Summer's honey breath

[Nicolas King]

It was a fine summer evening and Nicolas had found a way to wrap up work in the Auror's office early with clear intention. Sending the rest of the Aurors in the department out the door before him he closed the files he had been reviewing absentmindedly and set them aside for the next day's work. He had written ahead to Ava to see if he could convince her to leave Hogwarts for the evening and enjoy the weather of the park with him. Fortunately he found success and the rest of the day droned on in anticipation for their rendezvous.

It was difficult to believe that over three years ago he had met Ava entirely on accident and what could have only been a friendship somehow became far more than that. It hadn't been easy, there had been great difficulty in the arrangement and getting to the point they were now at - but all hardship seemed a distant memory as Nicolas sat on a park bench lost in his thoughts and waiting for Ava to arrive from the school.

 

[Ava King]

A sweet note had come to Ava inviting her to escape the walls of the castle, to enjoy (what she hoped would be) a romantic evening in the park. The Headmistress hadn't hesitated to reply 'yes'; she was sure her Deputy's could look after Hogwarts for the night. It felt good to know that even though she had been dating Nicolas for three years, her stomach was still filled with butterflies immediately and the excitement lasted the whole day. The night was sure to be pure bliss, away from her second home with the man she knew she truly loved. As much as she loved her school, it did, at times feel like a prison. She was grateful for times like these where she could escape.
The day had taken it's time, but finally, Ava apparated to the park. She wondered what Nicolas had planned for the two of them and briefly thought of maybe he was going to propose. The thought scared her and excited her at the same time. Ava knew that if he offered she would say yes. They had fallen in love properly, not like her ex-husband. Ava hadn't thought of Patrick for a long time, but his name quickly drifted away as she saw Nicolas sitting on the bench. Sneaking up behind him, she placed her soft hands over his eyes and whispered, "Guess who?" in his ear, a smirk on her face.

 

[Nicolas King]

Nicolas hadn't heard the sound of somebody apparating in to the park - his guard was completely down in a rare moment that he would surely rebuke himself for later as Ava's hands wrapped around his eyes. He smiled and brought his own hands up to meet hers, grasping them softly but keeping them where they were as he spoke "Headmistress, this is highly inappropriate of you, don't you think?" A warm twinkle would have been visible in his hidden eyes as he spoke the words before he stood and turned around to face the woman he loved, removing her hands from his eyes, still holding them in his own. "How's your day been?"

 

[Ava King]

The smirk on Ava's face quickly turned into a smile as she felt Nicolas' hands on top of hers. She let out a small giggle at his comment; she teasingly raised her eyebrows, defiant, thinking it was not inappropriate at all. The smile lingered on her face as Nicolas turned around and greeted her, still holding her hands. Even the small gesture of hand-holding was incredibly romantic to Ava. Nicolas seemed to be romantic even if he didn't try and Ava loved that about him. She greeted Nicolas was a quick kiss, before replying. "It was long, and I was incredibly distracted all day, but it doesn't matter now! What about you?" She asked, beaming with happiness.

 

[Nicolas King]

Ava's small kiss warmed Nicolas' face as it was imparted to him and he almost entirely missed what she said next to him as a flood of thoughts flooded over him (as they so often did). He had, of course, wanted to kiss Ava when he had turned to see her standing there - radiant in the evening's sunlight: but he had hesitated for reasons beyond his comprehension and as she acted in his stead he realized he had been chronically frozen for most of his life. Paralyzed by fear of action in the person sphere. Give him a Death Eater or a coven of hags and he would act instantly, without hesitation, entirely confident in every step. Present him with a woman, a friend, a personal situation outside of his pursuit for right and justice: something that only effects his life and he'd freeze with inaction. Trapped forever in the cycle he had chosen for himself at every turn over the last ten years of his life.

Even with Ava, she had continuously acted in his stead and, save for his invitation to the park, today was no different. She acted to make their relationship possible, and she continued to ensure it survived - no matter how distant he sometime became or how frequently he allowed his work to consume him as a sad excuse for his abiding hesitance. In that moment, he resolved to stop being hesitant with Ava - to act how he wanted to and pursue something greater for himself and his future than just continually giving of himself to his work.

A weight lifted from his shoulders and a new frame of mind soundly in place, Nicolas released one of Ava's hands and squeezed the other warmly. "I hope my note didn't cause too much of a distraction for you. Of course, my day went quite well when I finally had something to look forward to. Otherwise, I'm thinking of delegating the paperwork to a house elf to handle." Nicolas chuckled at the mental image of Verney, his house elf, slaving over paperwork and very likely leaving the King home forever - having been sufficiently insulted by the task. Beginning to walk down the path of the park, Nicolas stopped abruptly and returned Ava's kiss from earlier "I'd meant to do that, myself, before."

 

[Ava King]

Ava smiled as Nicolas kept hold of her hand, even after he dropped the other one. The small motion of squeezing her hand kept her happy, knowing that he was also happy to be with her. Ava kept her eyes focused on the man in front of her, laughing at his comment. It was true - his note had distracted her all day. Nothing else really mattered to her that day, and she found it hard to focus on the work she had to do, for the excitement of seeing Nicolas kept popping into her head. She hadn't yet met Nicolas' house elf, but knew that his house was in England. Ava also knew that things like that would come with time, so didn't push it; she wanted Nicolas to take his time, she was happy to wait for him, like he did when she first got a divorce.
The Headmistress followed as Nicolas started walking, and stopped, surprised as he turned around and gave her a kiss. It wasn't often that Nicolas kissed her first, but Ava liked it when he did. She smiled at him and put her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a more passionate kiss before re-holding his hand continued to walk down the path. "Well, I appreciate you doing so." Ava mentioned back to him with a smile.

 

[Nicolas King]

Nicolas hadn't expected Ava to escalate their intimacy at all. He was a man of stature, and she a woman of the same. He'd had his fair few run-ins with the press and didn't like to risk the public's scorn but in that moment with the woman he was with it didn't matter to him. He returned her embrace and passion without thought for who might be around or what silent judgments they may pass on them: he was perfectly contented in the moment.

Retaking Ava's hand, the head of the Auror's department closed his eyes for a moment and cherished the quiet, simple, intimacy of holding a hand and thought for the briefest moment that such moments could keep him satisfied the rest of his life should they always be shared with the person to whom he was now so attached. Reopening his eyes and still walking along the path, Nicolas elected to speak. "I've been thinking," Nicolas began - an appropriate preface for almost anything he said but least of all for what was to follow. "If you have some time away from the castle coming up at all - if you'd like to visit me at Levens hall for a weekend?" The man wasn't at all sure how it was that what he was suggesting came out and quickly worked to clarify his meaning. "I suppose normally this might be a 'meet the parents' type of deal but the most I can offer is a house elf that will judge whether he approves of you in the first ten seconds of seeing you and a fairly empty family home..." He trailed off. He realized the offer wasn't necessarily appealing in itself, especially now that he had tried to work out what exactly it was, but he hoped beyond hope that she'd accept it: simple as the request was. He was proud of his home, and of what it used to mean, and the house elf was what remained of the life he was so fond of and had walled him up for so long. These things, simple as they too were, were his world when he wasn't working and now that Ava was proving to be a more permanent part of that world he didn't see any reason why the two shouldn't now intersect.

 

[Ava King]

Ava was happy when Nicolas kissed her back. In public, a quick peck was usually what was allowed, and Ava was usually okay with that. But it felt good that Nicolas kissed her without caring; without being scared of what the public may say, just being content to be with her.
The Headmistress was super happy to be with the Head of Aurors. It wasn't just his job being a turn on; he was incredibly handsome, a gentleman and very charming. Everything that they went through was well worth it to be happy at this time. She knew that they would be happy with each other for a long time. Ava wondered what it would be like to be the mother of his children, she loved the thought of mini Nicolas' running around making the world a better place.
Nicolas spoke, and she snapped out of her happy thoughts, focussing her attention on Nicolas, still following him down the path. A huge grin spread across her face; she was just thinking about this. Ava decided at that moment to think of more happy things that she wanted and maybe they would come to be. She squeezed his hand in excitement; "That sounds absolutely wonderful! Hopefully I'll be able to charm your House-elf! I definitely need their blessing!" Ava beamed.

 

[Nicolas King]

With Ava's reply, comfort returned to Nicolas' body. Glad that she had accepted and that he'd have the opportunity to bring two huge parts of his life together (even if only for a weekend) made him more than happy and he returned the gentle squeeze she had offered him. "Oh, I'm sure Verney will adore you. Just be sure to let him feel useful, and that's the trick." Nicolas offered briefly before adding "I only mention that for fear you'd insult him and I'd have to choose between you. It'd be a terribly difficult choice: Verney's quite the cook, after all." He joked, entirely confident that any time they spent together would go more than well and that his family's house elf was nothing to worry about in the least.

They continued to walk down the path in the park, hand in hand, laughing and talking about the day behind them and the days that they both saw ahead of them. Nicolas felt at ease with Ava which was something that was quite rare in his life: to just be relaxed and in the moment with somebody else, and he absolutely enjoyed experiencing that. As night began to fall Nicolas stopped walking and sat down with Ava on a bench facing the sunset.

 

[Ava King]

As the evening fell, Ava felt happy sitting next to Nicolas. It had been an amazing evening; she enjoyed the fact that they were just able to walk and chat, and be happy with that. There didn't have to be anything spectacular or exciting happening, just being with each other was enough (not that she didn't enjoy those times either). The Headmistress knew that she would remember the evening for a long time, the absolute peacefulness of it, and the absolute joy she felt. But Ava wanted to do something to finish the night with a bang. Knowing about Nicolas' morals and decisions, she knew it would be inappropriate to invite him back to her place for the night, so instead her eyes fell upon a fountain in the distance. The warm evening was perfect for a swim, it was perfect timing to jump in the water before the winter season hit. Grinning across at Nicolas, Ava asked him innocently to stand. As he did, she grabbed him by the hand and started running, pulling him with all her might to the fountain. Letting go of his hand, Ava raced towards the fountain, cackling, not turning to see if Nicolas was following her. She leaped over the each of the fountain, and landed smack on her bottom. Ava cried out in pain, still laughing, hoping Nicolas would join her.

 

[Nicolas King]

It was a sudden jolt from the peaceful bliss of just sitting together as Ava requested he stand. He was confounded as to the purpose of his standing but obliged, not having a chance to inquire as to her reason before his hand was grasped and Ava bolted off, Nicolas being pulled in her wake before she gave up on pulling his weight along with her and let him go before and racing ahead to jump into a fountain.

Confounded, at this point, was an understatement for the state of the man's mind as he watched the woman he loved and had spent a great restful evening with jump into a fountain of water for no apparent reason other than impulse. Impulse wasn't Nicolas' strong suit and as his mind tried to wrap itself around the situation while he approached the fountain, it eventually gave up and he couldn't help but laugh at the woman in the water.

Approaching the edge of the water, Nicolas leaned in slightly and looked at Ava's state, still laughing at her moment of unadulterated insanity. "Is the water nice?" Was all he could muster between bursts of laughter he was trying desperately to control.

 

[Ava King]

The cool water felt incredibly pleasant against Ava's soft skin. The headmistress closed her eyes for a second, a grin still on her face. It felt amazing to do spur of the moment things - even at her age. It made her feel young again, and being able to share the moment with Nicolas made her feel incredible.
Hearing laughter, Ava turned and saw Nicolas cackling. A smirk grew on her face as he asked her how the water was, however she quickly removed the evil glint in her eye. Smiling flirtatiously at the Auror, Ava stood up, dripping wet, and took a few short movements over towards him. Ava placed her hands behind his head, and gave him a quick peck, before answering, "Why don't you find out yourself?" She asked, before quickly grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him in. She moved away, laughing hysterically, not caring how odd it would look to any outsiders; two old farts playing in the fountain.

 

[Nicolas King]

In hysterics at this point over how absolutely ridiculous the woman looked, and turning around to see how many, if any, people were watching, the head Auror completely missed what Ava said to him. If he had heard, he would have quickly been brought back to avoid the drenching that was before him. Unfortunately, he had no such luck. Pulled quickly into the cool fountain's water, Nicolas gasped in shock as he resurfaced and brushed hair from his airs.

Moving closer to Ava, Nicolas held out his arms to her, grasping her hands in his own briefly before releasing them, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her briefly before closing his eyes dunking Ava back into the pool of water around them and quickly apparating himself back to the bench where it started, drawing his wand once there and beginning to dry himself off.

 

[Ava King]

Ava couldn't believe how incredibly childish she felt, but she was enjoying every second of it. She supposed that everyone needed a moment to not care about anything, to do something on impulse, something stupid but fun. And the brunette was happy to be sharing her moment with the man she loved. Bliss ran through her body as Nicolas kissed her, but only for a second, as she found her self under water again. Quickly resurfacing, Ava looked around for Nicolas only to discover he wasn't in the fountain any more. Her eyes quickly noticed him in the not far distance, drying himself off. This didn't sit well with Ava, and she let out a little cackle, before jumping out of the fountain and racing towards Nicolas. Ava could feel the water flying off her as she ran, but she knew she'd still be wet enough to soak the Auror. A few steps away, Ava yelled "Incoming!" before jumping at the man, hoping to tackle him to the ground.

 

[Nicolas King]

Nicolas hadn't yet put his wand away when he saw Ava running toward him, showing no signs of stopping for anything or anyone. Not wanting to have to dry himself off again and acting quickly, Nicolas cast a spell to dry all the water from Ava and leave it in a puddle as she ran, just before having her run into his now outstretch arms. Wrapping them around her, he barely held his ground. Laughing, Nicolas kissed Ava softly. "You're absolutely mad." Nicolas joked, releasing Ava from his embrace and replacing his wand in his cloak pocket before offering Ava his arm and speaking in a softer tone, "and that's probably why I love you."

 

[Ava King]

Ava hardly registered that Nicolas had taken his wand out, and it wasn't until she was in his arms that she realized she was no longer wet. Of course, she should have known she couldn't outsmart the Head Auror. Ava kissed Nicolas gently back before grinning at him calling her mad. Ava placed her arm on Nicolas' outstretched one, about to comment on that, if he didn't know that by now, he had a lot to learn. But before she had the chance, Nicolas spoke the three beautiful words. In the time they had been courting, they had not yet said that to each other. It had taken awhile, but she knew they were finally in the right spot to say it. Ava kissed him softly again, before replying, "I love you too Nicolas."
It was the perfect way to end a perfect night.

---

FIN​