Halfway Sober

[Allen Blackwell]

Allen groaned as she brought up the theme of his constant and abundant number of hookups. "Don't remind me, I know I'm a slut." he said frowning, then sighed as he continued, hopefully getting out what he wanted to say. "You obviously know that means nothing to me, apart from being drunk, half the time...i-it was to forget you were with someone else." He looked down slightly ashamed, but feeling a weigh lifting off his shoulders slightly as the conversation dragged on.

What he was thinking... there was no way it wouldn't sound like an accusation, but he didn't want to ruin their moment. 'You went out with them while you were sober, I never did.' was not the best way to initiate anything. Thankfully, he was sober enough to think things before he said them.

As he pulled away from their kiss, the crooked smile was back on his lips, soft and small. He loved how light everything seemed now. The soft light they were under made every movement somehow more intimate, and he loved it.

"I'm sadly a pessimist, though I do try my best not to be." Better, he decided. Her bright eyes were mesmerizing him again, and he just stared, not really noticing for how long. Perhaps in time, he would be able to tell her. The night had certainly gotten better, though certainly not the way he had thought of when he had wondered about it back at the party. A thought rushed to his mind, pestering him for a bit, and he finally noticed he'd been silent. He made the decision, and truthfully, he was feeling as though nothing could go wrong anymore. "So, will you go out with me, despite everything?"

[Rose Weasley]

The guilt washed over her, "I think we should probably leave it at the fact that we're both a bit slutty. It's easier that way." Although neither of them meant anything by their actions, hers were considerably worse, which was a devastating fact to deal with. She'd broken hearts, stepped on souls, and it had never really occurred to her that she was doing anything wrong until her serial dating ended in fifth year. But both of them had done what they did for the other. Although she was exceedingly tempted to mention Aisu, who had had absolutely no interest in kissing Allen, she realized that it was most likely a touchy subject and let it go.

He was the first to pull away, but she still felt the imprint of his lips on hers, a cool and calm feeling, as if it had been their first real kiss. Which, in some ways, it probably had been. She took the opportunity to look at him, really look at him, as if they had just met, but his features were her old and familiar friends, although she never failed to lose herself in the depths of his eyes, as night began to cover them like a blanket.

His pessimism came as no shock to her, but as a perpetual optimist, it seemed like they would balance each other out perfectly. "Well," she said, a slow and joking smile spreading over her face at his question, "How do you feel about having a certifiably crazy girlfriend?"
Pausing for a second, she said, "Of course I will," and her world was complete.

[Allen Blackwell]

A light laughter escaped his lips as she seemed to read his mind, stating them both a bit slutty, though he felt it was an understatement for him. He had ended up kissing his best friend only to make thoughts of her go away. He tried to push the thought away for the moment, not ready to come down from the high he was currently on.

Allen's mind raced in the little time she took answering, thoughts of their first drunken kiss rushing to him, but he figured this was a lot more like it should've been. Hopefully they'd be alright through their relationship. She was so cheery no matter what he said, and it made him smile too. "You're amazing, Rose." He said. He used no nicknames or endearments, just her name. It seemed perfectly appropriate, because it was all he ever thought of her.

And then her answer made his eyes shine with unrivaled happiness. "I think I've been waiting my entire life for her." he said softly, his breath escaping him at the last words, making them nothing more than a whisper, but in the silence, he was sure she heard. He knew this would be one night he'd never forget, no matter what happened in the future.

[Rose Weasley]

She wondered if the joke had been lost on him--it seemed like she had to be a little bit more careful around Sober!Allen, but either way, he was laughing so it seemed to be all right. The two of them took the cake of dysfunction in terms of relationships, not conforming to the rigid structure that everyone else completed, instead flying on ahead to bigger and better things. In a way, their "courting" or however it was defined as was better for both of them, and produced the same result in the end.

"You're pretty amazing yourself, Allen." She responded, saying the words that had always stood on the tip of her tongue, too worried and nervous to escape. But now they had, now everything had changed and the world was orbiting around them, not the sun. He /was/ amazing, he was so much more then she deserved but for some reason, he still found redeeming qualities in her. Somehow, he took her dysfunction and made it into something special, something that just...worked.

But at his whispered words, her whole body shook with emotion. Leaning into him, she smiled and whispered, "I've been waiting my whole existence for you, y'know. Probably from the second that I came into this wacky world." And in that moment, it seemed entirely true.

[Allen Blackwell]

"We're quite a particular couple, aren't we?" he said, laughter still on his voice. Allen's mind was trying to take in everything, from the smell of their surroundings to the fact that her hair was moving softly with the small breeze of the night that had enveloped them. He wanted to remember everything of their time at the pitch.

Rose had returned the compliment, making him feel weirdly out of place at such a statement. They obviously both thought the best of the other, while he didn't hold himself in such a high esteem. He thought they'd compliment each other nicely, each seeing the good in the other and bringing it out, hopefully. His strangely positive state of mind surprised him, but he loved the feeling.

"Yeah, I feel as though I've been waiting since I was born too. Before I even knew this world existed." he said, glancing around only for a second, his eyes quickly returning to his favorite view. His shy smile still in place, he couldn't help but add a little joke. "And that's what romance is, Rose. Remember now?" he said, a soft chuckle leaving his lips as he leaned in for another kiss.

[Rose Weasley]

"Just crazy enough to work," she chuckled, loving the melodic tune of his voice, laced with a cheer and enthusiasm, and how his eyes sparkled when he laughed. Loving how happy he looked and that she was able to be the cause of his happiness. It made her feel exceedingly happy, and she did everything possible to commit it to memory, wondering if they could just stay there and "be", ignoring everything else around them for as long as possible. Just the two of them--without all the stress and pressure and drama--just them, living.

But they were basking in each other's compliments, each one making the other feel that much more special and whole, as if they'd been waiting to be together to make the other one feel like life was worthwhile, even on the worst days.

"And how could I forget?" She responded, leaning into his kiss. She was beginning to question Allen's classification as shy--this was definitely not shy behavior, and she was loving every second of it.

[Allen Blackwell]

The dark night was perfectly set, he couldn't help but start storing mental images and metaphors in his mind for songs to come. This perfect night would probably leave him with a sappy song that no one would hear, but he was perfectly content. They were together, and... he couldn't even believe it as he thought of it. Girlfriend. His girlfriend, finally. It made him smile and blush again.

He kissed her softly, a lot more shyly than he ever had, except perhaps their previous kiss, only moments before. He was letting himself feel every sensation to the max, letting each touch send shivers down his spine. He was always the one to cut the kiss short, though he softly pulled away, placing several more small kisses on her lips before he even thought of saying anything. "I like this, just now..." he commented, not really thinking as words left him. "It should be like this always." he added, before clenching his eyes shut. 'Make a fool of yourself, why don't cha?' he thought to himself. Too early for that, certainly?

[Rose Weasley]

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "I like the idea of that," she admitted honestly, not afraid of sounding too clingy. The darkness, however, was beginning to get a little bit too eerie, and in the fall air, she moved closer to him, warming up every bone in her body. His kisses were amazing, leaving every part of her wanting more. But that was the best part--this was only one night, one minute, one moment. They could have days of these moments, or weeks or years and all of them would add up to the amazing feeling she was experiencing right now, of being together with her boyfriend...whoa, that title never failed to freak her out a bit.

With the night drawing closer and closer to them, she yawned slightly, beginning to feel the weight of the world and her intoxication on her shoulders. "Let's play a game," she murmured sleepily, excited by the idea for no apparent reason. She loved being around him, and the idea of losing his company made her exceedingly miserable, especially because she knew Aisu had something plotted for his best friend, and she was slightly afraid to find out what he was planning.

[Allen Blackwell]

Allen was a bit surprised at her comment, originally thinking he had gone too far. His relief was shown outwardly with his smile back on it's place. As Rose moved closer to him, he could feel a small shiver run down his spine. He breathed in her scent, wrapping one of his arms around her, glad for her own heat as he noticed his fingertips were already very cold. Surely they'd be going numb sometime soon if he didn't move much or moved back to a warmer place. His smile spread, as he pressed the fingers of the other hand to her cheek.

Rose proposed a game, and he wondered what it would be, what would she have him do, though his head was starting to lightly throb again. He figured the whole adrenalin rush before might've eased that earlier. "What game are we playing? " he asked, finding he did want to play as he said so, no matter what, seeing as it was with her.

[Rose Weasley]

"It's so cold out," she said, shivering slightly. But then his arm was around her, his fingers on her cheek, and she was warm. She felt the heat of their bodies intermingling, mixing up with the rest of the night and devouring each one of her senses, leaving her incredibly pleased. It might have been a good time to escape indoors, but she didn't want to leave their sanctuary yet, it seemed almost unfair to the gods of karma that had finally brought them together. But the smile hadn't escaped the permeation on her face--she couldn't imagine feeling any happier if she tried.

A game, a game, a game. She laughed, "Truth or Dare?" It had been the classic game of their younger era parties, and she thought it would be relatively entertaining to revive it, just for the sake of their entertainment on the freezing cold night.

[Allen Blackwell]

As strange as it was, he was enjoying the little cold weather that enveloped them. Maybe because it got her to cling close to him, maybe just because it was here on such a wonderful night. He ran his fingers down her cheek, tracing it softly, indulging in the feeling. "This feels surreal,"he said in barely more than a whisper.

He couldn't help but laugh at her proposal or a game. "Truth or Dare? It's been years since we last played that one. I remember always picking dare, though, too afraid of questions..." he said, his voice trailing off to memories of younger, slightly more innocent years of their lives. Wait, that wasn't right, innocent Allen? Certainly not for a while. "But alright, let's play."

[Rose Weasley]

And she too was feeling how surreal this entire night was. She'd walked downstairs to the party only a few hours ago, surrounded by her best girl friends and readying herself for a night of flirtation and fun. She'd expected it to be routine, easily classifiable, but it hadn't been--she'd escaped the night with her girlfriends all scattered emotionally, and had ended up in a relationship with the guy she'd liked since since what felt like the beginning of time. But it all seemed to fit, all of the dysfunction blending together into the amazing mess that was her life. Or maybe she was just distracted and not thinking straight becayse his fingers were on her cheek, stroking it lightly, which made her feel almost high on enthusiasm.

It was a bit silly, yes, but she had loved all of those days, when they didn't know or understand anything in the slightest and became known as entirely ignorant, laughing all of the way. It had never seemed like there were any cares at the time, as if the world would end up going their way. which honestly, it seemed to do the vast majority of the time, luckily enough for her. "I remember picking truth and lying my butt off," she chuckled, remembering her fears at being honest with the people she played with. "Soooo, Truth or Dare?"

[Allen Blackwell]

"I'll change my answer for once and say truth, Rosie." He answered, chuckling and hoping Rose wouldn't come up with something that might make him blush further or stammer... or take speech from him completely. He did want to tell her anything she'd ask, but he wasn't that good at just saying things, and his mother atributted it to the fact that he'd write lyrics instead. Allen had always just gone by that, because it seemed to make sense somehow.

Even so, Allen's smile was a constant feature now, it seemed. He doubted he had felt happier before, more at ease. He'd be grinning like an idiot tomorrow for sure, and he'd get weird looks that he didn't really care about. Then his mind drifted slowly towards the amount of gossip they'd be surrounded by once someone with a small sense of discretion knew about this. And he figured that'd be pretty soon, considering Rose was probably one of the people with the biggest amount of friends he knew.

[Rose Weasley]

She was ridiculously tempted to ask him the one question that had permeated her mind for years, the one question she'd been too afraid to ask around and get the answer to. It seemed like a bad idea to freak him out, and it wasn't really her business...yet. So she picked the first question to follow the original one in her mind, her favorite question to ask in the entire universe, "What's your favorite memory?" It was something that she asked almost everyone important to her in her life, not because she necessarily wanted the memory to include her, but because it made up such a big part of the other person's life and mindset, and just made her feel generally more connected to them. Allen was somebody who she wanted to be selfish about, someone that she wanted to know absolutely everything about, because she was generally facinated by him.

But he was smiling, and laughing, and confident, which created this amazing vibe between the two of them...although she was worried about classes tomorrow. It seemed like the gossip might get to him, whereas at this point, she had learned to ignore it or laugh at it. Most of it was stuff jokingly spread by her friends (her last boyfriend had been rumored to have 12 toes), so she'd learned to just go with it. Maybe he wouldn't hear it...? Or maybe he just wouldn't mind, but either way, they'd get through. Hogwarts gossip focused around a new person every five seconds, which was why she'd never minded the gossip spotlight; it was only temporary.

[Allen Blackwell]

Allen was surprised by the question, in a nice way. It was interesting, choosing his favorite memory, but it wasn't that hard to answer. Worse would've made him awkward, best... well he just had to choose. "Nice. That's hard to answer..." he started, thinking about memories that made him really happy. "Probably a tie between... Dad giving me Guinevere, which was his... oh, right. Guinevere is my guitar..." he said, nodding towards his guitar mindlessly. "That... getting to Hogwarts, and probably realizing I liked you. But I guess I kinda... kind of have a new favorite, which would be tonight. Yeah..." he answered truthfully, not avoiding his cheeks turning scarlet at the last sentence, nor the awful way it was phrased. He kinda wished he had a bit more thought on that, so he could come up with his clever way of saying things...

His mind drifted off to what would become of him for the rest of the night, and what would happen in the morning, so his smile was beginning to fade slowly. He was worried about it, as he always was the morning after parties, not really knowing how to deal with all the staring that came his way as he walked into the great hall. Constant whispers followed him for a while, until they got something better to talk about.

[Rose Weasley]

Her face turned a bright crimson red at his response, loving the honesty in his tone, loving how somehow she'd managed to be the cause of so much of his happiness. It had make her feel incredibly important. Patting Guinevere lightly, she smiled at the guitar, feeling an abundance of absolute and unclassifiable happiness. "I think my favorite...wow, I think it would be...remember that party fourth year, the one where we charmed those giant inflatable lawn chairs to levitate and we were all just chilling up in the air? And you and I were sharing a chair...and a good deal of firewhisky. It was...magical." Outside of her moments with him, the only things that came to mind were times spent with her best girl friends, no real family memories beyond those of time spent with her cousins. She decided that she would answer 'truth', interested in seeing what he had to ask her.

But he was nervous, she realized. "It's going to be all right...they'll back off."
"But either way, it's your turn."

[Allen Blackwell]

Allen was being way too open for his usual self not to want to go drown in the lake, but he couldn't have moved from the spot by will. This felt right, even if he wasn't used to it. At her answer, he smirked knowing exactly which party she was talking about, because he remembered it too. "That was an awesome night... I was kind of scared of falling, mainly because I thought once I hit the ground I'd stay there for a while." he admitted, chuckling. "Right, so... truth or dare?" he asked, not sure what he'd ask for either.

"Hey! are you a legilimens? It's totally not fair if you are." Allen complained, shaken from his thoughts by her voice telling him it would be alright. "Or am I that easy to read? Man, I suck at hiding things, don't I? I'm trying to keep it off my mind, though. I never cease to be the topic of gossip around the school after a party..." he added, sighing.

[Rose Weasley]

"Oh man, it was so scary...but exhilarating. It was like you had your own life in your hands, but you weren't even in that much control." She recalled, smiling at the memory. Although she'd been tempted to pick truth, to go with the easy and safe bet, she was kind of excited to see what his idea of a dare was, and so with some confidence, she responded, "Dare. Bring it!" She was never the type to turn down a challenge, especially from him, or really from the vast majority of her friends and the people she was close with, which had gotten her into trouble on occasion.

"I'm not so great at hiding things either...but it's hard, y'know? People are going to talk, and you just have to let it go and ignore them. They don't know crap about us." She hoped he believed her--she just wanted them to be okay, to let go of all of the gossip and strife--or did he just think she was creepy for knowing he was nervous? She was nervous too, it was just easier for her to hide it.

[Allen Blackwell]

"A lot more scary for a guy who's afraid of mounting a broomstick, you know? Still, I had fun." he commented, kind of wondering why everyone loved flying so much. It was pretty scary, no matter how comfortable brooms got. He frowned as she picked dare, trying to come up with a good one. He remembered that she always had him do things that were quite fun, at least for her, but he couldn't really recall. He hummed while thinking and as he didn't think of anything really good for her to do he went the silly, childish way. "You have to finish every sentence with "In bed"for the next... 5 minutes." he said, laughing lightly at the lame factor of that.

Allen sighed at her statement about the gossip. Everyone he knew and actually talked to had told him some similar things, but he just couldn't really let go of it. "No, they don't. But it's still... ugh. Everyone staring for hours makes me feel like an odd bug again, as if I'm not self-conscious enough." he explained, not even noticing how he was again, opening up to her, though a different way.

[Rose Weasley]

As he hummed, she allowed her mind to wander slightly, floating into the realm of academia. She was determined to improve her grades this year...but then he began to talk, and all thoughts of this were eliminated. Listening to his dare, she chuckled slightly, the immaturity of it making her feel like a small child again. "You did look pretty terrified...in bed," she said, referring to Allen's slight nervousness over how high up in the air they had been. He had never been one for flying, whereas she felt that every second that she wasn't in the air was simply time wasted.

"They're not going to be staring in bed," she commented, "They'll just be thinking about us...in bed. Although I don't think this revelation is going to come as a shock, apparently this was more obvious than either of us noticed in bed." But she wasn't being helpful, she realized, so she pulled him into a hug, "You're not an odd bug in bed. That's what matters in the end, in bed."