Brunch, Announcements and Awkwardness

The Transfiguration Professor was over warm, his cheek pressed up against something. Scrunching his face lightly, Keiran fought the suggestion from somewhere in the back of his mind that he should get up. Finally, he gave in, opened his eyes, and had to stop from sitting up right away. In the night he had somehow curled his arm around Millie and pulled her to his side of the bed so he was holding her to him. Carefully, he unwrapped himself from around her waist and scooted over so that if she woke he wouldn't be caught. Keiran had never thought himself the type to cuddle or seek comfort in the night, but judging from his surprisingly tired state, he had a feeling that he had been through nightmares instead of dreams. He probably had reached for her a few hours ago, as he couldn't remember them now.

Keiran had received Avery's owl late the night before and stared at the ceiling with a furrowed brow. He was to meet her at Robin's? What sort of bizarre message was that? She really could have phrased it better. He reached over to his nightstand, doing his best not to shift the bed too much. Although he and Millie were still in an awkward trial period, they had landed in the unknown, in between space lurking close to living together but mostly meaning that some of her things were at his and the others in her dormitory. After getting Avery's letter, he had sent Millie one of his own, asking if she would stay the night so that they could leave early the next morning. Keiran had offered to split the bed with a spell so they each had their own but eventually they had decided that this was a forever thing and there was no point in fussing over it. 

He picked up the letter in the familiar writing and read it again. "Dearest Keiran, You know you are like a brother to me and that I value both your advice and your company. That said, I need to you head over to Robin's place tomorrow morning at 9 am for Brunch. Bring Millie, too! There's some things that need to be said. And questions, undoubtedly. Just... try and keep your head on straight when you get here. Please. If you do not, I'll tell Bridget and you know how she gets." Then it was signed with her messy signature - one she had attempted to perfect once but finally decided she didn't care. He sighed quietly, glanced at Millie, and decided to let her sleep in while he got ready.

After his usual morning routine - a particularly short space of time in which he usually showered and dressed (although he had showered the night before as Millie was coming over) - Keiran made his way back into the bedroom, crossing his arms and for just a moment allowing himself to watch Millie's face as she slept. Apparently, after he took his leave, she had grappled for her own pillow, still using his to support her head. After taking in the image of her hair splayed out on his pillow he shook his head to keep himself from just standing there and making them late. 

Stepping around to her side of the bed he sat gingerly on the edge and lifted a hand to nudge her. After a slight hesitation, Keiran's hand made contact with her shoulder. "Wake up, Missie." He murmured, using one of his nicknames for her. He usually avoided calling her anything besides 'Millie' when he thought she could hear him, if only because the whole thing was so new. But Keiran didn't take too very long to learn to get on with folks or become attached to people. He gave her the smallest of shakes before pulling his hand back in an almost retreat. Where he wasn't physically affectionate in his waking hours (mostly for fear of making her uncomfortable at this point), apparently he was in his sleep.

That bizarre wedded purgatory all newlyweds feared had truly set in and while jumpers, textbooks and, for some ungodly reason, bras were finding new homes in Kieran’s quarters, much of what Millie held to her name was still residing in and around her bed in the Gryffindor dormitories. Slowly but surely, though, her comrades in the tower were being relieved of her presence and as they too were whisked off to their new homes with their partners, so too was Millie who was slowly adding her things to the furniture of the Transfiguration Professor’s quarters within the grand castle and it wasn’t lost on her that it was, in fact, her teacher, also, who she called her husband. However, Millie was coming to get over that intriguing quirk and while it didn’t motivate her to go to her classes much more than usual - which was something just above never usually anyway - she was enjoying ribbing him for it.

The letter that night before had, of course, meant that more things moved with Millie and, in one fell swoop she abandoned the trunk in one of the cupboards off of his quarters, recognising that it was time. Although, granted, she was willing to concede that very little actually lived in her trunk and therefore some major cleaning up would need to be done in the tower before she could full say she’d moved in. Still, it was progress and after bumbling through the sleeping arrangements, deciding in the end to harangue any false modesty between them, they made it to bed in the same awkward fashion that dictated all of their interactions before they sank into the scenario together. It was still too new and, not to mention, too weird. Married life would need some getting used to.

But that bed was not hard to enjoy. That was nothing but a pleasure and Millie, ever an ice cube, was happy to lap up the body heat that her husband seemed to radiate. The covers were heavier and thicker than those in the Gryffindor tower and against the chills of the castle she was happy to snuggle down into the pillows and into the mattress, falling asleep with her hair splayed this way and that, the girl not rising for anything other than a quick drink of water - other than that she slept soundly. She would’ve continued to do so, too, if it hadn’t been for the necessity of wakefulness.

“Noooooooo,” Millie groaned out, pulling the covers over her head when Kieran’s voice began to pull her into consciousness. She knew better than to hide. Years of being found out by her parents who wanted her up and out of the front door proved that the if-I-can’t-see-you-you-can’t-see-me trick never worked. He knew she was there. She was foiled already, before she’d even begun. Of course, also, the problem was that Lucius Malfoy was creeping around. Not the Lucius Malfoy but the cat. Lucius Malfoy the cat -- and he wanted feeding.

“MEEEEEEOWWWWWWWW!”

Millie felt the bed move as the massively fat cat hurled himself onto it and she peeked out from underneath the covers to see his chubby, flat face peering at her expectantly. Clearly he valued Kieran too highly to expect him to produce food. Kieran was obviously a human only for looking at but Millie....Millie was his slave. Lucius meowed again and batted at her face. The two men in her life ganging up on her certainly didn’t make for sleeping.

“How are you even in here?” Millie burst out, jumping out from underneath the covers, sending the cat flying across the room in a fit of duvet and, perhaps even, a bit of magic. Lucius landed on his feet in his expert feline way and sniffed derisively before slinking out of the room. Millie bounced back, landing down on the bed herself, and turned to Kieran in a mock-accusatory fashion, disbelief written over her face before opting instead to just drop her head onto his shoulder.

She sniffed mournfully and prodded at Kieran’s arm before flinging herself back down onto the pillows, drawing the covers up once more in mock-rebellion.

“I don’t want to go,” she complained petulantly. “Bed.” She protested. “Sleeps. Cuddles. Now shhh.”

Silence reigned for a few blessed seconds but when there was little movement beyond the cat out in the living room, Millie cracked an eye open and found Kieran still sitting where he had been before.

“You’re so lucky you’re adorable,” she griped, relenting with a huff to the realities of wakefulness. “Otherwise you’d be out with the cat.” Millie leaned forward and pressed a sloppy kiss with a resounding ‘mmmm-wah!’ to Kieran’s furry cheek before moving to extricate herself from the hold of the covers.

Millie jumped up onto the bed on unsteady feet and managed to stagger off of the end, tumbling towards the door as tactfully as possible. She paused, taking a moment to fix her hair in a rather ironic fashion before pressing forward into the living room, not forgetting to nudge Lucius’ bum with her toe on her way out, either.

“’Morning, by the way!” She threw over her shoulder with a grin before bouncing through the living room, hopping over the things that had been abandoned on the floor before bed, before entering the small kitchen where the kettle went on with staggering immediacy.

Coffee was the first order of business for the day ahead and while she knew that the brunch/breakfast thing would mean there would be plenty of it and all of the other staples that the food-time-of-day required she also needed to be able to function. However, once the coffee was poured, an odd feeling of nausea crept into her stomach. The first mouthful didn’t help either. Millie scowled and promptly threw the coffee down the drain, pouting as she washed it away with some water.

“What’s good to drink in the morning?” She asked rhetorically, though it was directed at Kieran. “Apple juice would be good,” she added afterwards, again, mostly to herself.

Thus, she badgered around in the kitchen like the closet-Hufflepuff she was and after having a cup of apple juice she picked up Lucius Malfoy and kissed him on the top of his head, ignoring the way his claws were digging warningly into her arm.

“You love me,” she swore at the cat, glowering at him before setting him back down on his feet. She then looked at Kieran, a sly smile spreading over her lips before breaking into a run, meeting him in the living room before throwing herself to him, declaring with a giggle as he reacted, “You are too serious! Good morning.”

Keiran had to cover his laugh when Millie grumbled and attempted to delve back into the land of sleep and dreams. He had a sudden urge to reach over and pull her over so he could tickle her awake. But he had no idea what her reaction was to that. He made a mental note to test the waters in that area but the chance was ripped from his hands as the bed shifted and sank in the middle where Millie's cat landed himself. It really was a shame, he decided, that they had not been given the time to try out things that normal couples could, and that they had not been in the mindset yet to use their time in that manner.

The cat made his way between Keiran and Millie, cutting off any attempts at the Professor poking her once more. The poor cat must be hungry, Keiran mused with a half-smile on his face. After Lucius had shoved his way into Keiran's rooms over the past school year, ignoring the man's attempts to keep the cat out of his living quarters, he probably knew the cat more than his own wife. Millie had told Keiran that the cat could be called 'Lucy' for short, but it was just an odd name for a male cat. Keiran had accepted it eventually, though half the time Lucius was just called 'Cat' or 'Malfoy.' Either way, all of the creature's names were odd. Keiran had to admit that his wife was both amusing and creative, though, and found it moreover endearing.

“He's been here longer than you, love.” Keiran replied to her question, though it clearly wasn't directed at himself. As soon as the words were out, she was sitting down next to him, seemingly not paying attention to his comment. Surely she knew about the cat's adventures into the rooms of others? She rested her head on his shoulder, nearly enticing him to settle his head atop her own, but she had nudged him and moved away before he could.

Over thinking things really was his biggest enemy in this, Keiran decided. Not that it stopped him from getting trapped in his own mind when she practically asked him to come back to bed with her. It wasn't at all what he had been expecting when she had curled up once more. Rather, Keiran wondered if she intended to request five more minutes, like he always had as a child.

Instead of doing as she asked, and no matter how tempted he was, he lifted an eyebrow and waited. Avery would throttle him if he was late – especially since she didn't explain. Usually the letters where she simply gave a time, place, and reason (be it drinks, or in this case brunch), something was very very wrong. So wrong that she had stopped thinking properly. Luckily, his note was longer than three words (Apart from his name and hers in greeting and sign-off), so it couldn't be as dire as all that.

Rolling his eyes at her antics, he laughed as she headed towards the exit. “I do believe this place is mine, you know.” Belatedly he added, “For now, at least. Until you decide to stay.”

Not really wanting to linger on that topic, he moved about the bedroom, cleaning up and making the bed. She called out a morning greeting and he sent one in return, though he wasn't sure she could hear him over her movements in the kitchen. Although he expected her to down the coffee she'd made, Keiran moved to lean against the door frame to wait for her to be ready. A flash of concern made its way across his face at her reaction, but he didn't say anything. If it became a problem they could deal with it, even stay home if necessary. Or Millie could stay and rest while he went over. It was a Saturday, thankfully, so she wasn't missing classes – not that she usually attended them – anyways.

Keiran decided he might have to bribe her to attend class, even though she wasn't in his. But that could be spoken of after their meeting. Oh, she was asking him something? Keiran looked at his feet and crossed his arms over his chest as she answered for herself. Feeling a smile creep onto his face as she moved about, Keiran decided there and then that this arrangement wouldn't be too bad. Particularly if she didn't seem to have any issues with being close to him during the day or living together.

He looked up in time to see her put Lucy down before glancing in his own direction and practically charging him. Keiran released his arms to collect her as she reached him, picking her up by the waist. “G'Morning, nipper.” He grinned, knowing his voice and face exuded the snarkiness he had intended. She probably wouldn't appreciate that. Going off of his previous decision not to think too much, he leaned in and kissed her on the nose, glad that she was level with him after having pulled her up to his height, her toes likely hovering above the floor.

Though he expected a backlash from his inaccurate nickname, Keiran set her down and smirked at her as thought daring Millie to whack him. “Now, we're due at Robin's flat in ten minutes. Go put on something more.. appropriate. You do not want Ivanov seeing you like that. The man is a right git about women, sometimes.”

His words stemmed from the rather hilarious, yet somewhat embarrassing (for him, at least), outfit she was wearing. He had failed to notice this the previous night due to his climbing into bed before her to allow the privacy or use of the bathroom she perhaps needed. Turning from her, partly to avoid any anger directed at him and made to collect his wand from the bedside table.

Once she was sufficiently ready to leave, Keiran offered his arm and upon her taking it, turned on his heel and pictured his best mate's home.* They landed fairly easily, though his free hand shot out to grip the one holding onto his arm in an attempt to steady her.

Avery was pacing in front of the door and glanced up at them, her eyes easily expressing her nervousness at his being there. Her eyes flicked to Millie before she covered her fear with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Frowning, Keiran made to walk to join Avery, but in the middle of his taking a step, he glanced down at Millie and paused. Leaning down, he muttered in her ear.

“I forgot to say something earlier, in my rush to leave, but you look lovely today. Well, not just today, because that sounds awful. In general. But especially today.”

Deciding that he had supplied quite enough awkwardness for one day, Keiran turned back to Avery and extended an arm for a side hug. She hesitated only slightly before wrapping an arm around his neck and letting out what he took to be a relieved sigh. Something was seriously the matter. He passed Millie an apologetic look before extracting himself from her arm and hugging Avery properly.

“What's going on? You didn't explain in your letter – not that I expected it. But you almost never dole out compliments or ask for advice.” He lifted an eyebrow as he drew back to give Avery a concerned once over.

Avery simply shook her head and opened the door with a key she probably should not have had, all things considered. Keiran shrugged in Millie's direction, gesturing that she should enter before him. “Where's Robin?” He asked finally, noting that the man was either not awake at all, or hiding somewhere.

"I doubt he's awake." Avery said, talking as if she knew quite well why the man should be asleep still. Keiran, mind, knew that it was only nine in the morning, and that he himself would much rather have been back in his rooms, for "sleeps" and "cuddles" as Millie had requested.

"Well, then." Keiran grinned, "Looks like someone will need to wake him. You want that job, Missie?" He asked, hardly realizing his slip-up in using his nickname for her. Rather than tripping himself up over it, he waited until she had agreed and run into Robin's room to pounce on the bed.

Keiran could hear Avery burst out laughing in their wake as he followed her down the hall and laughed loudly upon her jumping directly onto Robin's bed. The poor guy. Keiran couldn't really find it in him to feel guilty, though.

Avery rushed in and stared at Millie before rolling her eyes and moving over to the bed herself. Keiran lifted an eyebrow in surprise - Avery, jumping on someone's bed? Hardly likely. And indeed, he was right in thinking so, as she instead climbed up onto the covers and wrapped herself around Robin calling out to Millie, "Do be careful with him. I can't have him broken."



*Can teachers apparate? I just made that up. If not, they could have walked to the apparition point and headed off from there. Oops. Also, I knew Millie was going to attack, and knew that Amy, you'd gone to sleepytown. So I figured Emily could post and you could do with mine and hers what you will in the morning.

((Feel free to ignore the first five paragraphs of this post. Just for my own entertainment and benefit.))

The world smells of strawberries, whiffs of chocolate traveling in the breezes. These smells are few and fleeting, leaving Robin to breath deeply and attempt to chase them as they appear. He moves easily across the gold gilded hills, running without strain or sweat, seeking those wispy smells fresh cocoa that haunt him. He scrambles to the summit of his small hill, resorting to his hands and knees for the last few feet. He peers across the top to survey the undiscovered kingdom that would undoubtedly lay at his feet.

The other side reveals a flood of colors, momentarily blinding the boyish man. The sky shines a crisp blue, the ground a rich green, and he can almost make out a ruby-toned river in the distance. Robin feels the sudden and undeniable urge to get wherever this sea of metal is taking him. Without hesitation he slips over the other side, sliding down one of the valleys like a large children's slide that might have been found at the playground. On the way down he runs his fingers across the edges, the glossy gold taking on an almost velvety texture.

At the bottom Robin springs to his feet, and is stopped just as suddenly. Now that he has reached his destination it looks far less appealing than when he had stood as the king of the world. The meadow that spreads out at his feet brings green into his golden universe, punctuated by trees covered with metallic leaves. He begins to walk, the dewy grass under his bare feet providing the slightest bit of tickling chill.

He moves quicker, the odor of dark chocolates taunting him again. It seems to come from the grove of silver trees that glitter about halfway to the horizon. Once again Robin breaks into a run, the wet grass causing him more difficulty than the golden-coated hills had. He runs for a long while, time warped and fluid in his head. Eventually he reaches the first tree of the grove and stops underneath. There he clapses to the ground where he spreads out on his back to lay and listen to the leaves click like wind chimes.

A bronze apple falls from the tree and Robin reaches in the air to catch it before he is hit. He brings the fruit down for examination, flecks of the metal falling off like chipping paint in his hands. Robin rubs the apple, slowly taking off the layers of bronze to reveal a glorious red tone that had never before been seen on an apple out of a cartoon. With no hesitation, the Russian moves to take a bite out of the sweet fruit but just as his teeth pierce it's skin the ground around him shakes forcefully. The apple falls from his hand and the leaves above him fall in squalls. In no time at all his rich universe was crumbling around him.

Robin's eyes were jerked open as his entire bed convulsed with the weight of other people. He wildly grabbed at the wand that was stored in his headboard, fingers grasping at the thin piece of wood at his hollered mumblings along the lines of "shit, what the - God". Robin's slight flailing was subdued as he was laid on and partially smothered by a familiar smelling and sounding person.

His sleep vision began to recede and Robin was confronted by the face of Keiran's young wife, Melissa Finnigan Hayes. He realized he had managed to semi-point his wand at her and internally rolled his eyes but was glad that he had not had the reflexes to hex his attacker. While he wouldn't have necessarily felt too bad for it (she must accept the risks of waking a man while sleeping) he was sure that being murdered by Keiran would soon follow. And Robin really wasn't ready for being killed at this hour.

Robin made an odd sound of exasperation/suffocation/acceptance of his situation. He rolled his eyes towards the top of his head in an impossible attempt to see the woman lying on top of him. Of course this was a pointless gesture. Not only was Avery the only other woman invited to their little get together, she had a very distinct presence about her. In the short time they had known each other he was already quite accustomed to that particularly lovely scent she wore - a hint of coconut perhaps? Or maybe it was mango.

His eyes rolled back to Millie and without a word to either of the women in his bed he shouted in a way that would certainly carry through the house, much less across the room to where the older man stood, invisible to Robin. "KEIRAAAAAAAAAN" he hollered, the accusation in his voice leaving no need for a clarification for the reason he called. His tone had trailed off by the end, partly due to remaining sleepiness and party thanks to the weight of his future wife sprawled across his back.

"Everyone out" Robin managed weakly, though the surrender in his tone made it clear that he was in no position to enforce such a demand.

(I wrote this on my phone. Fairly proud of myself.)

Dressing was an easy-enough affair. The few bits that Millie had brought with her to Kieran's were certainly enough to clothe her for the day ahead of them. What took the longest, arguably, was the shower that her skin demanded of her. After scrubbing it clear and cleansing her hair in a sweet raspberry shampoo, Millie got out, dried, and set about dressing herself. It wasn't difficult to pick something easy, simple and warm because the seasons had dictated what she brought with her for the odd matrimonial sleepovers they had. Sure enough he found a pair of tights, a warm dress and a pair of cute pumps and once that was done she applied the minimal amount of makeup she knew how to transpose onto her skin and then, forty minutes later, she was finished.

When the pair appeared on Robin's doorstep, it occurred to Millie that they, like so many before them, were visiting Robin with the intention to invade his home. Thankfully, they had no intention to stay indefinitely - rather, just for brunch.

At the compliment, Millie felt her cheeks heat up a little. She looked at Kieran, a shy expression alighting on her features, and smiled before turning her attention to Avery. With her attention, her mood turned too and she bit down the stab of jealousy that riled through her. She averted her gaze and waited absently before sliding through into the flat.

At Kieran's indication, Millie took off and bounded into Robin's bedroom, launching herself onto his bed with a battle cry. Robin's reaction was priceless too and Millie stared at him down the length of his wand with a broad grin on her face.

"Good morning, Robbie!" She exclaimed, reaching to pinch his cheeks. "You're not a morning bean, are you?"

Millie jumped off of the bed when Avery approached and smiled a little before straying back to Kieran's side. A smirk at Robin's dismay replaced her smile and she laughed a little before moving past her husband, wandering into the kitchen to inspect Robin's fridge.

"Hot chocolate?" She inquired. "Ooh," she added, "and eggs in baskets? Gosh. With chocolate on top. Mmm."

It should've been a disgusting prospect and indeed it was. Yet, Millie couldn't honestly think of anything better.

Robin's reaction was about what Keiran had expected, all things considered. Somehow, he was more surprised by Avery's holding the other man to her than by Millie's being so comfortable with his best mate. It could have been worse, of course. Melissa could have disliked everyone in his circle of friends – the match was better than Bridget had anticipated.

Keiran rolled his eyes dramatically as Melissa passed, hesitating to leave Robin's room with the implied fact that Avery would stay. A frown crossed his face but he caved after a moment and followed his wife into the kitchen, just in time to catch the end of her ramblings to herself.

“Mills...? Are you alright? You didn't seem to be feeling well earlier.” Brow furrowed, Keiran moved to stand beside her, a hand resting on her lower back. “We don't have to stay if something is wrong.”


--


Avery glanced up in time to see Melissa leaving the room with Keiran at her heels. He was turning into one of those cute puppies. She grinned against Robin's back before realizing exactly what she was doing: Squashing her shirtless fiance. Her previous amusement at Robin's obvious annoyance was sinking away, telling her that he probably wasn't a fan of being woken up. She would have to remember that.

After a moment, Avery shifted so that she was stretched out beside him, commandeering one of the pillows for herself. She waited until he turned to look at her before asking, “Does everyone include me?” She upturned her lips into a pout, hoping he would say no.

“I was hoping we could create a sort of... game plan for telling them. Well, I'm not worried about Millie's reaction. Just Keiran's really.” Avery rambled on, looking down at her fingers as they tugged on the sheets. The sheets her fiance owned, that she would soon also claim as her own. That is, assuming they moved into his. Avery didn't think Robin would want to live in her flat, after all. Perhaps Mira could just stay there. “I just don't know what would be the best way to-” Her eyes connected with his, abruptly cutting her off.

It took more willpower than she cared to admit to keep from glancing down once she realized, again, that Robin was indeed shirtless. Why had Keiran let her stay? That was a very stupid idea on his part. But it was her idea, technically. Avery ignored this as she blinked hard to keep her focus on his face. Lucky for her, she rather liked his face as well. And, you know... the rest of him as well.

She was in so much trouble.

Avery slipped off his back and Robin twisted over to face her. With both of them under the sheets, laying next to each other in the medium sized bed, he realized this would probably becoming a familiar sight. Not many girls slept in his bed, despite how many he slept with. But having Avery laying next to him wasn't as odd as he would have expected and he couldn't help but lose most of his grumpiness at being woken with her cute pout. He leaned over a kissed her on the cheek before pulling away with a grin. "Of course not, love." Without thinking he let out a little chuckle, the realization hitting him of just how soon this would be her room too. Her bed.

Luckily, his laugh timed while as she spoke, making it appear as is he was just amused by her worry rather than hinting to the commentary running through his brain. Robin thought for a moment. Normally he would be all for ripping the band-aid off cleanly but Keiran needed to be handled more delicately. He had been Robins best mate for too long to be thrilled with the prospect of him and his best female friend becoming an item. Keiran had heard every less-than-gentlemanly comment, drunken story, and opinion on women that Robin had been able to share. If anyone knew what a terrible husband he was bound to make it was Keiran.

The younger man had seen his friends reaction at the bar when he had first met Avery and was not overly enthusiastic to bring back that mood in his mate. Besides, Robin had won the bet (without contest) and he dearly hoped that Keiran would be a gracious loser and have the common sense to never mention the bet again. That would surely blow up in Robins face at some point, coming back to haunt him and his relationship with Avery when he least expected it.

"Would you feel better if I told him? You could handle Millie. Maybe it'll be better if we spilt them up so it's not such a big deal." Robin shrugged, honestly having no idea how one should approach a situation like this. "Or would you rather? Break it to him gently with a woman's touch?"

If Keiran didn't punch him in the face today, it would be considered a success.

As much as she wanted to laugh along with him, Avery was so surprised by his warm greeting and his welcoming kiss on the cheek that she didn't quite know what to do with herself for a moment. Instead, she allowed her ramblings to take over until his suggestion. Would it really be wise to let Robin tell their best friend about this? Avery wasn't so sure. Keiran was so very protective of her, as they were practically siblings, though not by blood.

But then, what was the point in having Robin tell Millie? It wasn't as though Avery herself was very close to the girl in question. She sort of wanted to tell him she would just inform the both of them. “Maybe it would be safer for you if I went out and told them as you got dressed.” She teased, only half joking, gesturing to his upper half. “Not that I'm complaining.”

The words slipped out before Avery had realized she'd said anything else. Her eyes widened briefly in shock before she blinked and wiped the emotion from her face. Soon, they would be married and she would be allowed to say such things without embarrassment. Or, she hoped so anyways. Unless Robin was the type to use such things against her when looking for ways to tease her.

Deciding it would be in her best interest to alter her suggestion to get the attention anywhere away from her admission, Avery shrugged the shoulder that wasn't pressed against the sheets. “Or I can wait for you and tell them when you come in? We could just both say it at once, but for some reason, I can better picture Keiran's reaction to me telling him. It would involve less staring and probably less of the potentially inevitable yelling.”

Avery hadn't expected to feel so nervous about this. Right then, she wanted nothing more than to send Keiran and his wife home, curl up against Robin, and pretend no one needed to know about their match. But that was just not an option. Still, she allowed herself a moment of it as she scooted towards him, doing her best not to be awkward in doing so, and hugged him to her. She pressed her cheek against him as she had done earlier without thinking, grateful for both his warmth and that of the covers draped over her, pulled up to her chin.

“We should probably get going before Keiran comes in and carries me out of your room.” Avery breathed, frowning.

The sweeping, fleeting nausea had subsided, replaced with the rising stomach action that was brought on by unpleasant bouts of side-along apparation. Her desires for erratic food and drink combinations were not knew developments and had always been part of her caricature. Millie realised, herself, that there was something irregular about it all; and while she didn’t mute her concerns to her husband, she did cast a wary eye over him before broadening her expression into a smile. Millie brought her hand up and settled it briefly on Kieran’s shoulder before dropping it back to her side, the smile on her mouth remaining steadfast in its position.

“I’m fine,” she assured him gently. “Promise.”

It wouldn’t do for her to be ill or anything of the like. She already felt ridiculous. She suddenly wished she hadn’t chosen the dress she found herself clad in and she hated the dainty suede shoes on her feet. She loathed the way she’d curled her hair at the ends and she thought her neatly trimmed nails were childish and, compounding upon everything else, left her with no character what so ever. She might’ve been tied with the law, owned with the surname but she was still a child and it was stark and painful to her in the light of the others - even in the reflected glow of Kieran.

Bizarrely, she felt like explaining herself. She wanted to make them see she wasn’t small or vulnerable or needed looking after as though she was some sort of weird melting pot that was dangerously close to ruining her cauldron. There was only one time, ever, that she’d needed looking after and even then she’d gotten onto her own feet of her own volition without help. For just a moment, Felix Barker had in fact destroyed her. Only for a moment, though. While his face still occasionally wormed his way into her fears, working with Elijah and Khaat had soothed those nightmares. Much of it, though, had been of her own doing.

They seemed to think, all of them, her mother included, that the wedding would see her melt and wither and die. She loathed them for the underestimation of her character and loathed them even more so for the ridiculous pick. The Ministry were mixing oil and water and she was the one who would float on top, stagnant and irritable, unable to assimilate into the world that had been chosen for her.

“I’m fine,” Millie repeated, finally, nudging the fridge closed, her appetite for both sustenance and for the occasion thoroughly spoiled as the dark, resentful mood petered over her, making her feel all the more foolish.

She looked down at herself and tugged absently at the hem of her dress. A sigh escaped her mouth and she looked up once more, unable to quite plaster a smile on her face. Instead she kept her features neutral and correct, not quite reaching to meet Kieran’s gaze but close enough nevertheless. She smiled, then, and shrugged as the expression became light hearted. She was fine. For now, at least.

It was clear that Avery wanted to do this herself. And if she was willing to take all the (speculated) heat from their friend then who was he to deny her? The part of him that enjoyed being out of physical danger wanted to let her go but the part of him that needed to be a protector (which had been growing enormously since their 'engagement') outweighed. At her comment about his chest his eyebrows raised, amused and every so slightly smug at her suggestion. Her nerves, which often irritated him in a women, were proving charming and for a second he had to resist leaning in for a real kiss.

Avery was not just a friend so he could not cudely joke with her. But she was not his girlfriend so any affection felt strange and hesitant, much like a pair of 13 year olds on their first date. She was something separate and beyond any label that the modern dictionary could offer.

"Don't you trust me?" Robin teased lightly. "Keiran and I are both big boys now. I think we can handle it. Besides, it's not like anyone could do anything about it even if there was a problem. So, really, there's no need to fret." He felt the slightest twinge of regret about bringing up the circumstances about their engagement. Not that it wasn't completely true.. But Avery wasn't just a match. She had been something to him before the letter and he wished there was a way to tell her without sounding completely childish or pathetic.

She leaned over and hugged him, which was slightly awkward in their current position but he went along with anyway. No matter how strange or seemingly forced their affections were now he knew it would just take a little time and then everything would be fine. They were lucky to have each other and Robin was genuinely glad if he had to be stuck with anyone it was her. Maybe after they were married he would take her out to dinner, maybe a movie. They could go on real dates and vainly pretend that they were a real couple rather than the unwilling participants in some government scheme.

Robin mumbled into Avery's hair, "I'd like to see him try." But a moment later he pulled away and sat up against the back of the bed. "Go ahead, tell them if you want. I'll be out in five minutes unless I hear any screams of breaking glass." He grinned towards his future wife with some attempt at reassurance. Things would get simpler soon, wouldn't they?