Spinning webs
“Can’t you stay a little longer?” Talbott pouted his lips at you like a little kid for the upteenth time. He's been doing this for the last five minutes when you told him you had to leave for today. He looked annoyingly cute and you had to laugh a bit at seeing this side of him.
After he shared his story with you, you both went back to his house, hand in hand with the friendly silence being your never leaving guide. It seemed to you that the barriers between you and Talbott had completely subsided. He expressed his feelings and thoughts much more - yet a distinctive red spread across his cheeks as he asked you to fall asleep with him.
“Are... Are you sure?” Was your uneasy question for reassurance. His response was rather unpredictable; he came to you and stroked your cheek with the greatest tenderness and fondness in his eyes that you could have easily mistaken for love. “Yes. Right now I want to be with you more than anything in the world. I never felt so sure about anything more than about this right now.“ His other hand gently stroked your hair, and you couldn't take your eyes off his. He closed the distance between the two of you as if he was about to kiss you and a sigh of anticipation left your lips.
However, instead of leaning more in, he gently clasped your hand in his and lead you to his bed. When did he become so bold?
BA-DUM, BA-DUM, BA-DUM.
Your heart pounded rapidly in your chest and you could feel how your hand started to sweat with nervousness. Even if Talbott noticed, he didn't show anything and just lay down on his bed. He made room for you and waited for you to join him. With a hint of hesitation that someone could have confused with a silent refusal, you sat on the edge of the mattress. You could feel the heat overwhelming you at the thoughts of what might happen tonight.
You lay down as far away from Talbott as you could, turning your back on him. “Hmpf...” The low sound of dissatisfaction left Talbott's mouth. Were you not comfortable with him being this close to you? He thought he showed enough affection that he felt towards you and the fact that you never rejected him gave him courage. Was today just a demonstration of your goodness to others? Did he think in vain that there was anything more to it?
Despite all the doubts that surfaced in him again, he did not intend to give up. He wasn't going to give you up. He gently pulled you closer to his body with his hand and was pleased to find that you didn't resist him. On the contrary, you even snuggled closer to him. He felt something predatory awaken in him as your bottom rubbed against his lap in an effort to find a more comfortable position. Was this a good idea? Will he even be able to fall asleep so close to you? At first he thought so, but now he wasn't so sure...
His strong arm wrapped around your waist and he buried his face in your curls, gently soaking up your intoxicating scent. One of his wings covered you, and when you felt its delicate structure on your skin, you found out that this was what you felt the first night.
“Did you use your wing as my blanket the first night we met?“ You whispered your question into the night, waiting for his answer with a sudden dry throat. “Yes.” Was his simple answer. His breath tickled the back of your neck, and a tingle visibly ran through your body. “Are you cold?” He asked you with visible concern in his voice and pulled you even closer to his hot body. Upon close contact with his naked, elaborate chest, you shook again at the thought of what might happen next.
“No. It’s just that...” You shut up and run your tongue over your dry lips, thinking about what to say. “That's what you do to me. My body responds to what you do.“ You reluctantly admit and hide your face in a pillow in a fit of shame. You were glad you didn't face him now because he'd see how much you were blushing. He would see how insane he drives you.
A quiet chuckle resonated within his throat. "I'm glad I have the same effect on you as you do on me, future hubby." And with that, he pressed his soft lips to your cheek as a sign of goodnight wishes. In response, you intertwined your fingers with his and fell asleep.
You both slept peacefully that night without any nightmares. The next day you woke up to a cold morning. Talbott was still asleep, so you quietly prepared breakfast for both of you. His surprised expression was worth the trouble in the kitchen, and with a growing sense of happiness, you watched him devour the food.
Your stomach suddenly went somersault when you realized you had to tell him. “I have to leave for a few days.” The words left your mouth in a low whisper, and if Talbott didn't have such a good hearing, they would escape him. There was a range of emotions in his eyes, confusion, misunderstanding, sadness, and something very reminiscent of the pain of leaving. “It's not forever,” you added quickly so he wouldn't think you were leaving him. “It's just a few meetings related to my ... work. I should be back in a few days.”
“Do you need to go?” He asked you in a flat tone which covered all his emotion. You realized with a throbbing ache that he didn't talk to you like this even when you two first met.
"Unfortunately yes. I have a meeting I need to attend to later this day." You say softly and push aside one strand of restless hair that has fallen to his forehead. He leaned over you as if refusing to let you go, holding your arm as to hold you near to him. The night before was something completely new for him, and he didn't want to let you go now, on the contrary, he wanted you to stay with him. Best forever.
“I promise I'll be back as soon as I can, alright? And then I'll take you on a small trip to Hogsmeade, if you want.“ You suggested and watched his wings flutter in interest.
“Do you promise?“ You laughed at the seriousness in his voice and with a fleeting kiss on his face you answered: “I do.” You didn't want to leave him, especially not when things were going so well between the two of you, but you had to. I'm doing it for him, you reminded yourself every time you were saddened to know that you wouldn't be able to see him for a few days.
With the last squeeze of each other hands you said your goodbyes and parted ways. You could feel his sight on your back, and only when you were sure he could no longer see you did you pull your broom out of your bag and with a silent command "Up!" you take off into the sunny sky.
✮⋆ ✮⋆ ✮⋆✮
In the early hours, you were awakened by a soft tapping of the beak to the window where the little owl demanded your attention. He held a letter with your name in his beak, and you knew what it meant. You were glad he woke you up so early in the morning since the journey to the place where the portkey is located was about two hours long by direct air route. From the place where you appear, you have to walk a few more kilometers to the protected valley where you will meet your friend.
The cold wind bit you in the face as you accelerated your speed in an effort to reach your destination as soon as possible. When you arrived, you had another quarter of an hour before the porkey would activate and move you to a completely different state with the familiar annoying tug in the lower abdomen. That's why you didn't like this type of travel, you much preferred to apparate yourself or use your broom. The feeling of freedom and weightlessness was priceless.
If you had to describe the nature in Romania in one word, you'd choose terms such as indescribable, breathtaking, majestic. The hills boasted the most beautiful greenery you had ever seen, and in many places rows of dazzling flowers grew in the sun's rays. The valley was lined with dense forest which served as a protective barrier between the world of the Muggles and the terribly attractive world of dragons.
"Well, well, look who's finally here! It was about time!" Your longtime friend Charlie was waving furiously at you from the edge of the rows of trees a huge smile on his face. It's been a long time since you've seen each other.
"You missed me that much? I'm SO honored." You sarcastically remarked and he squeezes you into a tight brotherly hug. “Haha. Funny as always,” he answers and pulls away from you at arm's length. He examined you from head to toe and nodded appreciatively. “You look good.” You thanked him with a smile and asked about his new scar on his face.
“It looks cool on you.” Was your comment after he enthusiastically explained to you an accident with one of the new dragons that arrived a few months ago to the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary.
When you reached his dwelling, he turned to you with a serious look on his face. “But now tell me the reason why you wanted to meet so quickly.” You sat down at a wooden table and began your explanation; ”There is a person who has to hide from all humanity because of certain indispositions. Unfortunately, my department found out about him and sent me to liquidate him.”
“But you don’t want to do that.” He noted; it wasn't a question he was sure of his words. Despite the gravity of the situation, the corners of your mouth rose in a faint smile. You were pleased with how well your friend knew you.
“No, I don't want that - on the contrary, I want to save him. But I can't do it without your help.” He nodded slowly and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “What do you need from me?” Was his only question. He trusted you, so he didn't need to ask for more details about the unknown man. The only thing he cared about was the fact that you respected him enough to stand up to the authorities.
“Safe transport. It'd be best if they think we're carrying something completely different and so dangerous that they don't dare peek inside.“ You watch the pulleys of thoughts and plans turn in his head. “I could arrange that, but not right away. I'm going to need a few days to take care of everything. I would rather make it legal to avoid a few unpleasant problems that would occur if the inspection caught us.“ You weren't going to argue with him about that. As long as he things it's the best way to go, you'll go along.
“Do you have a safe haven for him?“ Was his second question. You nodded quickly in agreement that yes, you have. “In a small Muggle town, I have my own house under my pseudonym. Let's say I created a whole new personality with all the necessary documents. I didn't tell anyone but you and made sure to erase all traces that would lead to me. It's the safest place I know of.“ You assured him and you were proud of your past self that you thought of arranging something like that. When you found out about your unwanted promotion, it occurred to you that it might one day come in handy, even though you didn't expect to be hiding anyone other than yourself.
For the rest of the evening and the next two days, you discussed everything you could, starting with coming up with a perfect plan and taking care of all the necessary matters, and ending with thinking about a few more additional plans should anything go wrong.
When you had resolved most of your plans and Charlie assured you that you had nothing to help him with now, you went to your next meeting. You contacted your girlfriend that works in the Department of Mysteries asking her if she could discreetly look into something for you.
“I looked at the records for you, even the ones I don't have access to, but I didn't find the surname Winger anywhere.“ She whispered in a melodic voice as she walked you through a series of tangled corridors. Her heels made a rhythmic clap clap on the floor. “But since I love you I asked someone else, and before you start swearing at me - we can trust him, I promise.” She continued her narrative and smoothed her already perfect hairstyle.
“Who is it?“ The irritation in your voice was obvious, but Alexiss passed it brilliantly in ignorant silence. Instead, she told you the name of your new comrade-in-arms.
“Alastor Moody.“
To be continued