"The Candor sings the praises of the truth, but they never tell you how much it costs."

Declan's face fell when he caught the disappointment on Roxanne's face, so he turned a questioning glance on Dom, his eyes wide. But he just shook his head and moved out from behind the bar, waiting for Dom to join him. His hand reached for her arm and although he felt bad for it and he loosened his grip after a moment, it wasn't exactly gentle at first.

He allowed his feet to lead him towards his office area at the back of the building, and he shut the door behind them before crossing his arms and frowning at her. He just stood there for a minute, trying to fathom what had just happened in front of his staff and his customers. In front of, additionally, a woman who had just agreed to have dinner with him.

"What the hell, Dom?" he asked finally, his voice filled with a mix of exhaustion and a quiet sort of sadness. "I don't see what the problem is. Did you- I mean.... It's not like you're jealous, surely? You didn't want me, Dom," Declan pointed out with a clear bite of venom in his tone. "You can't get worked up because I merely suggested having a meal with Roxi."

She had no right. It was nearly impossible to discern where he stood with the blonde now that she had drawn the line between them but was getting worked up over him even potentially having any sort of interest in her cousin. Yes, he knew it hit close to home. But it was Dom's own fault, wasn't it, that he was being forced to try and move on. He wasn't going to change his mind and regret his choices just because it irritated her. She had better have a good reason to interfere like that, he decided silently.

And besides, what was she doing at the Leaky at all when she clearly was done with him?

Declan grabbed her and she felt her arm tense beneath his firm grip, spirit fluttering with the proof of Declan's irritation. She knew this was going to be a much harder conversation that she had prepared for, because now it was confirmed - she was the bad guy to him. But she had to show him that she was the innocent, the victim, as was he. Roxanne Weasley was the bad guy. She was the epitome of the bad guy. There was no one more classic bad guy than Roxi Weasley, and she was being mistaken as the villain in this situation.

It wasn't fair. But, then, neither was life.

He cornered her, turning on her, accusation deep-rooted in his tone, edging on his words. He didn't give her much of a chance to explain herself or respond to his questions which... was probably a good thing, seeing as she didn't know what to say in response. How could she make the situation better, or even make sense? She wasn't sure she could.

She took in a long breath. "Please, Declan, I need you to trust me. I'm not crazy. I know I'm a bit... well, crazy, but not in the psycho-random-outburst way. I know things about Roxi, horrible things, that you really don't want to get involved with. She's not a nice person. She toys with people with no care to the consequences-"

Right. She was describing the way Declan saw her.

Cheeks turning pink, she shook her head, trying to clear herself so she could properly explain what she was trying to get him to understand. "She's not a good person, and she's going to hurt you if you let her."

Something inside of Declan felt sick, felt wrong. He felt that his reaction to Dom had been wrong somehow, even if he had no way of explaining why he felt that way. Aside from her expression, perhaps, which practically screamed hurt behind her apparent need to say her piece. And for that he couldn't blame her. He knew that feeling. He had yelled at her in a hallway for that feeling. So he couldn't do anything except let her get the words out, except truly listen.

As she spoke, his frustrated expression turned to one of disappointment and, to his own surprise, worry. Not for himself, though. No, indeed. For Dom. Either she was dreadfully concerned where she needn't be, which could sometimes mess with someone as much as any actual correctly placed fear - or she was genuinely worried for him because he was wrong. And Roxanne was wrong.

And he didn't know what to do.

So he sank into a chair and looked up at her with a thoroughly confused expression, just quiet for a few moments. He knew, in his gut, where he wanted his trust to lie. And it wasn't with the blonde in front of him. But that didn't mean his trust listened. It had no reason to, even after everything. She looked upset, and he would be damned if his Gryffindor chivalry didn't jump in and take a whack at his intentions.

"Dom," he began, extending a hand towards her despite his better judgement. "If she's done something to you, I want you to tell me. Just because she's family doesn't make it okay. I won't let her think it's okay. But.." he hesitated, his brow furrowing again, "I can't say I see it in her now. Someone went after her personality earlier and it just seemed like a jerk move. But if you're right, then I wrongly accused someone of attacking her. So, please. Tell me what's wrong."

He reached out a hand to her and she shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the another, taking his hand with an almost miserable expression. It wasn't because she did not want to take his hand. Declan had a very comforting touch (and an arousing one when, y'know, in that situation - oh god, stop thinking like that) and right now she wanted to feel close to him. But she did not want to be like Roxi. She did not want to use his emotions to get her way, and taking his hand and looking too tragic would do just that. She wanted to save him, but she really did not want to stoop to Roxi's level.

And, what would he think of her if he knew that chapter of her life. If he thought she was young, immature, and irresponsible now, what would he think of knowing that she used to drink and take any substance handed to her and go home with any man who offered? And how could she tell Declan without sending him into a frenzy. It would rip the Weasleys apart and she just couldn't risk that.

This was such a delicate situation. And Dominique Weasley  was not exactly known for being careful and discerning.

So with a pained expression, she chewed on her lip before finally saying, "I can't. I... I want to, I really don't like coming off like I'm insane, I really don't. But I just... need you to trust me."

Please. I care about you too much. She's taken everything else. Not you too.

But people rarely said what they were really feeling.

Sometimes, Declan wasn't sure that he actually liked himself. He cared too much, you see. And that made it harder for him to look at things objectively. Dom could have been completely wrong, could have misinterpreted something. But he couldn't make himself believe that. He wasn't entirely sure that said about how much he trusted Dom, given that he was always cautious around her. The only time he had seen her that upset, though, had been... Well, actually, it had happened a couple of times, and all because they didn't see eye to eye and he wasn't interested in listening to her.

This time, he decided that he just had to listen. So he kept quiet for once, nodding when she faltered and seemingly gave up on explaining herself when she couldn't bring herself to say what had really happened. Not for the first time, he wished he was able to see Dom as a little sister. Then his protective instincts would not have been so unwanted.

After a moment, he nodded solemnly and released her hand. Then he pushed himself to his feet and pulled her against his chest, one arm wrapping around her shoulders and the other hand passing over her hair. "Okay."

He drew in what was supposed to be a calming breath, but it came out as a sigh, so he squeezed her a bit tighter. "You don't have to explain," he told her quietly. "If she's against you somehow, though, I wish I could stop it."

Declan realized belatedly that he had told her he would be returning after they talked. He didn't think he wanted to do that, now. "You don't know how tempted I am to pretend it's fine and take her out so I can just... question her or something." He shook his head, though, leaning away and giving her room to back away if she wanted to. "But I don't think I want to go back out there at all. It would be far more amusing to just leave her sitting there. ...yeah. I think I might take off for the day. Do you want to-?"

He wanted to ask her to come with him, obviously. But what was the use in that when she had her cousin's graduation and other things she undoubtedly had to do that day? So he cleared his throat and stepped around to his desk, picking up his things. "I'm just going to go to my flat, so..." He trailed off, looking up at her almost anxiously.

He was... too kind.

What sort of person took her, Dominique Screw-Up Weasley, seriously? No one ever had before. They always chalked up whatever she said to being a result of how weird she was, assuming she could never really mean anything. She was goofy Dom, stupid Dom, burnout Dom, naive Dom. She had always been too stupid, too goofy, too intoxicated, too young to have anything worthwhile to say.

But apparently, Declan Arryn didn't get the memo that Dom Weasley only spouted nonsense. Or if he had, he had chosen to ignore it. Why would he, of everyone else, decide that her words had value? She didn't have a track record for being reliable or unbiased and Declan knew her in her horrid twisted-thinking glory. He had seen the side of her that wasn't to be trusted because she didn't even know who she was or what she meant. He, of all people, should have been suspicious of her intentions.

It just so happened that this was one of the few times that she was right, one of the few things that needed to be heard. And only Declan would have believed her.

The problem with Declan wasn't that he was too traditional, or he didn't share her vices, or that he was a few years her senior. The problem with him was he was kind, and gentle, and romantic, and well-meaning, and he stuck to his decisions. Meanwhile, she was coarse and nontraditional and lusting and so inconsistent. She was exactly the sort of person that would break his heart and disappoint him. And, even worse, she was beginning to realize that she really liked him.

He pulled her into an embrace and she let him. She inhaled his scent, her arms reaching up to rest against his shoulders, thumbs brushing across him. She nuzzled her cheek against his chest, sighing as she squeezed her eyes shut. She knew there was something in her, developing a strong desire... and she rarely gave up on what she wanted. Still, her own knowledge of herself knew that she should have more restraint, should choose the easier solution.

But that wasn't going to happen.

He mentioned Roxi and she wanted to laugh, but she couldn't. Not when she knew Roxi. Slipping out unnoticed was the best solution, but Roxi would find a way to punish her, and probably Declan too. She just clung tighter to him, trying not to reveal the healthy fear she fostered for the brunette waiting back in the bar.

He stepped away and she watched him nervously, her large eyes still full of worry and uncertainty. He seemed like he wanted her to join him, but wasn't certain enough to ask. He looked to her and she nodded in affirmation, taking a step forward before taking his hands. "Let's go."

She moved towards him and Declan's eyebrows lifted in silent question. She spoke, though, and answered it for him anyway. It was as if she had flipped a switch inside of him. A surprised smile appeared for her despite the circumstances that led to her decision to spend more time with him. He knew it didn't mean her opinion had changed, but Declan hadn't expected it to. He could only hope that she would be less upset with him after they left.

The now ex-professor swept Dom's hand up so he could kiss the back of it, released the other hand, and then turned away without stopping to check her reaction. Pulling open the door, he caught the first waitstaff member he could, telling them he was leaving early. Dom, poor thing, was still attached to him by one hand, and when the waiter caught sight her, he looked shocked. None of Declan's employees had seen him interested in someone, nonetheless leaving in the middle of the day with them. Declan didn't realize until the boy had gone off that he might mention the woman in his office to Roxanne. It made him hurry to close the door and pick up his jacket.

"Right," he murmured, mostly to himself. Then, to her, "hold on." It was a sort of joke and a warning all rolled into one.

With a turn, they left the Leaky and found themselves in his sparse but, thankfully, tidy flat. He loosened his hold on her hand, in case she wanted to pull away, but he started through into the living area.

"I've recently moved," he explained. "Well, semi-recently. But I haven't done much with it because of everything at Hogwarts taking up so much time. But... anyway, do you want anything to drink?"

Was he allowed to ask that? Maybe she would request water, he thought almost sarcastically. But it was a habit from his days behind the bar and a way of hiding behind the island because he wasn't used to having anyone in his flat. He especially wasn't used to being alone with Dom in a place so personal. After everything that had happened, Declan had never even considered what this evening would be like, but now he had no choice but to try and manage it as best as he could.

Dom was in Declan Arryn's apartment, dressed to impress, and still wracked with guilt and uncertainty.

He had rescued her from a dragon he had originally perceived as damsel, with little to go on besides her word. The influence she seemed to wield over him frightened her, as she had never done well with responsibility. She had grown up as the kid desperate for a pet but horrified when she realized the thing needed daily feedings and her mother had been covering for her. She had been the student that would be obedient as long as she was not given a direct order. Then she had no choice but to disobey.

She had spent her whole adult life relying on friends with benefits, one night stands, and hollow relationships built on little more than lust and convenience. And now, she was supposed to jump into an adult relationship and expect to get it all right? She knew that her first attempt was going to be horrendous and she would make a fool of the both of them and it could not end well. That's what was so scary. Maybe if she cared, just a bit less. Maybe if she knew what she was doing. What they were doing.

That was a good question. Did they know what they were doing?

She cast an eye around his place, trying to show that she was finding some comfort in the distance between herself and Roxanne. He asked if she'd like anything to drink and she settled on "Firewhiskey?" It wasn't hard enough to do anything more than relax her shoulders a bit, give her an excuse to lighten up a bit. It would be harmless enough.

He moved to get the drink and she suddenly found herself following. As he gathered the drink, the words burst out of her lips with little thought and no restraint, though much regret followed.

"Why do you like me?"

Bartender that he was, Declan probably shouldn't have been surprised when she went straight for the heavy stuff. So he just nodded and moved over to the cabinet to pick it out of his bottles. After all, he did try everything the Leaky offered, perhaps a little known fact about the man. Dom probably wasn't surprised after the Yule Ball, though, he realized. Just as he put a glass down and lifted the stopper out, though, she spoke and made him freeze in his motion to pour. Luckily, nothing fell into the glass yet, because he might have let it overflow out of pure shock.

Declan stared down at the glass with wide eyes, then finally blinked and looked over at her, his hand still hovering in front of him. When he finally found his wits, he handed her the bottle, picked up her glass and one for him, and moved past her towards the couch.

"Well," he began, sinking onto the middle cushion. "I don't have a list or anything. I could say it's because you're beautiful, which you are. But that's hardly a good enough reason. When you met me... I was cynical as all hell, and I can admit that I've not always been the nicest guy to the women I've met. I guess I blame it on Danica, but it's in how I reacted, as well.

"I was... naive to not realize what was going on. So I made up my mind to always somehow be one step ahead of whichever lady was in front of me. So I never took them seriously. And I didn't want to with you, either," he admitted, frowning apologetically.

Declan leaned on the back of the couch and turned his chin to look at her. Somehow, it reminded him of that party gone wrong, when he had been talking to Casey. But in that case, Dom had been asleep and unable to stare at him or even listen to him.

"Dom, I don't even know how you managed it. To this day, I've no idea. You made me laugh, I guess. I never used to show many emotions. And... I just don't know, Dom. You make me happy when we aren't fighting, and I actually want to spend more time with you."

He paused for a second, debating whether or not he would make her angry by suggesting that they clearly had chemistry. But Declan thought better of it and just gave her a little, one-sided smile. "There's just something about you, even if I can't find any words to explain it."

She had to ask that question. It seemed like vain fishing, it seemed immature, it seemed silly. But it wasn't. Dom had been accused of being vain, immature, and silly enough times in her life to know when she was being so, and this was definitely not one of those times. She felt miserable, absolutely miserable. Pushed out by family, Roxi's sudden return to remind her of the power the brunette held,  and Dom's inescapable feelings towards Declan were all potent ingredients in an ironic recipe for disaster. A recipe that was producing a flavor of bitterness and acid deep in the back of her throat.

And it definitely wasn't aimed at Declan.

She had befriended a man and then slept with him. It could have been the story of most of her relationships with the male gender. But Declan had been a friend before attraction set in - that much was clear. Kindness and compassion and care had come in before the feelings and the lust and the attraction. Which was a problem, because the two sets had never existed together before and actually done her any good. And she knew better. There wasn't much Dom could say she knew for certain, but she knew she had the power to break the heart of someone like Declan.

Because she had done it before.

She could still see Nico's face from the last day she had seen him. And she wasn't about to see Declan's face take on that expression.

So she had to know. She had to understand. Because maybe she could talk him out of it.

The drink in her hand was untouched. Declan sat but she couldn't stop standing. Her bottom lip was putting pressure on her upper lip as she tried to keep her chin from wobbling, because he was so sweet and he could be so good... if she could too.

But no one had ever put such faith in Dom Weasley. Including Dom Weasley.

She swallowed. "Right." This was supposed to be the part where she threw her drink aside and pounced on him, covering him in kisses and proclamations that she would never be so stupid ever again. Or she was supposed to let out that silly little laugh of shock and relief and emotion and then say something sickeningly cliche like you don't have to explain what we both know to be true. And then he would stand and cross the distance between them, and there would be deep eye-staring-into, and then fireworks as their lips touched.

But Declan deserved better than what she could give him.

She set her glass down, and took in a deep breath. On her exhale, she said, "Here... is my... problem." Each word was selected carefully, because she knew that, left to just say as she felt, she would not say what she had to say.

"You became my friend, before anything else. Despite the fact that I'm rotten at my job, and I can be a general idiot, and I am professionally obnoxious, you let me stick around. And I really want to stick around. I really do."

Come on, keep talking.

"But I meant what I said in the dungeons." She blinked rapidly, because she had to stop crying all the time, because she had to start really being strong, not parading around as it. "I know myself all too well, and even if I like you a-" Her voice caught, but she fought through it "-a whole, whole lot, I can't let myself ruin something again. I'm tired of looking back with regret and I know I will do something to make you regret ever taking a chance on me."

She suddenly realized how horrible her words were, after all of this build up that was seemingly going in a different direction. "And I probably shouldn't have come here. Or gone to the Leaky. But I'm glad I did, because even if I have the potential to break your heart, Roxi would take everything if she was given the chance. So I'm glad I went, and I'm glad I'm here because... it's been a long time since I had a real proper... friend. And I was hoping you could put up with me long enough to be that."