Closed Just For a Day

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire was thrilled to have the house to herself for once. Privacy was never really something she'd had before. There were too many kids at the Home and she shared a dorm at school. To have her own room, her own space, was amazing. She'd even invited a friend over for dinner to keep her company while the boys were gone. She had dressed casually, in jeans and a dark purple t-shirt with black lettering that read 'spunk'. She had cleaned her room on the off chance they would hang out in there. She'd also straightened the living room, picking a handful of movies for after. She had no idea how the day would go, but she was eager all the same.

She glanced at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time, wandering into the kitchen and grabbing some sodas. This shouldn't be that big a deal, right? Granted, it was the most alone they'd ever been. At school, there were always people everywhere. They'd been alone in the tree house, sure, but that had been different. She'd been an absolute mess then. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest at the thought of the treehouse. He'd been insistent on brushing her hair, she'd kissed him immediately after. She shook her head to clear it. Now was not the time. A timer went off then and she turned to the oven, slipping on some mitts and pulling out the Shepherds pie. She'd stolen the recipe from Kira. It had sounded really good, with carrots, parsnips, onion, mince, and mashed potatoes. She's thrown some cheese on top and couldn't help but think how good it looked.

The doorbell rang then, and she couldn't help the grin that lit up her face. She set the pan down and shut off the oven. She didn't notice the bit of mash on her cheek. Straightening her shirt, she hurried barefoot to answer the door. She paused in front of it and took a breath. Play it cool, bonehead. You're just hanging out. Fixing a small smile on her face, she opened the door. "Hey loony. Right on time, dinner's just finished. Come on in," She stepped back, allowing him in the door. This wasn't that big a deal. Right?

 

[Mervyn Strangewayes]

Approval ID - 88964​

Mervyn felt as if he was walking around in a dream. Even the process of getting from his hotel room to Sapphire's front doorstep felt hazy. He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. Had he said goodbye before he'd left for school in September? He must have done. He just wished he could remember it, to put his mind at rest.

The Gryffindor's eyes filled with tears, and he wiped them away harshly with his sleeve. No - he couldn't get upset. Not here. If Sapphire realised he was upset, she would ask why; and what would Mervyn tell her? Not the truth. There was just no way. No way.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Mervyn tested out a few smiles. They all felt fake, but he couldn't stand here on the doorstep forever, so eventually he rang the doorbell. His practice turned out to have been a waste of time, because a genuine smile, albeit a small one, appeared on his face the moment he saw Sapphire. He stepped into her hall, too distracted by the mash on her face to notice what a beautiful house it was. "Hi," he said, and then all of a sudden he felt like crying again and had to fake a cough to conceal the choked sound that came out of him. "Sorry I'm a bet late... you've got somethin', by the way, on your face. I'll get it..." He reached out to try to thumb the potato off her cheek. "Thanks for havin' me over... you didn't 'aff to make dinner."

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire paused when she saw Mervyn. Something was up, she could tell. The cough seemed to prove her point. She opened her mouth to ask, but he spoke first. She was about to brush off that he was late, but he reached out and ran a thumb across her cheek first. Whatever she'd been thinking before it flew out of her head. She turned bright red as he thanked her. "What?" Her voice was a little higher than normal. "Heh," She ran a hand through her hair and tried to act cool. "Nah, you're savin' me from being bored outta my mind. 'Sides," She was glad she sounded normal as she gestured for him to follow her. She turned and started back for the kitchen. "I didn't really do nothin', anyway. Whole thing was boxed. Just heated it up, really." She lied smoothly. The walk to the kitchen was a quick one. She sauntered over to the fridge, grabbing a canned pop for herself before glancing up over the door. "You thirsty?" She smiled. "I got three different pops, some juice, coffee if you like."

 

[Mervyn Strangewayes]

Mervyn followed Sapphire into the kitchen, now putting his smiling-practice to good use. It had just occurred to him that he had slipped back into his old accent, but he did that occasionally around his girlfriend anyway. Still, he had to try harder. Be normal. Keep it together. At least until he figured out what on earth he was going to do.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Mervyn leaned against the kitchen door frame in what he hoped was a natural posture. "Oh - um... just a juice, please," he said, trying to think of what he might have asked for if his stomach hadn't been turning. He was relieved she hadn't gone to too much effort with the dinner; he wasn't sure how much of it he was going to be able to eat. "Do you need any help? Want me to set the table, or somethin'?" Anything to get out of Sapphire's sight for a few moments and compose himself.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire was able to take better stock of her surroundings with her head in the fridge. She'd always been good at reading people- it had been a necessity to survive in the home. That's why she knew something was wrong. But that was also why she could tell how hard he was trying to hide it. She wasn't really in the mood to try and force him to talk about whatever was on his mind. She doubted he wanted to right now. Leda was a better candidate, she'd know what to do. Sapphire? She was good at distractions.

"I'm not really sure where everything is, to be honest," She told him as she popped back up. "I'm still not really used to being here." She handed him his juice with a small smile. "Why don't you head that way," She pointed towards the dining room. Acting on impulse, she placed a hand gently on his shoulder before pushing up on her toes and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. She gave him a soft smile as she pulled away, before turning and beginning her search.

 

[Mervyn Strangewayes]

Mervyn nodded, realising at that moment that he hadn't asked Sapphire how she was settling in to her new home. He'd been too distracted with his own problems to think much about anyone else's. Now it felt too late to ask, as if Sapphire would realise it was an afterthought and judge him for having forgotten. He forced a smile as she left a kiss on his cheek, and then headed into the dining room. It was a spacious room, clean and modern, unlike his dining room. His old dining room. When would he get used to thinking in the past tense? Too tired to explore the room, he simply sat down at the table and waited for Sapphire to come in with the dinner, gazing absently at one of the light fixtures above his head.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

It took Sapphire several minutes to get everything together. She found some Tupperware and put most of the dinner inside, setting it aside. She had a smaller serving for Merv and a normal one for her. He didn't look overly hungry. She'd just send some with him in case he got hungry later. It took her a moment to figure out how to get everything since she was too stubborn to ask Merv for help, but eventually she made it out to the dining room. She set his plate down. As she did, her soda rolled off her plate. She twisted quickly and grabbed it. She laughed as she sat down. "That could been messy."

It was obvious Merv wasn't much for talking tonight, but she didn't want him to think she'd kick him out for it. "This has gotta be the weirdest thing I've done in a while," she admitted, taking a bite of her food. It had turned out pretty well, she thought. She'd have to make it again sometime. "My uncle's pretty much a taller Onyx. Overly dramatic and super clingy." She shook her head before taking a sip of her pop. She was tempted to ask Merv about his family, but it was a subject he'd never brought up. Now didn't seem like a good time. She decided on a safer route. "You know what classes you're takin next year?" She took a bite of her food.

 

[Mervyn Strangewayes]

Mervyn had eaten enough instant meals to know a home-cooked dish when he saw one. Sapphire had gone to so much trouble. And then lied about it so he didn't feel bad. He didn't deserve her, really. He pretended not to notice this and made a poor attempt at a chuckle as her soda almost went flying. Agreeing to come over for dinner had been such a terrible idea. Mervyn wasn't sure why he'd accepted - whether he was trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy, or whether he just couldn't stand being alone in his hotel room any longer. Either way, the hotel room suddenly seemed a lot more appealing.

Mervyn pushed his food around with his fork for a bit, trying some of the mash. It wasn't bad. In fact, it was delicious. Mervyn just didn't feel like eating. "Sounds like a nightmare," Mervyn said, wondering what it would be like to have an uncle rush in, sweep him away, and take him home to a clean, comfy house. As Sapphire raised the topic of classes, Mervyn shrugged. "I don't know. Probably just the same. I don't know what I want to do, me. What about you?"

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire shrugged as Mervyn turned the question to her. "Probably the same. I've never really thought past the moment but... I'm kinda toying with magizooligy." She admitted. It was the first she'd actually admitted it out loud. It sounded nice. She took another bite of her food, looking at her boyfriend thoughtfully. "Alright," She announced after a moment, standing. "Movie night. Whatever it is you got up your sleeve, you don't have ta force it. Movies are good!" She picked up his plate as well as her own. "I already set aside plenty of this for you to take home. How do you feel about horror movies?" She grinned mischievously at him before turning and starting for the kitchen, motioning for him to follow.