then??óÔé¼?Ø She raised one eyebrow, squeezing his side again as she hoped he would skip over the obvious answers, Kate and Alannah. But just in case he was that thick, she added: ?óÔé¼?ôThe other three.?óÔé¼?Ø

?óÔé¼?ôYou know I don?óÔé¼Ôäót,?óÔé¼?Ø he said with a grin, talking as much about his present feelings?óÔé¼ÔÇØnot feelings?óÔé¼ÔÇØattraction?óÔé¼ÔÇØas the crush he?óÔé¼Ôäód had on her as a thirteen year old. She hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót known then, obviously, but he?óÔé¼Ôäód made the mistake of admitting to it during a drinking game and he didn?óÔé¼Ôäót think she?óÔé¼Ôäód ever let him live it down.

Charlie laughed ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ not for any real reason, what she?óÔé¼Ôäód said wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót that funny. His gaze dropped to her mouth and he wet his lips. He was drunk, now ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ that whiskey clearly having been the tipping point for the three (four? He?óÔé¼Ôäód lost count) beers he?óÔé¼Ôäód had while waiting to finally take effect. Plus the one since she?óÔé¼Ôäód joined him. Honey said she had only acquired emotions when she was twenty-eight. Without any subtlety whatsoever, Charlie frowned, trying to do the mental maths to work out when that had been ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ got as far as realising it was between them, before he realised she was paraphrasing him. He grinned lopsidedly. Then remembered that he was twenty-eight. ?óÔé¼?ôI?óÔé¼ÔÇØ?óÔé¼?Ø

His mouth hung open slightly for a moment before he let out an amused noise. The other three.. He brought one hand up to rub over his mouth and jaw, then shrugged. ?óÔé¼?ôErm, Maisie, in school,?óÔé¼?Ø he said. ?óÔé¼?ôNot that we got up to much,?óÔé¼?Ø he smirked. ?óÔé¼?ôOnly lasted like, three months or something but?óÔé¼ÔÇØ?óÔé¼?Ø first girlfriend was first girlfriend. Charlie had unceremoniously dumped her before Christmas and promptly moved on come the new term in January.

Honey was still looking at him, waiting for him to go on. Charlie shifted, putting himself slightly between her and the table. ?óÔé¼?ôSteph. Stephanie,?óÔé¼?Ø he elaborated, unnecessarily. ?óÔé¼?ôShe were a muggle though and it?óÔé¼ÔÇØ weren?óÔé¼Ôäót going to work out.?óÔé¼?Ø The promise of bigger and better things, namely: ?óÔé¼?ôHilary.?óÔé¼?Ø He didn?óÔé¼Ôäót linger on her, assuming Honey would know about his on-and-off again affair with a member of the popular girl group thanks to the tabloids. He supposed she wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót really a girlfriend, but everyone else had called her one so it had kind of stuck.

?óÔé¼?ôMeghan, after her. Or, well, there was a little overlap,?óÔé¼?Ø he admitted. He was gazing off to the side, all the better to focus on the other women he?óÔé¼Ôäód slept with consistently over the years. ?óÔé¼?ôGod, she was fit,?óÔé¼?Ø he lamented. ?óÔé¼?ôBut she was a fucking nightmare,?óÔé¼?Ø he laughed then, lowering his gaze before bringing it back up to meet Honey?óÔé¼Ôäós eyes. She had been next, chronologically, in his mind, but she?óÔé¼Ôäód excluded herself just a few minutes ago. Charlie wet his lips, holding eye contact for a moment before shrugging. Kate had come after her, but he didn?óÔé¼Ôäót think they needed him to bring her up, nor the overlap there, either. The more he thought about it, he didn?óÔé¼Ôäót think being his barely would make up for it.

It did beg the question though: he?óÔé¼Ôäód listed four, without thinking about it, and she?óÔé¼Ôäód excluded herself, Kate was a persona non grata ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ so who did she think the fifth was? It clicked less than a second after he?óÔé¼Ôäód asked himself the question. ?óÔé¼?ôYou don?óÔé¼Ôäót think Fflur and I?óÔé¼?ª??óÔé¼?Ø

There was Maisie, in school, he said, so Honey assumed?óÔé¼ÔÇØhoped?óÔé¼ÔÇØhe wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót starting with the most recent and working his way back like she had. But it lasted three months and nothing happened, which only reminded her of Charlie?óÔé¼Ôäós other three months when nothing happened; Honey smirked before she could catch herself. She quickly rearranged her expression and looked at him to keep talking. Steph--Stephanie--was next, and a muggle, and it obviously hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót worked out. Honey?óÔé¼Ôäós latest attempt at that was Janice, and she grimaced sympathetically, vaguely wondering how Charlie got women without being able to really use the rockstar route, not really realizing that that wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót why she was still hanging around; he went on before she could ask, at least.

It was Hilary next, and it took Honey a second but when it clicked--she remembered caring more about that rumor because it was attached to a is Spellbound going to break up? sort of headline--she raised her eyebrows. She wanted him to drop some sort of hint about where he was on his timeline, where he was in relation to sleeping with her, but that was three already, so next were Kate and Alannah. Or Meghan. Honey?óÔé¼Ôäós eyebrows were already up, or she might have looked more confused. At least she was fit, and a nightmare, and Honey could sympathize--?óÔé¼?ØBeen there.?óÔé¼?Ø--though of the ones she had mentioned, she didn?óÔé¼Ôäót think any of them qualified as nightmares, really. Fit? Yes.

But she was back to being confused after another second, trying to remember what he had said about Alannah last year. He said he was breaking up with her, right? She assumed that meant they were dating, but maybe she had been reading into it, for whatever reason. Honey met his eye when he spoke again, her mouth falling open slightly at his question. Fflur? ?óÔé¼?ôWhat? No.?óÔé¼?Ø She had been the last person on her mind, but now that he mentioned it-- ?óÔé¼?ôI mean, didn?óÔé¼Ôäót you??óÔé¼?Ø She wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót talking about dating now and she assumed he knew that.

It had been obvious he wanted to, if they hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót already, whenever Honey met her in Paris; at the time she had thought it was rude to invite her--Honey--to a party he knew another woman--who he was also sleeping with--would be there, but she had had fun with Grace after ditching said party, and Charlie. Now, she realized, there might have been something more to the annoyance, but it wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót the time or the place to get distracted with worry about that.

?óÔé¼?ôNot that it matters,?óÔé¼?Ø she added quickly, smirking softly, though now it was occuring to her that he might have brought Fflur up to see if she was jealous. (She wouldn?óÔé¼Ôäót put it past him.) ?óÔé¼?ôI slept with Robin,?óÔé¼?Ø she said, casually, her hand much closer to Charlie?óÔé¼Ôäós backside than she imagined it would be, telling him that.

Honey gaped softly up at him and Charlie smirked at her quick denial?óÔé¼ÔÇØhad he thrived a little off the obvious jealousy between them back in the late nineties? Absolutely?óÔé¼ÔÇØthough the smug expression was wiped off his lips just as quickly by her follow-up question, because he could tell by her tone that she wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót asking about dating anymore. He really should have thought through bringing up Fflur in the first place. ?óÔé¼?ôErm,?óÔé¼?Ø he hesitated ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ long enough for Honey to say it didn?óÔé¼Ôäót matter, and he might not have believed her if it weren?óÔé¼Ôäót for the smirk on her lips; his shoulders relaxed.

Charlie was a fraction less composed when Honey told him she?óÔé¼Ôäód slept with Robin ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ thankfully, the hand on his backside served as a decent distraction. Still, this was not how he?óÔé¼Ôäód imagined having this conversation ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ if he?óÔé¼Ôäód imagined it at all (mainly the Fflur part, he hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót considered Robin would factor at all). But Honey?óÔé¼Ôäós admission was enough to prompt him to be equally honest; ?óÔé¼?ôI?óÔé¼ÔÇØ Yeah, we shagged once.?óÔé¼?Ø The once seemed important. ?óÔé¼?ôIt were?óÔé¼?ª?óÔé¼?Ø he half-grimaced, half-grinned; saying it was bad without saying it was bad out loud (which was an exaggeration either way, it had been more awkward than awful). He could have been gentlemanly about it and taken the blame, rather than be vague and hope Honey would read between the lines, but he was trying to reassure her ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ not like she was that kind of jealous but?óÔé¼ÔÇØ and he was still bitter that Fflur had thrown him under the bus with Michel (all those years ago), so he was allowed to throw her under it just this once. ?óÔé¼?ôDon?óÔé¼Ôäót think I?óÔé¼Ôäóve been that drunk since,?óÔé¼?Ø he said with an amused noise; he?óÔé¼Ôäód definitely been drunker and Honey probably knew that, but what else was he supposed to attribute it to?

Speaking of, they both needed another drink. ?óÔé¼?ôYou want another??óÔé¼?Ø he asked, pointing at Honey?óÔé¼Ôäós empty glass. He waited for her to accept his offer before turning away from their spot at the table and leading her through the growing crowd to the bar, his hand taking hers; fingers linking on muscle memory.

He dropped it when they reached the back of the ?óÔé¼?£queue?óÔé¼Ôäó at the bar ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ though, to be fair, people were still being reasonably orderly this early in the evening. He glanced sidelong at Honey, aware that he?óÔé¼Ôäód cut that conversation short, but more aware that this was probably the only chance he had to talk about this without it being weird. And he couldn?óÔé¼Ôäót help but want to know: ?óÔé¼?ôWhen did you sleep with Rob??óÔé¼?Ø he asked, in as casual a tone as he could muster (too casual, if anything).

Charlie?óÔé¼Ôäós hesitation was enough answer, and Honey?óÔé¼Ôäós smirk widened as she reassured him that it didn?óÔé¼Ôäót really matter either way. He didn?óÔé¼Ôäót say anything about Robin, but she didn?óÔé¼Ôäót miss the little change in his expression; Honey lowered her hand just that much more. That?óÔé¼ÔÇØand her offering a name, too?óÔé¼ÔÇØled to him admitting what she already knew, though she wouldn?óÔé¼Ôäót have gone as far as to say she thought it would have been just the one time. She raised her eyebrows, not exactly believing him?óÔé¼ÔÇØnever mind he didn?óÔé¼Ôäót have a reason to lie because it wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót like she was about to get jealous. She nodded like she understood?óÔé¼ÔÇØthey had already established she had had bad sex before, anyway?óÔé¼ÔÇØwhen he didn?óÔé¼Ôäót quite finish the thought.
 
?óÔé¼?ôShe must have ambushed you,?óÔé¼?Ø she said matter-of-factly, once he had declared he hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót been that drunk since. That had been his explanation before and she thought it only fair that he knew she remembered.
 
But did she want another? ?óÔé¼?ôAye.?óÔé¼?Ø A few more, at least. No work tomorrow, no one to try and impress?óÔé¼ÔÇØCharlie knew what to expect, at least. She had half a thought to suggest they try to save their spot at the table, but one small glance at their surroundings was a good enough indication that it was a lost cause; they were getting crowded out. Charlie turned and Honey moved to follow, looking down at their joined hands, as if she might get lost on the way to the bar--she would need four more drinks for that, at least?óÔé¼ÔÇØor maybe he didn?óÔé¼Ôäót want to get lost. She didn?óÔé¼Ôäót know how many he?óÔé¼Ôäód had before she got there.
 
Or maybe they didn?óÔé¼Ôäót know anyone here, didn?óÔé¼Ôäót think anyone would pop in and recognize them, could hold hands like she would with any girlfriend in a crowded pub. She was just starting to overthink it when Charlie let go of her hand, and Honey met his eye as he glanced at her. She nearly laughed at his question but settled for rolling her eyes instead. ?óÔé¼?ôLast week,?óÔé¼?Ø she answered casually, shrugging the shoulder farthest from him.
 
There was a jarring sound of bow on strings as a fiddler tuned up across the pub, quickly followed by a second one not tuning, rolling right into their first song. Honey rolled her eyes at that, too, though at least it gave her a good excuse to lean a little closer to be heard. (She snaked an arm around his waist, too, to anchor her in place.) ?óÔé¼?ôIt was ages ago,?óÔé¼?Ø she said, a half-hearted attempt to set his mind at ease. ?óÔé¼?ôYou were probably still in school.?óÔé¼?Ø She smirked softly.

Charlie scowled petulantly at Honey, the expression fading after he realised he probably deserved that. Had they been talking about anyone else he might?óÔé¼Ôäóve gone with the excuse she?óÔé¼Ôäód given him?óÔé¼ÔÇØbeing ambushed?óÔé¼ÔÇØbut Fflur didn?óÔé¼Ôäót deserve that. He hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót ambushed her, either ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ it had just been a mutual fuck up.

Last week, she said, preluded with a roll of her eyes that Charlie missed, and he almost missed the joke too ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ was torn between being mad at Rob for sleeping with Honey and being mad at Rob for doing that to Fflur for all of three seconds before the preposterousness of it made him second-guess. He was saved from having to respond by the band loudly tuning their fiddle(s), then launching straight into their set, just as loudly.

Charlie glanced back at Honey as she clarified. He shuffled forwards in the crowd as the line to the bar lessened. ?óÔé¼?ôI?óÔé¼Ôäóm only two years younger than you,?óÔé¼?Ø he reminded her, raising his voice to be heard over the music ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ as if he hadn?óÔé¼Ôäót reminded her how she was a whole two years older than him more than once, to wind her up. It was easier to think the gap was larger, with the way the school years had worked, but he was more likely to forget there was any gap at all most of the time ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ like he did with Fflur. When they were just hanging out it didn?óÔé¼Ôäót really come up, wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót glaringly obvious ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ he figured that said more about their maturity than his, though.

Another person was served, leaving only one more before it was their turn. ?óÔé¼?ôCider??óÔé¼?Ø he asked, leaning in to be heard?óÔé¼ÔÇØand maybe to get a little closer, personal space becoming less of a priority?óÔé¼ÔÇØfiguring she wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót particularly enchanted by the Jameson?óÔé¼Ôäós. ?óÔé¼?ôI?óÔé¼Ôäóm not ordering Scotch for you.?óÔé¼?Ø Not in Ireland. Not on St Paddy?óÔé¼Ôäós Day.

Honey took a step as Charlie moved forward, keeping her arm in place around his waist, just barely tucking her thumb into the waistband of his jeans. She was only two years older than him, he reminded her, and Honey rolled her eyes. ?óÔé¼?ôI know.?óÔé¼?Ø It wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót the first time he had mentioned it, though it was usually to remind her how old she was, not give any substance to how old he was. But really, it--Robin--had happened so long ago and ended poorly-- but she wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót about to tell Charlie that. She liked this reaction better.

She nodded her head once when Charlie asked her about the cider, adding an ?óÔé¼?ôAye,?óÔé¼?Ø after another second. She might have been distracted by how close they were now, letting her mind wander, but she was quicker on the uptake when he said he wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót ordering her Scotch. She rolled her eyes again before she looked up at him, considering kissing him to shut him up. ?óÔé¼?ôI can order for myself,?óÔé¼?Ø she said instead, but looking at that selection: she wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót ordering Scotch here, anyway. (Never mind that she knew where she was and what day it was.) She gave herself a second before she moved between him and the bar, face-to-face as she wrapped her other arm around his waist.

But then it was time to order and Honey untangled herself from him and turned to the bar, ordering herself a cider, letting Charlie order a whiskey before asking for ?óÔé¼?ôTwo of those.?óÔé¼?Ø She had a point to make now, after all.

Honey turned around, leaning back against the bar and reaching for Charlie?óÔé¼Ôäós hand to pull him close again. She glanced over to their table, now full of other people, which was on par with how the rest of the pub was filling up. They could go upstairs or enjoy being out of the(ir) house(s), or-- she looked around Charlie and spotted a dart board on the far wall. ?óÔé¼?ôDarts??óÔé¼?Ø She nodded her head toward it, just in time for another group to move in and ruin that idea, too. ?óÔé¼?ôNever mind,?óÔé¼?Ø she said with half a laugh.

Charlie smirked, the expression fading just slightly as he was distracted by Honey?óÔé¼Ôäós thumb slipping into the top of his waistband.

Right, cider. He gazed at Honey, and his lips pulled into another soft smirk when he realised where she was gazing. ?óÔé¼?ôAlright.?óÔé¼?Ø A gentle grin slipped onto his features as she moved to stand between him and the bar ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ she wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót going to be ordering much facing him, but he wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót about to complain about the proximity?óÔé¼ÔÇØ But it didn?óÔé¼Ôäót last: it was their turn. Honey spun around and ordered her cider. Charlie ordered a ?óÔé¼?ôJameson?óÔé¼Ôäós,?óÔé¼?Ø and he rose an eyebrow at the redhead in surprise as she made that two; he wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót confident that the second one was for her ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ it was that or she was just trying to get him (even more) drunk.

Drinks ordered, Honey was back to facing him. Charlie?óÔé¼Ôäós line of sight dropped to their hands as she took his in hers. He smiled and stepped into her obediently, curling his fingers around hers?óÔé¼ÔÇØ It was bad pub etiquette to start snogging at the bar?óÔé¼ÔÇØthey?óÔé¼Ôäód just be blocking everyone?óÔé¼Ôäós access?óÔé¼ÔÇØbut it wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót like they knew anyone here to make any sort of lasting impression?óÔé¼ÔÇØ

Darts? He followed the direction Honey was looking in just in time to see a group start to use the board. He grinned as he heard her say nevermind and glanced back down, then around the room again ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ she was obviously thinking about what they were going to do next, if going upstairs was ruled out (not entirely, obviously, but for a little longer at least), and their old table had been taken over ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ and talking wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót exactly their strong suit.

Charlie shifted his weight to peer over a few heads ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ there was a smaller (quieter) adjacent room that had a pool table that nobody seemed interested in right now, too occupied with the band and getting drinks as the business end of St Patrick?óÔé¼Ôäós Day got going. He turned back to Honey ?óÔé¼ÔÇØ had somehow forgotten just how close their faces were, even with their arms looped around one another, and blinked in mild surprise; ?óÔé¼?ôPool??óÔé¼?Ø

There was half a second of eye contact between Honey taking back her suggestion of darts and Charlie looking around for (she assumed) something else to do. They were both creative people; they would figure something out, she concluded with a soft smirk to no one in particular. But he was still looking around--with a bit more effort, even--so maybe going upstairs was out of the question (for now, at least). She let go of his hand to wrap her arms around his waist again, keeping him close, because they could definitely think about going upstairs.

Honey raised her eyebrows when Charlie came up with an actual suggestion. She turned her head to look for the pool table, turned back to Charlie when it wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót there right in front of her; she was still leaning back against the bar and she didn?óÔé¼Ôäót want to straighten up to look around anyone or risk changing how close she and Charlie were standing now, all pretense of someone might see right out the window.

She liked playing darts; or, she liked when her dates felt compelled to show her how to properly hold and throw a dart when she did poorly (and which she only did on purpose about a quarter of the time). She would probably be worse at pool, which wasn?óÔé¼Ôäót an altogether bad thing. She smirked again. ?óÔé¼?ôCan you teach me??óÔé¼?Ø

Their drinks were delivered before Honey could get much further along with her thoughts (which was probably for the best). She turned and pulled the cider toward her with one hand, picked up one of the whiskeys with the other. She downed the whiskey in a few swallows, setting the glass back down on the bar as she glanced at Charlie with a little shrug of one shoulder (and another smirk after she got over how bad the whiskey had tasted). She lingered for another second before she wandered away toward where she figured (and hoped) the pool table was: away from the band.

 Charlie smirked back. “Are you teachable?” History told him yes, when she was in a mood amenable to receiving instructions (and that went both ways, didn’t it?). He wet his lips, gazing at her a little too long— Their order was set down on the bar and Honey turned on the spot; Charlie let his attention drift down before collecting his own drink.

Honey necked her whiskey and Charlie smirked, again, knowing what kind of night he was in for if she kept polishing off drinks at this pace. She slipped past him and Charlie followed close behind, his fingertips maintaining contact with the small of her back (and steering her slightly to the right when she went off course). It was quieter in the annex room, but mainly because it was empty — the band were at the other end of the bar, with the majority of revelers fanning out from the stage. You didn’t go out on St Patrick’s day to play pool.

Charlie sipped his whiskey and set it on the mantle, pressing the button that released the balls as he walked around to the end of the table. He bent to pull the plastic triangle out of the ball return and placed it on the field, grabbing two or three balls at a time in each hand to fill it, then stood and shimmied the triangle into position. “You actually need me to teach you?” he asked, teasing slightly but prepared (and more than willing) to actually do so if she needed him to. He swapped a couple of the spots and stripes around—one of the balls was clearly from a different set—before taking the triangle away and placing it on a nearby table.

Honey had put the cue ball on the marker and selected a cue from the rack on the wall. Charlie came up close and wrapped his hand half over hers around the wood. “I’ll help you break it.”
 

 Honey smirked, mid sip–Charlie’s hand was low on her back, her cider was sloshing precariously–as she walked toward the pool table (and course-corrected toward the right without thanking Charlie for his directions). The sound of the fiddles wasn’t as jarring which was nice, even if it meant her leaning-in-to-be-heard-over-the-music excuse would need some tweaking. There were no people, though, so there was no one to make excuses to– besides herself, and being away from home (and drinking so quickly) was helping her not to worry about appearances.

She sipped–with large sips–her cider as she watched him ready the table for them; it took her another minute–Charlie was bending over at a distracting frequency–before she remembered she needed to grab a pool stick (and she was sure they were called something else proper but she couldn’t remember what it was so she decided to just not talk about it ever, instead).

Honey laughed as she shrugged; did she actually need him to teach her? Yes and no– she had played before (and not well) but didn’t know any rules beyond balls in the pockets. “I’ve got the basics,” she said truthfully, shrugging again before flipping her cue the right way up. She grabbed the white ball–the only free one–and moved to the other end of the table, placing it on the stickered dot. Charlie figured out that her basics didn’t extend too far past that and sidled up behind her; she shifted back into him, considered suggesting they skip this altogether, let him guide her to break anyway.

She took her time straightening up after the break, turning around in the little space he afforded her. “What do I get when I win?” She asked, mostly wondering what he got when he won because that was clearly the way this was going to go.
 

 Honey said she had the basics and Charlie looked at her knowingly, not that he minded the excuse to teach her – wasn’t that why he’d suggested pool in the first place? He caught her righting the pool cue out of the corner of his eye and smiled to himself.

Charlie came up behind her, looping his arms around and bending forward with Honey as she leant over the table; he smirked as her backside met his lap, but somehow kept his eyes on the task at hand. He nudged her hand over just slightly to make sure she hit the right spot, half-serious about actually playing a game.

It might have been the whiskey, but he was slow to disentangle himself from the redhead and stand straight. Honey was slower -- he took advantage of the extra few seconds and let his eyes slide down to her backside and up again.

Charlie's eyebrows rose, then he broke out into a lopsided grin -- fat chance of her winning, but he wasn’t going to tell her so. He leant in to speak in her ear, his fingers wrapping over hers again on the pool cue, upright this time; “I’ll do that thing you like,” he murmured before pulling back and taking the cue from her.

“And when I win, you’ll do that thing I like.” As if to make his point, he stepped around her and bent to pocket a ball with pinpoint accuracy, gave her a smug smirk from where he was still leaning forward across the table, then moved onto the next one -- pocketing that too. He surveyed the field and intentionally missed his next pocket, conveniently setting her up.
 

 Charlie leaned in, and Honey inched closer. (There was something to it, being this close without an immediate snog.) He offered the thing she liked–his voice was low, his breath was hot on her neck–as if there was any one thing. Still, she smirked, because that meant he’d get that thing he liked when he won–

–which he mentioned after pulling back, taking the cue with him. There was a pretty good chance they liked the same thing, if past experience was anything to go on.

She watched him take his turn, using the view to her advantage and letting her gaze drift over his backside. There was the sound of another ball in a pocket, and Honey looked back at the balls in play. At least he wasn’t going to let her win.

Honey took the cue back, moving around the table in a deliberate way, doing this one on her own. She probably should have asked for help– she hit the cue ball with enough force and at a wrong enough angle to pop it clear off the table, arcing over the rest and onto the floor with a jarring thunk. She laughed through a grimace as she straightened up. “That’s extra points for me, aye?” She asked, well aware that wasn’t how it worked.

She handed the cue back with another smirk, hoping Charlie would finish this quickly, if they were genuinely planning to finish this game before heading upstairs.

[[ out ]]
 

 Charlie was still smirking when he stood up and held the cue out for Honey. She took it, and he watched as the redhead moved around the table. He followed a few paces behind, being sure to give her enough room to concentrate (and for him to get a good look at her backside–that skirt was pretty short, wasn’t it? Helpful–as she bent over the table).

He was still staring when he heard the ball hit the floor with a thud. Honey laughed and turned towards him; Charlie raised his eyebrows, grinning as he wet his lips. “Right,” he said, his voice thick with sarcasm, and strode over to collect the ball from where it had rolled away and stopped by the fireplace.

Facing her again, he threw the cue ball up in the air and caught it in the same hand, before setting it back on the field to continue play. “Hope you’re gentler with my balls later,” he smirked, motioning for her to hand the cue over.


[ end ]