RP: A Quiet Evening

[tt_bill]

Date: 12 January 2002
Characters: Fleur Delacour-Weasley and Bill Weasley
Setting: Their home in Settlement 1
Content: TBD
Status: Private : Open, Complete


"-um." The last Charm that would keep the ward stable was in place, and Bill rolled his head from side to side, stretching and making his neck and shoulders crack. Glancing up, he noticed how the sun had moved across the sky without him noticing. Hours. He must have been on this for hours though aside from the tension in his neck and shoulders, he could have sworn that it had only been minutes since he started. A quick look at his watch, however, confirmed what the sun had already hinted at. Well, at least it wasn't as late as it sometimes got, and he wouldn't even have to hurry to make it back to the Settlement before dinner.

In fact, he could easily get back, shower and be done before dinner was ready. With a wave he thanked his colleagues for their efforts today, and to the sound of them hooting about him going home to the old ball and chain, he Disapparated from the field, only to appear in front of his home a moment later. One quick shower and a change of clothes later, he was moving through the house to the deck, hoping to find his wife.

Quietly he opened the door and leaned against the door frame and simply watched her while she worked, waiting patiently for her to look up and see him. He loved watching her when she wasn't aware; when she was asleep and her face was relaxed and peaceful or like now, when a small frown of focus was present on her forehead as she was solving some conundrum about whatever was in front of her.

Comments

[tt_fleur]

That frown deepened a bit as Fleur studied what could only be described as an organized mess in front of her. Though various plants were scattered about the room she used as a work space only a small portion of those laid on the desk, usually a leaf or a piece of stem. At the beginning her selection had looked right but now the rancid shade of green that was her potion was clearly wrong.

"Où est..." turning Fleur meant to look for her notebook but instead was caught by the familiar form standing in the doorway. Her husband. The smile that spread across her face was as easy as it was familiar. Bill ways always a welcome sight and even after all the years they had been together the butterflies still flitted in her stomach.

"How long have you been there?" She asked him in her accented English.

[tt_bill]

"Long enough," Bill smiled back, pushing off from the doorframe. Something about the way she smiled at him made him feel rewarded. This was his smile, meant for him and nobody else. Casually he sauntered over to where she was sitting, grabbing hold of a second chair as he passed it and turned it in front of him before he sat straddled it facing Fleur. "And long enough to know that you need a break," gently he cupped her cheek and brushed the pad of his thumb against the small furrow between her eyebrows. "How long have you been at this today?"

[tt_fleur]

And just like that Bill could make her forget whatever it was that she had been thinking about. Instead she let her blue eyes drink in his appearance and easy charm. Turning her head slightly, Fleur nuzzled the palm of his hand before kissing the delicate skin with a feather soft kiss.

"Way too long," she admitted. How long she couldn't really tell him because she wasn't sure exactly what time it was currently. The slanted angles of the dying sunlight did tell her it was later than she expected to be working. "I think it is time for a break." Especially now that Bill was home.

[tt_bill]

Bill breathed deeply. The gentle touch of her lips sent a rush of desire through him. That was one thing that hadn't changed over the years and something he doubted would never change. Caressing his thumb over her cheekbone, he caught a stray strand of her hair and tucked behind her ear.

"It's dinner time," he informed her, combing his fingers through her long, soft hair. The tickling of it between his fingers made him smirk, as he tilted his head to watch the perfect flow of it as it fell back to cascade down over her shoulder. "We could... cook," he suggested, "or dress up and go see what they are serving at The World's End?"

[tt_fleur]

Fleur remembered the first moment she has laid eyes upon Bill: it had been in that cold drafty room at Hogwarts. She should have been listening to the advice her mother was giving her about the upcoming task in the Tournament, but in true Fleur style her attention has been wandering. She was the type that grew bored easily. Bill had been standing there, leaning against a table, idly chatting while his easy harm bubbled off him. The very same charm that had her captivated now and brought a slight flush to her cheeks.

"I love you," she whispered softly.

Bringing her attention back to the topic at hand Fleur wasn't really sure what she wanted to do. Dressing up was something she always enjoyed doing for her husband. Yet lounging on the couch, with a glass of wine, was also one of her favorite ways to pass her time too. It was the little moments like this she treasured most.

"Or we could stay in and I could dress up for you anyway," Fleur offered as another option with a coyish grin.

[tt_bill]

The number of people Bill knew as well as he knew Fleur were few and could be counted on one hand with fingers left to spare. Yet looking at her now, seeing that slight flush in her cheeks – the tiny imperfection in her perfection that made her beauty real to him – he could only guess at what she was thinking. There was no doubt in his mind, however, that it included the two of him, and his smile widened at the sheer number of occasions that could be. A few stood out, like the sight of her walking down the aisle towards him on their wedding day, the first time she smiled at him, but most clear to him, was the recognition of her the first time he saw her at Gringott's. Oh, sure, he had noticed her at the Triwizard Tournament too, but she had been a student, and though the time that had passed in the meantime wasn't particularly significant, seeing her at the bank was completely different from seeing her at the old school.

"I know," he whispered, stretching out his long leg and with his foot hooked around the leg of her chair pulled her closer to him. "I love you, too."

Combing her hair behind her ear with his fingers, he leaned in, lips mere millimeters from hers. "Or we could stay in and you could dress up for me anyway," he murmured, the thought of her, his wife, his unbelievably sexy wife dressing up making it difficult for him to focus on anything else. Gently cupping her cheek, he tilted up her head and teased his lips against hers. "...find some food in the cooler... open one of the bottles of wine..."

[tt_fleur]

Fleur hardly noticed the scuffing noise as the chair was dragged a bit across the floor. She was too distracted by the subtle scent that was her husband; it was a mix of his shampoo, cologne and the soap they used to wash their clothes. It was the scent that made her seek out his shirts to use as pajamas because it wrapped her up in just another layer of him. It was almost as dizzying as his sweet breath on her lips making it hard to think.

"Definitely open the wine," she agreed in a soft whisper inching a little closer to the edge of the chair and closer to Bill. Her delicate hands gripped the edge of the chair lightly to keep her from sliding off it and settling onto his lap. "Just you and me... Unless you really want to go out," she teased as she pressed her lips gently to his own for only a moment.

Lacing her fingers into his she tugged him from the chair and back toward the other rooms in the house. Sitting there wasn't going to accomplish anything. They had plenty of food and wine in the house.

[tt_bill]

"Minx," Bill chuckled against her lips, and then she was pulling back and tugging him from the chair. He let her, caught up in her playfulness and highly aware that if they didn't get moving, it would be a while before they would be doing anything but each other.

Keeping a hold on her hand, he halted her before she reached the door. His long arms wrapped around her from behind as he hugged her to him, burying his nose in her hair. He breathed her in, humming contently while kissing and nipping his way down to the nape of her neck. "Merlin, you smell good, woman," he murmured against her soft skin. He tightened his arms around her, his lips finding her pulse-point; he knew that he could just as easily spend the rest of the day and evening with her right here, and neither of them would regret it. Except for the fact that Fleur had been working through the day and had just admitted to not having eaten for a while.

"Go get dressed," he whispered, his lips ghosting over the sensitive shell of her ear, before a teasing grin spread on his face, "and I'll go get started in the kitchen." With a gentle, playful smack on her perfectly round behind, he let her go and made his way down to the kitchen.

"Alright, let's see..." he breathed to himself, trying to clear his mind from pouncing on his wife and instead focusing on the task at hand: getting dinner started.

[tt_fleur]

Blue eyes fluttered shut as felt the warmth of his lips on her neck and could almost taste the sweetness of his skin as the warmth from his body moved through her. Her skin prickled slightly sending a shiver up her spine but not in an unpleasant way and she tilted her head to the side a bit to give him greater access to her neck.

She let out a groan of disappointment as he let her go her body still hungering for just one more touch, one more kiss. Though there never was just one more because that one more always turned into another one and before she knew it the evening had passed in a blissful blur. As loath as she was to move she sauntered off to change resisting the urge to take Bill's hand and lead him back to the bedroom with her.

As for the dress she knew instantly which one. The blue one. The one with the corset top and was just short enough to be suggestive but still be classy. She was quick to freshen up, dab a bit of her flowery perfume on and made her way back to the kitchen and her husband.

"Red or white?" Fleur whispered softly as she came up from behind him her Veela tendencies making her footsteps quiet. White wines had always been her favorite but there was no denying there was some delicious reds too.

[tt_bill]

Pulling out containers from the cooler and the basket with greens from the market, Bill began assessing what they had to work with here. Though they had a good assortment of fresh ingredients, the leftovers from the last couple of evenings would be brilliant for a lighter dinner that he guessed would be suiting Fleur's taste tonight. Humming softly to himself, a small smirk playing on his lips as he recalled the scent of her neck as he kissed her, Bill tapped the pot of water to get it boiling before he began dicing the leftover chicken.

He sensed rather than heard Fleur a fraction of a moment before she whispered to him. He stopped humming and his smirk turned into a soft chuckle as he put the knife down. "White. There's chicken and shr-" he started suggesting, turning around to see her and found himself staring at the stunning vision that was her wife. "-imp," he finally managed, swallowing down before he regained his vocal abilities.

"You look amazing," he complimented her. He loved that dress on her, almost as much as he loved seeing it draped over a chair or crumbled on the floor after he had peeled it off her. Leaning over, he touched a gentle, warm kiss to her lips, sending her a smile before he gestured to the filled kitchen counter. "White, unless you'd rather have the steaks tonight, then red."

[tt_fleur]

"Sauvignon blanc then," Fleur informed him as she reached slipped past Bill in order to sort through their wines until she found the right wine. Growing up the child to a parent who was a chef had taught her always to have a fully stocked kitchen, including wines. "It will go nicely with a chicken and shrimp scampi." It was a light and quick dinner.

At his comment she gave him another coy smile as leaned in a little closer, "Merci mon coeur... Maintenez cette pensée que plus tard." She purred to him softly in her native language, knowing he would catch the general understanding, pretty sure that she knew the thoughts that were in his head but he was going to have to wait a little longer. Dinner had been his suggestion after all and she wasn't done teasing him yet. Reciprocation his earlier affections perhaps.

Reaching around him Fleur grabbed the knife so she could aid in the dinner preparations. "We can have steak tomorrow."

[tt_bill]

"Maintenez cette pensée que plus tard?" Bill quirked his eyebrow in teasing question, knowing perfectly well what she had just said and which thought she had referred to: he had every plan of holding that thought for later, but that didn't mean he couldn't play along. "And what thought would that be, love?" He winked at her and returned to the chopping board.

Getting dinner ready didn't take long, and barely half an hour later, Bill settled down in the chair across from Fleur outside on the deck overlooking their garden. "This looks delicious, love," he said, and poured her a glass of the wine she had found for them. While Bill could cook, and cook fairly well at that, it was Fleur's touch that brought it from being good to being delicious. "How's work these days?"

[tt_fleur]

And there was that look. The one that could stop any thought that might have been bouncing around in her head and it took her a moment to regain her composure. "The one about how amazing the dress looks in a pool on the floor too," but that had been her intention when she put that specific dress one. Sure there were other ones, ones that were less revealing, but she had passed those up in favor for the blue one. "Maybe you should be considering what is on underneath it instead," she teased lightly trailing her fingers affectionately down his arm as she passed him volleying his own game back at him.

"Work is," just what she wasn't sure and she thought about it a moment as she took the wine glass from him savoring the view of the garden and her husband. The dying light was favorable to him and made it seem almost like his red hair was aglow. "Kind of boring. Mostly category work and organization." Sure there was some experimentation but that was secondary. "You probably do more in a day than I do all week. They have been keeping you busy, n'est-ce pas?"

[tt_bill]

Oh, if only she knew what she was doing to him. Well, chances were that she knew and was doing it on purpose... Bill's train of thought stopped for a moment, considering that notion. No, there were no chances about it; he was pretty certain Fleur knew exactly what she did to him. A gentle, brief touch could send every single of his nerve-ends on high alert, eagerly anticipating the next caress from her. Her voice alone could soothe him and with just a few words she could make his hard-acquired focus fly right out the window. Merlin, but he loved this woman.

Picking up his own glass of wine, his head tilted slightly with concern when he learned that Fleur's work was being boring. True, his wife did have a rather low threshold for boredom, but this was a second chance they had been given, and even if it hadn't been his wife who had been bored with work, he didn't think it should be wasted on doing a job she didn't find interesting. "Yeah, they're keeping me busy," he chuckled, nodding slowly. "Even after five months we're still adjusting the wards. I guess it'll take years before we've perfected them for the conditions here." Raising his glass in a light greeting to her, he took a small sip, tasting the wine before nodding in approval; she had chosen well, as usual. "What do you mean your work is kind of boring?" His question was genuine, wanting to get to the bottom of this. "Like... there's not enough to do, or like you'd be interested in finding something else to work with?"

[tt_fleur]

Fleur absently ran her fingertip around the edge of her wine glass the food and drink temporarily forgotten. "Adjusting them from what?" The occasion who too Fleur would guess. There plenty other conditions and possibilities that sprang to her mind but it was better to know for certain than to guess. Charlie had shown her around but he had not told her much about anything that wasn't found in the settlements.

"There is plenty to do," she couldn't deny that it just wasn't always what she wanted to do. With her steep learning curve and stubborn persistence Fleur not only mastered things quickly but wouldn't quit until the task was done. It made her highly efficient but just as swiftly bored. "I am more curious to what you can do with these plants and herbs and whatnot. I could care less what they call them or what plant family they belonged to." Not that it was useless information, it certainly wasn't, it just wasn't her style. In Fleur's life it was full speed ahead at all times. She would rather throw a bunch of things together and watch what happen than meticulously plan it out and study properties and predict the outcome. One of these days it was going to come back and bite her. In a work environment there were rules, procedures and red tape that slowed her work down.

"Besides what else would I do?"

[tt_bill]

"Well, we're adjusting them from how we used to use them in the old world to something more suitable for these conditions," Bill answered easily, taking a couple of bites of his food, before he wiped his mouth and continued. "Aside from the dragons, there are no dangerous animals here, but that doesn't mean that the large birds here, for example, won't attack if they're feeling threatened. So until they've fully adjusted to the fact that there are three large settlements in their flight paths, we will keep them warded out, which is relatively easy, but we also can't make the wards too strong, or it'll interfere with the datapad signals. It's a fine balance, but it'll come."

Putting down his cutlery, he instead leaned forward, listening as Fleur explained. Slowly he nodded, beginning to understand what she meant by her work having been boring. "Sounds like it could just be a matter of a small rotation at work. Have you tried hearing your supervisor about changing to something more along what you're looking for or perhaps talk to either the Potions Masters or the Herbologists about an apprenticeship?" Maybe it was a luxury problem, but Fleur had a lot to offer, and he found that it would be a waste for her to do something that wasn't a perfect fit.

With a shrug, he considered her last question for a moment. "I don't know, really," he started, then gestured towards the Settlement center. "If you want to experiment with the plants and their properties, perhaps you could do something with the oldest kids at the school, which I'm sure would count as credit or..." he gestured with his hand as if grabbing for and catching the first random thought that fluttered by, "or start a wine production."

[tt_fleur]

"None at all?" It seemed a bit odd to her that there wasn't anything to worry about except a dragon here or there though she had enough encounters with dragons to last a lifetime. The Triwizard Tournament had extinguished any love she had for the creatures. It sounded complicated but if anyone was up to the task it was her husband. He was far more intelligent than he gave himself credit for.

Setting down her utensils Fleur pushed her plate away never having been a big eater. It was still something her mother harped on her about to this day but it was just how she was. It didn't mean that she wouldn't be hungry later because she would. "I have to learn all the plants and their properties before I can do anything else. Have to master the building blocks before you can go build a building," or whatever it was that stupid phrase her supervisor was always preaching. "Potions maybe because I do not want to play in the dirt forever or be outside all the time in the sun. It ages you." Okay maybe she was a little prissy when it came to her appearance but she was born beautiful and she planned on keeping it that way and her health was important to her.

Bill did make a valid point and working with children would help her patience some perhaps. Despite what her mother thought Fleur did want children when things were more settled in her life. "It is a good climate for growing grapes," Fleur told him with a smile as she reached for her glass and slipped from her chair in order to sit closer to him. "Though you might get tired of endlessly trying one bad wine after another." Fleur couldn't very well do it herself as she got tipsy after only a glass and half herself.

[tt_bill]

"No, none at all," Bill shook his head. "Aside from the ocean surrounding us and the ones we brought along, there are no predators here. That’s what it was like where… when we came from too, but as I'm sure Charlie can and will assure at immense length, most animals will attack if provoked or threatened. That’s why we have the wards around the settlements.”

Tilting his head slightly, he nodded. ”Yeah, alright, I see what you mean, and I do have to agree that he has a point there,” he mused aloud, taking a sip of his wine before he continued. ”So keeping that in mind, perhaps you can hear about getting some more focused tasks?” His eyebrow quirked up in question. Even if there was truth to Fleur’s comment about the sunlight aging you, he couldn’t help but think of the years he had lived in Egypt and how he almost obsessively had sought the sunlight whenever he hadn’t been in a tomb. ”Good thing you ruggedly handsome husband isn’t as affected by the sunlight as his eternally beautiful wife is,” he chuckled and sent her a small wink.

Raising his arm when she moved closer to him, he invited her to come even closer until he could drape it losely around her shoulder. Gently his fingers traced over the impossibly soft skin on her shoulder. ”Eh, it’s a risk I’m willing to take, and should I get tired of it, you can ask Charlie, although I don’t know if he’d be able to taste the difference between good and bad wine.” With a gentle hand on the side of her head, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple. ”No more dinner, babe?”

[tt_fleur]

Fleur nodded in agreement knowing that it was better to take her husband's word than to seek Charlie out and ask him. While she loved his brother she also knew how much he liked to talk about animals, especially the dangerous ones, and that it would be a fairly long conversation. One in which she would not doubtedly get bored with but listen to anyhow so as not to hurt Charlie's feelings. Still there were lucky to have someone as knowledgable as him in the settlement.

"We cannot all be blessed by the heavens to look incredibly sexy in a sun tan," Fleur pointed out with a smile. It was certainly true too. Bill looked incredibly attractive in a pair of swim trunks especially with his trim and muscular body that had been kissed by the sun. It was a breathtaking sight to see. "Are there beaches here?" She added randomly as the though occurred to her.

The invitation was hardly needed as she settled in close to him allowing the warmth of his body to wash over her. Even though the weather was warm, warmer than they were used to, the setting sun still brought a slight drop in temperature and a small chill. "Oui, I am not that hungry tonight." She told him honestly as she rested her head against him. It had been a while since she had ate but still she was not that hungry at least not yet.

[tt_bill]

“Precisely,” Bill agreed with a chuckle. Of course, Fleur would look sexy wearing a bin liner and Wellingtons so he had no doubt that a tan would take away from either her beauty or attractiveness. Quite the opposite really. But that was Fleur’s choice, her prerogative to seek out or avoid the sun as it suited her. As much as he loved sitting with her, holding her like this, he couldn’t help but pull back to look at her. “Beaches?” he asked incredulously, for a moment dumbstruck by the fact that he apparently had been as negligent as he had feared. “I can’t believe I haven’t shown you the beach.”

Lacing his fingers through hers, he looked at her, looked at the dress, appreciating the form that brought out the curves of her body in subtle way and the colour that highlighted her perfect skin. “Now, I know you’ve dressed up, and really, you look amazing, but if you haven’t seen the beaches here, there’s something I’d really like to show you, babe.” He sent her a warm, bright smile, then looked towards the sun; if they left now, they could still catch the sunset. “Just leave our shoes here and bring a blanket.”

[tt_fleur]

This time her smile was both warm and reassuring. "We have been busy with other things," and they had. Bill was hardly what anyone would qualify as negligent. He was as attentive as he was loving. Beaches had hardly been on her mind when she had first gotten there and really hadn't occurred her until that moment.

With a nod of agreement Fleur got to her feet in a graceful and lithe movement keeping her fingers securely laced in Bill's own. The shoes weren't a problem as she hadn't put any in the first place and as for the blanket there was one draped across one of their deck chairs for those occasional chilly nights. "I would like you to show it to me mon coeur." She told him happily with an enthusiastic smile practically bouncing on the balls of her feet, not unlike the way an impatient child would. Beaches always had been one of her favorite places.

[tt_bill]

With a gentle tug Bill pulled Fleur close, until she was flush against his body. Of course side-along Apparition required quite a bit of focus, and even more so when he was so intensely aware of her warm body against his, but they’d done it before, and he’d long since mastered it, even with Fleur in his arms. Toeing off his shoes and socks, he grabbed the blanket from the back of the chair and gazed down into his wife’s impossibly blue eyes. “Hold on tight, love,” he murmured, then focused on the beach he had found shortly after arriving, while – ironically – searching for a place to share with Fleur once she too had come through the portal.

The Apparition pressed her closer to him, if that was even possible, and when the tightness disappeared, he opened his eyes to find them on the place he had imagined in his head: the southeastern shore of the northern island, where the sand was white and the view of the ocean simply breathtaking. “Open your eyes, babe,” he whispered, turning Fleur in his arms until he was embracing her from behind. “There are perfect beaches near the settlement too, but we’re completely alone here.”

[tt_fleur]

When their eyes met Fleur held Bill's darker ones for what felt like an impassable moment hypnotized by them. The area surrounding his irises were flecked with a shades just lighter than the rest. The affect was mesmerizing making it easy to lose not only herself but anything thoughts in their warm depths. When he spoke her attention was drawn to his perfectly soft and kissable pink lips...

And then the feeling of pressure and tightness associated with Apparition washed over her and she focused on holding on tightly to Bill instead. The feeling was unsettling and her stomach flopped in protest and if he hasn't been holding her she probably would have fallen over. Fleur wasn't quite sure why she was prone to motion sickness but she was and it was why she hated flying. It was why she walked most place but Apparition wasn't too bad especially with Bill.

Bringing her hands up rested them atop his wrists securing herself further into his embrace. The sight before her eyes was breathtaking; breathtaking in the way the skies painted deep hues of orange, purple and red and refracted off the calm waters that lapped softly at the sand under their feet. It made a perfectly romantic backdrop for any number of things she wanted to do with him.

Tearing herself away from the stunning scene before her, Fleur turned slightly in Bill's arm so she could face him. "It's beautiful," she told him softly settling close to him, her lips mere centimeters from Bill's own, her breathe heating the air between them.

[tt_bill]

Bill might have been looking at the setting sun, but his full attention was on the woman in his arms. No, he couldn’t see her face, but he could feel the curves of her body against his, the heat from her skin, which he knew both the exact shade and texture of. He could smell her light perfume, mixing perfectly with the light breeze from the sea, the breeze that made small tendrils of her soft hair brush up against his face. Leaning down he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, closing his eyes for a moment while he breathed in the scent of her.

When he felt her begin to move, he eased his hold on her, just enough to allow her to turn in his arms. His smile warmed when her stunning face came into view, and his arms tightened around her waist as she leaned up towards him. “Very,” he agreed with a smile against her lips, before he closed the distance and let himself disappear in her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a small voice chuckled satisfied with the fact that they wouldn’t be paying close attention to the sunset. At least not tonight.