anastasiahumphreys

[anastasiahumphreys]

the truth about magic | anolai

nik has to tell ana the truth about magic. 

Nikolai had grown used to Anastasia spending the nights at his place. He'd slept at hers a few times as well but after a late shift it was often quicker to head to his flat. He'd been so careful to hide everything even remotely magical looking. He'd even gone as far as to force Dom to keep some things at his place. One of those things was his owl and he'd grown used to traveling to his brother's if he had to send a letter. What he hadn't accounted for was that his owl would be bringing replies to his flat. He nearly fell out of bed when he heard the very distinct pecking at his window. He tried as carefully as he could to unwind Ana from his body and he tiptoed to the window. He tried to simply open the window enough to take the letter but before he could, his bird had flown in and let out a cheerful hoot. "Oh fuck. Come here, you!" He dove for the bird, tripping over a book on his floor and crashing to the ground.

Anastasia quite enjoyed spending so much time at Nik's place. She had to admit, some of his things were a bit odd, and he didn't have a television or computer or anything, which was also weird, but she liked his place. It was sort of like stepping back in time, which was neat, and it was very relaxing. It was even better when he was there, but she didn't mind hanging out sometimes when she was waiting for him to get in. She noticed him peel himself away from her, frowning a bit. She lifted her head up, still on her stomach, and watched him walk over to the bird at his window. She nearly said something, but before she could, he was letting the damn owl into his home. She rolled onto her back, pulling the blanket up around herself as she sat up. "Nik. Why is there a bloody owl in your flat?"

Nikolai had absolutely no idea how he was meant to explain this. He looked up at her from his place on the floor and then cast his gaze to Owl Pacino who was still hooting cheerfully as he swept around the room. He opened his mouth to try and come up with an excuse but he ended up just shutting it again. Slowly, he got to his feet and went to his desk, rubbing his neck nervously. He took the owl treats from the drawer and held one out to get his pet to land on his arm. He turned to the side, trying to disguise the fact that he was untying a letter from the bird's leg. "Um. Well, he's my... pet. He's very friendly. He's just been staying with my brother for a few days."

Anastasia watched as he seemingly got himself together, raising an eyebrow at him as he stood with the owl on his arm. This had to be the weirdest yet. Other than the weird words he used sometimes. She gave him a look as he explained before leaning forward a bit. "The owl is your pet? And he doesn't like, have a cage? He just flies up to your window sometimes and you let him in?" she asked, partially curious and partially suspicious. "Is there something you aren't telling me?"

Nikolai nodded like this was a perfectly normal thing to be happening. Maybe he could play it off. Right? No, he realized. There was no way any of this could ever make sense. "I mean, he has a cage. I just... took him and the cage to stay with Dom when you started staying over," he explained. He unfurled the parchment to scan it in case something serious had happened. When he was sure it hadn't, he let Owl Pacino hop off his arm onto the desk and he sighed a bit. He returned to the bed and sat down next to Ana again. "I haven't been entirely honest with you about who I am."

Anastasia raised an eyebrow at him. "Why isn't he there then?" she asked. Both her eyebrows went up as he opened a letter and read it over. "Did you just read a letter? That your owl delivered? Is this the 1800s?" she asked, letting out a little laugh. She could not believe this was happening. Was she asleep still? She gave him a laugh, a look, both amused, concerned, and confused, on her face. "I'd certainly say so. What are you hiding?"

Nikolai knew that he had to tell her what was going on. He'd been planning on it for a while, he just hadn't expected it to go like this. He'd wanted more time to prepare. "I sent a letter with him to my dad from Dom's. I didn't really think he'd bring a response back here. I figured Pacino would have the sense to go back to Dom's," he admitted. He ran a hand through his hair before turning to fully face her. "I'm... well, I'm a wizard. I have a wand and a pet owl and I went to a boarding school with my siblings for other magical people."

Anastasia frowned when he said he sent a letter to him. "Why didn't you just use the royal mail? Or call him? Or text him?" she asked. What a weirdo. No wonder he didn't know how to use snapchat, he was still sending letters to people to communicate. She gave him her full attention, making a face as he spoke. He was a what? She couldn't help but let out a laugh. "You drugged me last night, didn't you? And I'm hallucinating now?" she said, laughing harder. "That makes no sense!"

Nikolai let out a sigh. "Because they don't deliver the royal mail to Hogwarts. Phones don't work there," he explained patiently. He had a feeling it'd be a long day. She clearly didn't believe anything and he didn't blame her. It was a weird thing to discover and he wasn't doing a good job of explaining it. "No, of course I didn't drug you. It's..." he sighed and got up again, going to get his wand. He gave it a quick wave, causing flower petals to start to fall down around her. "Magic is real. Why do you think it startled me so much when you told me you could do it?" he asked.

Anastasia was starting to feel like he was being serious. "What?" she asked, taking a moment to think. "The mail delivers everywhere," she said quietly. She felt a bit odd, but watched as he got up. Her eyes widened, backing up on the bed a little. "What the fuck?" she asked, her eyebrows knit together, mouth slightly gaping. "Oh my god," she said, standing up and running her hands over her face. She didn't know what to say or think or do. "Oh my god, that's why you're so weird. How did I even happen to meet you? Are, wizards," she said, using his word, "all over the place and we have no idea?" She turned to look at him. "You aren't pulling a huge prank on me, are you? Because that would be really mean."

Nikolai held his hands up in surrender when she started to back away. He set the wand down again and took a small step away from it. He really didn't want her to be afraid of him. His heart was pounding. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Don't be afraid." He went to speak again but was puzzled by the way her train of thought had changed. "I am not weird. I'm just different," he clarified. "You met me because you came into my bar. It's... open to everyone. There's another section that you haven't seen that's strictly magical folk like me." He straightened up a bit. "Some wizards and witches do integrate among with muggles--non magical people. My mum is like you. My dad is a wizard."

Anastasia shook her head, still frowning a little. "I didn't think you would," she said honestly. She laughed a little and shook her head. "It's not bad. You just, you say things that don't make sense. You use words that I've never heard of. I obviously don't mind, seeing as I'm here, but it makes so much more sense," she said honestly. She widened her eyes a bit. That was odd. This whole thing was odd. There was a whole other section of his bar she didn't even know existed? How trippy. "Wow. I really like, don't know what to do with this information."

Nikolai didn't think he acted that different from her. He was about to protest that when he remembered all the times he'd slipped up and sounded like an utter buffoon around her. She was right; he was weird as hell. "I'm sorry I kept this from you but it's a precaution. We don't tell muggles--people without magic--about us unless we're sure they can handle it. I've been trying to find a good time to tell you but the timing never felt right. If you... need some time and some space, I'll understand. And if you don't want anything to do with me and want to forget this information I can do that for you. I just, I really like you."

Anastasia frowned a bit at his implication and shook her head, standing up to go over and put her hands on his shoulders. "I don't care that you're a wizard. I mean- it's- I really don't know what I'm supposed to do or how I'm supposed to react, but that doesn't change the fact that I like you a lot and want to be with you. This whole thing is obviously a well kept secret. I wouldn't expect you to have told me right off the bat," she said honestly. It was just a strange thing to learn about a person.

Nikolai was surprised that she was touching him. He felt like she was handling this way better than expected. "I know. It's a lot of information. I'm trying not to overwhelm you too much. You can ask me any questions or you can even ask Dom if you want to know more about like, technicalities and stuff. I just want you to know nothing is off limits. And if you want I can reveal some of the stuff I cast a hiding charm on and you can look around at some of it."

Anastasia didn't really know what to ask or anything. It was weird, but not in a bad way, in a 'my boyfriend just told me he has magic' way. She doubted she google how to react to that. "I guess I do have a question. Why do you not have any technology? Is it like forbidden?" she asked. She raised her eyebrows a bit. "You have stuff in here that I can't see?" she asked curiously. That was so wild.

Nikolai shrugged a little bit. "It's not forbidden but a lot doesn't work with magic. I grew up watching movies with my mum and siblings and Dom still watches them at home. He's trying to find a way to get technology to work with magic. He loves muggle stuff. He taught me how to use the phone to talk to you and chat snap you," he explained. "I could have a television but I'm not home a lot," he explained. He nodded a bit. "Books, photographs, Quidditch trophies from school, newspaper, my cauldron." He waved his wand and muttered 'Revealio' to show her.

Anastasia thought that was weird, and didn't really make sense. She wouldn't push though. "What do most wizards do for fun then?" she asked curiously, though she realized it make muggles, as he called them, sound quite lame. "That was nice of him to help," she added. She could see that, but it was still interesting. She raised her eyebrows a bit, not really sure what all of that meant. "Oh, wow," she said, taking in everything in his flat. "Wow. It's like a whole different place."

Nikolai shrugged again. "Quidditch games, mostly. We go to quite a few. We can also apparate so we can travel anywhere we want with a bit of a spell. It depends on the witch or the wizard, though. Personally, I like to cook," he said with a smile. "We're just like muggles, we all like different things." He nodded but didn't comment. Dom was a nice guy but he wasn't about to outright admit it. He watched her look around a bit. "You can touch things if you'd like. Here," he grabbed a picture of his quidditch team and one of him on a broom mid match. "See?" He handed them to her.

Anastasia hated how he was saying things that she didn't understand. "What's Quidditch? What is apparating? Do you cook with magic too?" she asked curiously. That made sense, but she still had a lot of curiosity. How much of what wizards did was similar to what they did? She raised an eyebrow a bit, not sure what she should touch or what they did. She looked at the picture, a bit surprised. "Wow, you're actually flying on a broomstick. That's crazy. Do you fly regularly or is it just part of the sport?"

Nikolai rubbed a hand through his hair. "It's a sport. It's played on brooms. You know I told you Dot played professional football? She plays Quidditch. Here," he grabbed a copy of the magazine Fitz worked for and flipped it to a page about Dot and her team. "Apparating is like... I want to go somewhere and I can. Like this," he demonstrated apparating to the other side of the room. "I cook with magic sometimes but I like to do it the muggle way a lot. Brooms are mostly for Quidditch. It's a little too shocking to explain."

Anastasia found herself wondering if they did any non magic sports, but she sort of was gonna take a guess and say no. It was odd, though, because they had so many sports, and the wizards only had one? She took the magazine and looked it over. "Oh, wow. That's wild," she said. Her eyes widened when he disappeared and reappeared. "Oh, wow, so it's like teleporting?" she said, mostly just confirming, not really asking. "That is all an awful lot to take in," she admitted.

Nikolai knew he was probably overwhelming her. Maybe he needed to take it slower. He was getting too ahead of himself. "Yeah, sort of. There's limits. I can't teleport to like, America or anything like that," he explained. "I'm sorry I just sprung it on you like this. If you need some time to process it all I get it. You could talk to Rosie too or Dom. Actually, probably him. He knows almost everything. I didn't mean to overwhelm you. I can take the memory away if you'd rather not know."

Anastasia thought that was a bit weird. If he could teleport, why couldn't he teleport to America? What a strange power. "It's okay. I mean, I might, but I think I'd rather not right now," she said honestly. "What? No. Don't touch my memories, that's weird. And I'm good, it's just a lot. And I still don't really know what to make of it. But I'm good. I promise."

Nikolai didn't really know how to make this any easier on her. It was a lot to take in. He'd probably gone a little too overboard. "Okay, I won't touch your memories. I just thought I'd offer. How about I make us some breakfast and you can ask questions or we can talk about something else entirely," he suggested. "Whatever you want. I'll put the kettle on."

Anastasia thought that sounded like a good idea. She was hungry, anyway. "Can you use magic for breakfast? I know you said you don't normally, but I'd enjoy seeing how it works," she said honestly. "What does this mean for us, exactly?" she asked curiously. She was trying not to be too weird girlfriendy about it, but she was curious. Were things going to change between them? Was this his way of saying he wanted to be with her long term? Was she supposed to just treat things like normal, but oh, he also does magic, like if he spoke another language, or had an interesting job? She wasn't sure.

Nikolai nodded with a chuckle. "I can use magic for it," he told her. "Come on." He led the way back out to the kitchen and waved his wand to fill up the kettle with water. "What would you like to eat?" he asked her. He looked over at her question, a little worried by the implication of it. Did she not want things to progress into a more serious relationship? "I just wanted you to know. I didn't want to lie to you. I really like you and I'd like to see where this goes between us in the long run. I wouldn't have told you otherwise."

Anastasia smiled when he laughed and followed him into the kitchen. She was sort of amazed already. How did he do that? Where did the water come from? "Hmm," she thought for a moment, trying to think up something crazy. "Quiche and chocolate croissants?" she suggested. She wanted to see just what he could do with this magic of his. She nodded a bit, smiling at him. She let her fingers moved softly up his arm. "I'd like to see where this goes, too," she said.

Nikolai waited while she decided, hoping that this all went well. He hardly used magic to cook so he really had to be careful he didn't accidentally make something else. He nodded a bit and started to wave his wand. The refrigerator opened and the ingredients started to float out. He focused intently, making sure the ingredients all came together in the right way and the scraps, like the eggshells, all went into the rubbish. He made the items cook as they floated to the table, landing on the plates he'd also conjured. "There. All done."

Anastasia stood back and watched. Despite not having many expectations, she had sort of figured he'd just like make the ingredients get mixed up in a bowl, and then go into the oven, or something. But no. He just made it all, cooking and everything, right in front of her. She stood there in awe, her arms hanging at her sides and her mouth agape. "I-," she started, but stopped. "How is that possible?" she said, frowning a bit as she walked to the table.

Nikolai turned to look at her and noticed she was frozen. He wondered if that was too much. Should he have just made it look less magical? He wasn't sure. "I don't like cooking this way because it takes all the fun out of it. It's just an easy cheat," he said. He didn't quite know how to explain but he followed her to the table. "It's just a bit of magic. It's all perfectly safe to eat, I promise you that." He was so worried he'd scare her off. "Try a croissant."

Anastasia raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Yeah, I imagine it does. It was ready in minutes," she said. "Could you have made something you didn't have the ingredients for? Do you go to a market to pick up groceries?" she asked curiously. She waved him off. "I don't doubt that. It's just, well, magic," she said. She sat down, picking up a croissant, still warm, though how she didn't know. "Mmm, it's so good. Do all magic croissants taste the same? Are yours better hand made?"

Nikolai preferred to make things by hand. It was how he'd learned to cook from his mother. This way just felt so much less personal. He hadn't done anything. "I go to the market. The restrictions on creating food are too complicated. You can't, unless I guess, you used a duplicate spell. Honestly, you'd be better off asking Dom. He's far smarter than I am," he admitted. He took a croissant and broke off a piece. "No, they don't. Different ingredients, different recipes. Mine are far better hand made. My mum's are the best."

Anastasia honestly found it very confusing, but she was trying to just not think about it too much. "You know," she said, shaking her head a little. "I don't need to know how it works," she decided with a small laugh. "Okay, I guess that makes sense. Dumb question," she said, taking another bite. "Well, I'll have to try yours and hers, because these are pretty good as it is."

Nikolai visibly relaxed at that. He wasn't great at explaining things. He always felt so stupid. He'd never been good at that. He picked off another bite of his croissant and smiled at her. "No dumb questions, I promise," he told her. "You can ask whatever you want to." The tea kettle went off and he used his wand to bring it to the table. Two tea bags followed, dropping into the cups on the table. "Oh, I'll take you to her bakery. You'll lose your mind with how good everything is."

Anastasia was glad he didn't think she was stupid or something. She'd hate that. It'd feel tacky. "When I think of something, I will," she said with a shrug. "Now could you just fill our cups, or do you need the kettle, because you didn't need the oven for the croissants," she said, raising an eyebrow slightly. She took a bite of the quiche, nodding contently. "Oh yeah? Why haven't you taken me sooner?" she teased.

Nikolai hoped she'd ask everything she thought of. He had no problem answering questions. "Okay. No stupid questions," he reminded her. He shrugged slightly. "I suppose, yeah. I've never done it that way. I like making tea the way my mum does. I enjoy it more," he explained. He took another bite of his croissant and shrugged slightly. "I don't know, really. I think because part of me was afraid you'd freak out about the magic thing and then I'd have to tell my mum we broke up."

Anastasia thought the way he made tea with magic made more sense than the way he made food with magic. It was all kind of confusing, though, really. "Makes sense. Do magic people have magic butlers? Or magic chefs? Are restaurants filled with magic, too? Do you have magic food?" she asked, despite just saying she wouldn't ask more questions. She made a sad face at him and nudged him under the table. "Haven't I told you you'd have to do more to get rid of me than that?"

Nikolai paused for a moment. How in Merlin's name did he explain this? "Well," he began. "Well, wealthy families have house elves that do all the chores for them. It's not something I approve of and the ones that fed us at Hogwarts were all freed elves who were paid for their labor. There are restaurants filled with magic, yes. We'd go down to this village during school to have tea or butterbeer and it was all quite magical," he explained. "But I've never had a house elf! Nor would I ever want one!" he added suddenly. He felt it was necessary to clarify that. "I know, I know. I just worried. You're so beautiful and classy and incredible and smart and kind. You just have this way about you, like this grace you carry yourself with. It's more magical than any magic I've seen."

Anastasia thought it was funny how even in the magic world they found a way to have slaves. That was in the nature of humanity, she supposed. "And what's Hogwarts?" she asked for clarification. "Good that they were paid, then," she said. "Butterbeer?" she asked. "Do chefs cook with their hands too then?" she asked curiously. "We had a chef and a butler growing up. And a chauffeur. I do have a cleaning service come through every month, now, but I don't really care for those other things. I can cook for myself and get around by myself, too," she said. It wasn't quite the same, but it was her only comparison. She smiled softly, the smile turning to a smirk. She picked up her tea and sat back, crossing one leg over the other. "Mm. More magical than any magic, hm?"

Nikolai rubbed the back of his neck. He wished Dom was here. He could explain it so much better. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's a boarding school in Scotland. Everyone from the United Kingdom with magic blood attends it," he explained. "You start at eleven and there's seven years." He thought that was a sufficient answer. "They were. It was a big thing after the war. Now they're definitely paid," he promised. "Butterbeer is a sweet drink. Next time you come 'round the pub I'll get you one from the magic section," he smiled. "It depends on the chef and how they like to cook. Most rely on magic. I only really use it to stir or to help keep things from overcooking. He found that fascinating. She'd had people cooking and waiting on her at one point. She was so fancy. "So, now you only have the cleaning crew?" he teased. They had a lot more in common that he'd thought they did when it came to growing up. "Far more magical. Sometimes I wonder what you're doing with a guy like me," he chuckled.

Anastasia nodded a bit. That made sense. A bit weird, but made sense. "And what do you do before you turn eleven?" she asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at him. "There was a war? When was there a war? Are you referring to World War II?" she asked. She was so confused. She nodded at him and winked. "I'll hold you to that," she said with a grin. She wondered if it had alcohol, and if it didn't, she wondered about magic alcoholic drinks, but she'd ask more questions later. She didn't want to bombard him. "Interesting. Your way is more personal, I think," she said with a shrug. It would make things easier, though. "It's a big house! I'd spend all week cleaning if I did it myself," she teased. She smirked a bit more, licking her lips before leaning forward. "You're ridiculous. You're quite the catch. And you do magic," she added with a laugh.

Nikolai really, really wished he had Dom's brain right about now. "We were home schooled. Underage witches and wizards cannot perform magic outside of school, as per the Ministry of Magic," he explained. "So, we learned basic things. We also learned muggle subjects," he shrugged slightly. He hesitated, eyes cast down at the table. He picked at his croissant, leaving little pieces on his plate. "I was too young to remember much at the time except being afraid that my dad wouldn't come home. It's a touchy subject. There was a bad wizard." He cleared his throat. He couldn't get into it now. It felt too heavy. "I'll tell you more about it another time." He thought so too. He liked actually making the food. Using magic just was a cop out. "You would. It's huge. You could easily house me and all my friends," he teased. It still had worried him. Magic was a part of him; it always would be. Dating other magical folk was much easier but Merlin, there would never be another girl in any lifetime like Ana. "You didn't know I do magic until today."

Anastasia thought that was quite the change. "You went from being homeschooled to going to boarding school? That sounds like it must've been hard," she said honestly. "I didn't like private school much, but I always wanted to dance, so I mostly just messed around," she said with a shrug. She bit her bottom lip and frowned a little with concern when he got kinda quiet. She reached out and touched his hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you could remember anything," she said softly, rubbing his hand gently. She laughed a little and shrugged. "I could, sure. You can invite them over sometime," she said with a grin. She shrugged and smirked at him. "I knew you were special. I didn't need to know about magic for that to be true."

Nikolai nodded a bit. "Well, my older siblings were already there. And then once you're in school at Hogwarts it feels like home. You're sorted into a house based on your qualities and they become your family," he explained. He thought that was the only way to explain it. "I didn't take schoolwork very seriously. I was a troublemaker," he said playfully. He'd always found it hard to talk about the war. He'd had trouble even learning about it in school. He was so young when it happened. His earliest memories were of fear. "Just a little. Dom remembers more," he brushed it off and cleared his throat. He looked up at her with a smile to reassure her he was alright. "I mean, I could. They all really like you. The ones that have met you, that is. You still have two to go, I think," he mused. She'd met his siblings and the Monet twins. He frowned when he realized he hardly saw Wren or Dot. He'd have to hunt them down to meet her. "Yeah but the magic is a cool bonus, right?" he teased.

Anastasia nodded a bit, having not thought of that herself. "Oh, then I imagine it was quite nice," she said with a soft laugh. "Oh, really? That's interesting," she said. She didn't really get that, but she'd ask more about it later. She smirked a bit and nudged him under the table. "We would've gotten along, then," she said lightly. She nodded, thinking that made sense. She wasn't going to pry, though. That would be rude and insensitive. "You're welcome to, then," she said with a smile. "I do? Which two?" she asked curiously. She thought she'd met more than that. She nodded, giving him a sly look. "Oh, yeah, for sure."

Nikolai smiled. He'd truly loved his time at Hogwarts. It had been weird to be there without his siblings but he'd made family in his friend group. He still saw them rather often. "It was nice. It's a great place," he admitted. He grinned at the nudge. "Oh? Would we? Hm, I think so," he teased lightly. He liked that she wanted to meet all of his friends. He just really felt like she fit into his life perfectly. "Yeah. Wren is one and Dot is the other. They're pretty elusive these days. I was just thinking I haven't seen them in a while. I think you'll like both of them."

Anastasia thought it was nice he had such a great time there. She'd had an alright time, but she much preferred her current life to her life a few years ago. "Mm, definitely. I would've invited you to parties and everything," she said with a wink. She perked up a bit at the mention of a name she knew. "I met Dot! She liked my clothes and my shoes and she confirmed that you've always been a shit," she said with a smirk. She paused for a moment and frowned. "She was starting something with someone. She said something new with someone old. Does that mean anything to you?" she asked, thinking of the two being elusive, possibly together.

Nikolai thought that would have been fun. He'd been quite into the party scene at school, though that kind of fell into being a Gryffindor he supposed. "I would have come to all and tried my best to chat you up," he teased. He was surprised to hear she'd met Dot. When had they even run into each other? "Yeah, that sounds like Dot," he laughed. "She's best friends with Dom, surprisingly," he added. He frowned. "Really? I hadn't heard anything about that..." he trailed off, trying to think. Who could she possibly be starting something with? "Maybe she's getting back with her ex."

Anastasia smirked a bit and nodded. She was sure he would've been all over her, and she would've loved it, to be honest. "I would've kissed you, probably," she said with a wink. She could see that, actually, though it was a bit odd. She gathered they'd all grown up together, though, which explained a lot. "That is something," she said honestly. "I reckon it's because I don't know her well, so she figured her secret was safe with me. Oops?" she said with a small laugh. "I didn't get that vibe, but maybe."

Nikolai laughed happily. He would have loved that. Really, any extra time with her would have been excellent. He was just thrilled she’d come into the bar the day she had. “I would’ve let you,” he teased. He found it really strange that Ana knew something about his friend that he didn’t. He was supposed to know everything! “Yeah, maybe so. Still seems odd. I won’t tell,” he promised. “I don’t know who else it could be,” he admitted. “I’ll snoop around. Dom might know. Rosie as well. Anyway, you’ll still have to meet Wren.”

Anastasia didn’t find that at all surprising. He loved being kissed by her. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she slammed her hand down on her leg. “You don’t use condoms, do you? That’s why you were so confused?” she asked, hoping he’d confirm it for her. “You’ll have to pay extra close attention and see if she’s suspicious,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. “I’m sure someone has some kind of tidbit of knowledge to help you piece it together,” she said with a shrug, not really too bothered.

Nikolai jumped a little when she slammed her hand down. Then, he laughed. “I had absolutely no idea what you were referring to. I’d never even heard of a condom in my life,” he confirmed. “We just use a spell. It’s pretty simple and not as weird as putting a strange film on your dick,” he teased. He would pay more attention, he decided, because he didn’t like the idea of missing out on gossip. “I’m meant to know everything that goes on. You’ve got to help me figure it out.”

Anastasia laughed, shaking her head a bit. “Here I was thinking you were a real wanker. What kind of guy doesn’t have condoms around?” she said with a laugh. “Well sorry we don’t have spells to keep STDs and pregnancy away,” she teased back. She laughed at that, picking her cup up to take a sip. “You’re meant to know everything, and yet I had to tell you your own friend has a relationship with someone!” she teased.

Nikolai shook his head with a grin. “I’m not a wanker! I would have used the spell! How was I meant to know what you lot do for sex?” he teased. “It’s much easier than a pesky little condom. I reckon it’s safer too. Those are only 99% effective,” he said playfully. He shrugged a bit but he was laughing. “I’ve been distracted lately! And I haven’t seen her much! She’s got practice and whatnot. It’s fine, I know everyone else’s secrets.”

Anastasia gave him a look, squinting her eyes and leaning her head back a bit. “It’s not like I knew that! Read the box after I left, huh?” she teased. “Well I can’t wait to try out your fancy spell. I, for one, have never had sex without a condom,” she said with a slight smirk. She put her cup down and put her hands up in surrender. “Hey, I don’t care that you don’t know her secrets. I’m just saying, you probably should,” she teased. “Oh yeah? Share their secrets with me, then.”

Nikolai grinned and shrugged a shoulder. “Course I did. You just left it here and I wasn’t about to ask Dom about them,” he scoffed. His eyebrow raised a bit. “Oh? You haven’t? We’ll just have to make some time for that,” he said playfully. He was more than down. He huffed a little jokingly. “Well, I know that I should. I’ll get to it. I’ll ask around and if all else fails, I’ll confront her,” he shrugged. “Well, that’d make me a gossip and I’m not Fitz.”

Anastasia laughed even louder at the idea of him and his brother talking about condoms. “Glad to know you learned a bit,” she said playfully. “For the record, buying condoms and leaving them at someone else’s house is kind of a big deal,” she added with a wink. “I can’t wait,” she flirted. She was genuinely excited, though. “Oh, if you out right ask her, can I sit a table and watch?” she asked with a grin. “Sharing with your girlfriend does not make you a gossip.”

Nikolai shot her a look before laughing as well. “You know, it’s not my fault he’s the one who knows everything about muggles! Teaching me Snapchat was hard enough for him, I’m sure,” he teased. “Oh, is it? Went right over my head,” he admitted in a playful tone. He leaned across the table to kiss her and pulled back with a smirk. “We’ll have time later today,” he winked. “If you want to but I’m sure she’ll tell me. What’s there to be embarrassed or secretive about? It’s not like she’s sleeping with Dom,” he shrugged. “Well, who do you want to know about?”

Anastasia raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, you are dating a muggle as you call me, so you could maybe stand to learn a thing or two,” she said teasingly. “I’m ready when you are,” she winked back, crossing on leg over the other in his view. She couldn’t help but laugh at that, shaking her head a bit. “You really know nothing about women,” she teased. Whoever she was sleeping with, it was obviously quite the secret. “Hm. Honestly, I’m much more interested in you than any of your friends at the moment,” she smirked.

Nikolai thought it was cute she’d used his word. “I am! I’m trying to learn! I thought I knew enough from running the bar but apparently the dating scene is vastly different. So much technology,” he teased. “How about after breakfast, then?” he grinned. He liked her legs a lot. They just went on forever. He shot her a playful look. “I know quite a bit about them,” he insisted. “But you’re the only one I’m really concerned with,” he added with a wink. He raised an eyebrow a bit and took a sip of his tea. “Is that so?” he teased.

Anastasia laughed and shook her head, thinking he was silly. “Like you could know enough about an entire world and way of living from running a bar. Don’t you see people on their phones? Ridiculous,” she teased. “Sounds like a plan to me,” she said with a smirk. “While you don’t seem to know much about your friend, you do seem to know me rather well, so I suppose I can give you a pass,” she winked at him. “Mm, yes. I’m sure your friends are lovely, but they’re not you by any means.” “You’re the only one I’m really concerned with.”

Nikolai shrugged a shoulder. “I have seen people on their phones but that doesn’t mean I know how to use one. Everyone who works for me is magical so work schedules are sent via the post with an owl,” he teased. He had no need for a fancy phone. Until now. He was rather finished talking about his friends anyway. He couldn’t even think of them when he was this focused on her. “Am I?” he smirked. “Well then. I’d say breakfast is over. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Anastasia shook her head at him. How could he think he knew much about people without even knowing about phones! They were an integral part of life. “Well, let me tell you, they’re quite useful for us people without magic owls,” she teased back. “Mm, you are,” she smirked, leaning her chin on her hand. “Oh, yeah, I’m done. Should I help you clean up, or are you going to do that with your magic powers?” she asked playfully.

Nikolai didn’t really think phones were really all that important. He also had his mind preoccupied with other things like the way she’d look beneath him. “Mm, well, you’re welcome to borrow Owl Pacino whenever you’d like,” he said playfully. He watched her for a moment, still smirking, before casting a charm to send the dishes to the sink to clean themselves. “I think we have better things to do then wash the dishes.” He stood up and moved to her side to pick her up. “More romantic than magic,” he said playfully.

Anastasia thought it was funny he even knew who Al Pacino was, but that was a conversation for a different day. “I’ll call for him,” she teased. Her smirk matched his as the dishes moved to clean themselves up. “Wow. How handy. More time for you to kiss me,” she said with a wink. Her arms wrapped around him as he picked her up. She let out a laugh, giving him a look. “You wouldn’t dare use magic to carry me!”

Nikolai always knew magic had its purpose. That purpose was obviously giving him all the time in the world to be with Ana. “Isn’t magic wonderful?” he teased. He carried her back to his room and gave her a grin. “I would dare, actually,” he said playfully. “Just not today.” He set her down on his bed and then climbed on top of her. “I don’t need magic for this.” He leaned down and kissed her, his hand holding her waist.

Anastasia laughed a bit and nodded. “Very wonderful,” she agreed. She gave him a look, raising her eyebrows. “Don’t you go using magic on me willy nilly now that I know,” she said, serious but playful. She laid back on the bed, wrapping her legs around him the moment he moved on top of her. “Can’t imagine you would,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned up, kissing him passionately.

Nikolai wondered if he should tell her he’d used magic on her before. He’d used a few charms during sex to make it feel incredible for her but it felt like a weird thing to mention. Maybe in the future. “I’ll get your permission from now on. I promise.” He moved his hand down her body to rest on her thigh once her legs were around him. She was so hot, it was nearly impossible to stand it. “I could use some if you’d like,” he teased. He kissed her hard, his tongue sliding out to lick at her lips.

Anastasia raised a single eyebrow at that. Had he used magic on her before? She tried to think back to every interaction for any kind of weird thing she maybe dismissed. It was too much, though, so she decided to think about it later. “What could you possible do with magic that you couldn’t do with your body?” she teased. Maybe she was niave and in way over her head, but she just couldn’t imagine he could do anything that he couldn’t do himself. She whined a little, flicking her tongue out.

Nikolai shrugged that off as best he could. There was no sense talking about it with her now. Not when both of them were preoccupied with something else entirely. He just wanted to feel her, that’s all. It was all he could think about. He let his tongue meet hers and hiked her leg up a bit higher around him. He rocked their hips together a bit, deciding he wanted to take his time. There was no need to rush. He just wanted to tease her a bit.

Anastasia moaned softly into his mouth as he moved her leg higher. She rolled her hips up, meeting his. She kept her hips up for a bit, enjoying how close they were. She kind of couldn’t help but let her mind reel, trying to imagine the different things he could do with magic. She genuinely had no idea what to expect, and it was kind of exciting, really. She moved one of her hands through his hair, humming quietly as she pulled him closer.

Nikolai made a soft sound when he felt the hand in his hair. He pressed his hips into hers harder before pulling back a bit to remove his shirt. He tossed it off to the side and then made quick work of her nightie. He needed to get his hands on her skin. It was killing him. He ran his hands over her body, letting them rest on her hips as he rolled them both to the side. He settled when she was on top of him, digging his fingers into her skin.

Anastasia let go of him reluctantly when he moved to take his shirt off. She let out a noise, eager to get her hands on him again. She lifted her body up as he moved to get her nightie off of her. She closed her eyes, whimpering softly as his hands moved over her skin. She moved his hands to his chest, tightening her grip on him a bit. She rolled with him easily, her hands moving over his skin. She leaned in, kissing his neck before biting it gently.

Nikolai ran his hands over the length of her body. He was getting so worked up already. It just didn’t seem fair that she was so impossibly gorgeous. He needed to feel her. He moaned a little when she bit his neck, rocking his hips up. He’d meant to be patient but he didn’t know how long that would last. He cast the charm and then paused. “Can I use magic on you?” he rasped out. He had an idea. He hoped she said yes.

Anastasia half hummed in delight and half moaned in desire when he moaned. She pressed her hips into his, rolling them slowly and with a bit of pressure. She looked down at him and nodded. “Yes. Nothing too weird, please,” she said, leaning in to bite at his skin again. She licked the sensitive spot lightly, moving to kiss his jaw. “You’re irresistible,” she hummed, one of her hands moving back to his hair.

Nikolai rolled his hips to the same rhythm as hers. He wanted to ask what qualified as weird but he didn’t feel like it was the proper time for that. “Don’t worry,” he promised. He cast a spell and ran his hands up her waist, sending warmth throughout her body beneath where his hands touched. He made another sound, hips still moving up. He slid a hand between them, rubbing against her clit with the same heated charm. He wanted to watch her fall apart above him.

Anastasia closed her eyes, letting her head fall back a bit as warmth washed over her body. She moaned softly, still rolling her hips against his, but a bit slower as she lost some of her focus in getting lost in him. “Not fair,” she moaned. He had an advantage, and that wasn’t fair. She moaned a bit louder, placing both hands on his chest to better balance as she moved her hips a bit faster.

Nikolai smirked a little bit at her reaction to the magic. Just what he had hoped. He moved his hand against her a bit faster, his other hand going to her breast. He teased her nipple with his thumb, using another charm now to make her skin tingle where he touched. “I can stop if you want me to,” he offered. He stilled his hand as she started to rock against it faster. He was good to let her come on her own.

Anastasia whimpered a bit, though it quickly turned to a moan. The way his hand felt on her nipple made her moan his name again. She shook her head, her voice getting a bit high and squeaky. “No, no, don’t stop,” she whined. She groaned a bit when he stopped moving his hand, rolling her hips a bit differently to hit a differently angle. “Nik,” she moaned, practically begging. Her body was on fire, and she didn’t think she could hold back much more. She pressed a bit harder, coming with her panties still on.

Nikolai watched her with a satisfied smirk on his face. She was so into this. He knew she would be. She’d unknowingly enjoyed the effects of the warming charm before. “Go on, love. You’ve got it,” he murmured. He pressed his hand up harder when she started to come, squeezing her nipple between his fingers. He sat up a bit to take the other one into his mouth, just enjoying her completely fall apart.

Anastasia moaned a bit louder when he spoke to her. She liked the encouragement, even if she didn’t technically need it. She gasped a bit when his fingers squeezed her nipple, slowing down a bit as she rode out her orgasm. She moaned softly at the feeling of his mouth, whimpering a bit as she felt a bit out of breath. She leaned down to kiss him, putting both of her hands on his face.

Nikolai moved his hand away when she finished, letting his hand rest on her hip instead. He gave her a gentle squeeze before leaning up into the kiss. He flipped them over so she was on her back and bit down on her lip. His hips rocked into hers again and he let his hands wander all over her skin. She was so beautiful it made him ache a little bit. She didn’t need any magic to make him lose his mind.

Anastasia relaxed against his body, kissing him softly but passionately. She squealed a little when he flipped them over, kissing him a bit harder. She moaned into his mouth, the way his hands moved over her body getting her all worked up again. She really liked him. Being with him was so much fun, and he was so sexy. It was impossible to not want him, even way before any of this magic stuff was on the table.

Nikolai smirked a bit at the sound she’d made. She was so cute. He just couldn’t get enough of her. She was addictive. He pulled back to get her panties off and then took off his pants. He was so ready to feel her it was getting a bit ridiculous. “You sure you don’t want me to wear a condom?” he checked. The charm was foolproof but he wanted to get her verbal consent before he did anything more.

Anastasia lifted her legs to help her her panties off. She took a deep breath and looked up at him, meeting his eyes. “You swear it’s foolproof?” she asked. She was certain he wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt her, but it felt so strange to have sex without a condom. She nodded a bit, leaning in and kissing him. “I’m sure. I trust you,” she said, smiling softly at him. She kissed him again, her hands on his face.

Nikolai nodded seriously. “I wouldn’t lie to you. It’s safer than a condom. You can ask Dot or Simone,” he told her. Granted, she couldn’t exactly ask them right now but later. He leaned down into the kiss and lined himself up at her entrance. He pushed in slowly, his lips still moving against hers. He thought it was remarkable that she trusted him so much. He trusted her too. More than anyone he’d ever dated before.

Anastasia believed him. She kissed him passionately, but not too hard. She moaned as he pushed in, amazed at the sensation. She wrapped a leg around him, pulling him closer. It was amazing how close she felt to him. She’d never done anything like this before, but it was just incredible. She rolled her hips up, tightening around him a bit. She trusted him so much. She didn’t have any bit of worry that he’d do something to hurt her.

Nikolai moaned a little when she wrapped her leg around him. He thrust into her a little deeper before he pulled back to start up a pace. She made him feel so incredible. He kissed her harder, his tongue flicking out past her lips. He let out another moan and slipped a hand between them to tease at her clit gently. He used the spell again to spread heat throughout her with every single thrust. He wanted this to be the best.

Anastasia was turned on by his moan alone. She had already decided she liked sex with him, but this was just, well, magical. She put a hand on his face, holding him close as she kissed him. She moaned when his hand moved between them, biting his bottom lip. She was so overwhelmed, in such a good way. She moaned, rolling her hips up to meet his thrusts.

Nikolai had never really used magic during sex with a muggle before but he could tell that Ana was loving it. He just couldn’t wait to explore more with her. He wanted to try absolutely everything that could possibly drive her wild. He moaned when she bit his lip, intensifying the heat to optimal pleasure. Any hotter and he might hurt her, so he was careful. He rubbed against her clit, sending a tingling against the sensitive nub.

Anastasia could feel sweat dripping down her forehead. She felt incredible. Her entire body was fire and she just loved it. She felt so consumed by him. She broke the kiss, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a shaky moan. “Nik,” she moaned, holding him close, her leg moving so he could get a different angle. She was so close, it was taking everything in her to hold back.

Nikolai could feel that she was getting close and he hoped she reached that point soon. He had excellent stamina but all of her reactions and the ways she twisted and turned around him was driving him crazy. He thrust harder into her, rubbing her clit and intensifying some of the magic. Unbeknownst to him, they were levitating a little bit off of the bed. He thrust into her harder, whispering reassuring sweet nothings in her ear. “You can do it. You can come for me, baby girl.”

Anastasia couldn’t wait any longer. Everything he was doing was driving her absolutely insane, and she was so far on the edge, it truly didn’t take much to push her off. She moaned, coming around him as he encouraged her, her back arching as she did. “Fuck,” she moaned, holding him closer as she came.

Nikolai felt her start to come and he held her tighter to him. He thrust into her harder, deeper. He wanted this to be the best sex of her life. He spread the magical heat through every inch of her body, mixing in the tingling sensation. He used another spell to extend the intensity of her orgasm to make it last even longer. It occurred to him that they were floating and he rolled them, thrusting a few more times before he came inside of her.

Anastasia honestly was so overwhelmed. She’d used toys and gels and all sorts of things, but nothing had ever created as intense of a feeling as he was creating in her right now. She moaned his name loudly, holding him close as he flipped them. She gasped, realizing the bed wasn’t below her. “Nik,” she gasped, holding him tight, a small moan slipping out. This was by far the strangest thing that had ever happened to her.

Nikolai hoped he hadn’t been too overwhelming. He heard the gasp of his name just barely and he held onto her tighter to keep her safe. He took a deep breath as he finished, carefully lowering them back to the mattress. He brushed the hair from her face and leaned close to pepper kisses across her soft skin. “You alright, darling?” he asked her carefully. He was feeling the best he ever had in his entire life. He let his hands run over her body soothingly, trying not to be too much.

Anastasia didn’t think anything could ever feel as secure as the feeling of literally being in the air having sex with Nik holding her tight. She relaxed against his body, moving a hand to his hair. She leaned in, kissing his lips, pulling back and resting her head on his chest. “Yeah, I’m good. That was really something,” she said, laughing softly. “Do you always float when you have sex?” she asked, leaning up to give him a smirk and cock an eyebrow at him.

Nikolai kissed her back very gently. His hand traced down the length of her spine softly, the moment relaxed. “Not too much?” he checked. He had to be sure. He kissed the top of her head and chuckled when she looked up. “I can honestly say I’ve never done that before. I’m not even sure how it happened. But I had you. I wouldn’t have let anything happen,” he promised, kissing her lips. “You’re so beautiful.”

Anastasia smirked a bit at him and let out a soft laugh. “Maybe a little much, but in a good way,” she said honestly. She laughed when he did. “Well that is certainly quite an introduction to magical sex,” she said, leaning in and kissing him back. “I know you had me, though. I told you, I trust you,” she promised, moving her fingers up and down the side of his face gently. She smiled softly. “You’re so handsome.”

Nikolai chuckled when she laughed. “Well, at least it’s in a good way,” he amended. He’d have to step up his game moving forward, he knew. He could think of a few ways. “Well, I had to blow your mind,” he teased her. He kissed her softly and pulled back with a smile. “I’m glad that you trust me. I trust you too,” he added on. He leaned into her touch and gave her a grin. “Why, thank you. You’re still the best looking person in this room. The whole city. Probably the country. The entire world,” he winked before kissing her.

Anastasia smiled, closing her eyes as she relaxed against him. “Consider my mind blown,” she said with a laugh. “Not that I have any kind of big life changing things, but I’m glad you trust me, too,” she admitted. She leaned up, grinning at the way he went on. “Can’t argue with that,” she said confidently, leaning in and kissing him. “Wanna get dressed and you can show me more magic things?” she asked, leaning in and kissing him again.

Nikolai laughed with her. She was truly something so special. He enjoyed being around her so much. He’d never be able to pinpoint just what exactly it was about her but he’d have the time of his life trying. “I trusted you with my secret,” he reminded her. He laughed again. “I’m glad to hear it, darling.” He hadn’t decided what else he wanted to show her but he figured they’d spend the day figuring it out. “Absolutely. I can show you the secret magic side of the bar.”

Anastasia smiled a bit softer and nodded a little. “That’s true, you did. I appreciate that,” she smiled. His laughter rang in her ears in such a nice way. The way she felt for him was so genuine and real, she could feel it in her chest. It was unlike anything she’d ever felt before, and she loved that he had her wrapped around his finger like this. “I’d like that,” she said with a smile. She couldn’t believe this was real, honestly.

Nikolai really thought she'd keep all of this magical business to herself. He just trusted her. He knew that he could. Having told her the truth about his world had really lifted such a weight off of his shoulders. "I appreciate you," he said back. He kissed her on the forehead and gave her a playful smile. "I think you'll have to get off of me if you want to actually get up and get dressed," he teased.

Anastasia felt such a softness, a warmth spread through her, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t the magic. He just made her feel so comfortable and at ease and seen. She leaned in, kissing his lips. She laid back again, laughing when he said she had to get up. She groaned a bit, but rolled off of him. “Yeah, yeah, I just don’t want to get up,” she said, though she stood and stretched anyway.

Nikolai laughed quietly as she rolled off of him. He watched her stand up and stretch, just admiring her for a moment or two before he moved himself. "It was your idea to get up and get dressed, you know!" he reminded her. He found some clothes to pull on and dressed quickly. "We could have just stayed in bed all day but no, someone wants to see some more magic," he teased.

Anastasia thought for a moment, grumbling a little. She had hoped it was actually him who said that, but it was her. “Yeah, well. I mean, we couldn’t just lay around naked all day. It’s too early for that,” she said, waving a hand behind her head as she found clothes to pull on. “What did you think would happen when you told me you were a wizard?” she asked with a laugh. “‘Oh, neat. Wanna get tea?’” she said mockingly.

Nikolai held back a chuckle at the way she'd grumbled. She was quite the darling. He could hardly stand it. "I mean, we could have stayed naked in bed for a few more hours at the very least," he teased. As soon as he was dressed, he sat down to put on his socks and shoes. "I mean, I didn't think you'd handle it this well, to be honest. I thought you'd be a bit more confused and a little afraid. Most muggles seem to be at first. Should have known you're made of tougher stuff."

Anastasia figured that was true, but she wasn’t tired. What was she just going to lay in bed for hours? She suppose she could but why? “How many hours do you like spending in bed awake?” she teased. She raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Oh, I’m confused. Definitely. A little freaked. But I’m not really afraid. I am made of tougher stuff,” she said easily, pulling her shoes on after she got her dress situated.

Nikolai shrugged a little as he thought. He liked to spend his days out and about or at least doing something. "Not really all that many," he admitted. "But I could make an exception for you," he winked. She had really surprised him with how easily she had taken to this magic stuff. He couldn't wait to show her everything he possibly could. "I probably could have told you sooner," he admitted. "But I'm thrilled you've been so understanding." His mum had been right when she suggested he tell Ana. He'd have to thank her.

Anastasia laughed, letting her head fall back. “Next time,” she promised. She shrugged a bit. It hadn’t really been that long, and she was glad that their relationship was pretty solid before she knew. She didn’t think it would’ve scared her off, but it may have made her more cautious. “I think you told me at the right time. Well, it probably would’ve gone better had you been able to choose when, instead of your pet choosing, but,” she trailed off.

Nikolai likely could have figured out some fun ways to pass the hours in bed with her. Of course he could, really, but he thought this would be just as, if not more fun. "I'll hold you to that," he teased. He walked over to her and took her hand, leading her out of his bedroom. "Owl Pacino really ruined my plans, I'll admit," he shrugged. He stopped in the living room, thinking. "So, there's a few magical ways of transportation but I'm not really sure the idea of apparating with muggles or letting them use the Floo network so how about we just walk to the bar? It's so close anyway."

Anastasia winked at him. “You better,” she teased. She took his hand, following him out and laughing a bit. “I can’t believe his name is Owl Pacino,” she said, shaking her head. She raised her eyebrows at that, not really having even considered that. “Do you guys not use cars?” she asked suddenly, realizing he didn’t have a car and that might be why. “What is apparating and the Floo network?” she asked, following him all the same.

Nikolai shrugged, shooting her a playful smirk. "It's a damn fine name if I say so myself! I worked really hard on it. Show some appreciation," he teased. He shook his head slightly. "No. I mean, we can. I've known people who do. It's just a little... slow," he admitted. "Apparating is, well, it's like getting from one place to another with a spell. It's very efficient. The Floo network is all connected through people's fireplaces. You just throw a fistful of Floo powder and announce where you want to go."

Anastasia shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully. “It’s punny,” she said with a laugh. “It’s pretty good,” she said, grinning a bit. She frowned a bit. Cars were slow? Weird. “Like teleporting. Alright. Interesting. You’ll have to show me eventually,” she said. She was good with walking for the time being, though.

Nikolai waved it off. "I wanted him to have a respectable name," he said simply. He thought he'd done an excellent job at that. "It's like that, yeah. It's very convenient. I always use the Floo network to visit Dom, though, because I like stumbling out of his fireplace and surprising him," he said with a grin. "I'll definitely show you though. There's also flying but it's really not practical," he shrugged.

Anastasia could imagine that was quite convenient. She’d always wished she could teleport. She wished now that he could teach her how to, but she’d have to settle for him teleporting her places himself. “That sounds alarming,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t do that to me,” she warned. She raised an eyebrow. “Sound s like you have plenty to show me, hm?” she said with a smile.

Nikolai laughed loudly and gave her a sideways look. "Darling, I will never appear in your fireplace and startle you. You're not part of the network," he teased. "But I also will not be apparating into your place and startling you. I'll always knock. I knock at Rosie's, even. Dom's the only one I try to startle." He nodded a bit as they walked down the street. "So much. I could probably take you flying if you wanted me to," he offered.

Anastasia gave him a look at the way he laughed at her. “Well how am I supposed to know that!?” she exclaimed. “Thank you,” she said a bit sarcastically, giving him a face. “Baby steps, but one day,” she decided. She wasn’t in any hurry to see everything at once, and she felt like they’d sort of decided they’d be in each others lives for a while, so there was no rush.

Nikolai laughed again. She was so fucking cute. How did he get so lucky with her? He'd count his blessings for the rest of his life. "It's just cute that you'd think I'd pop in unannounced! I wouldn't even do that to my friends. I'll apparate to your door and knock like a civilized person." He nodded a bit, still eager to get her up on a broom. "Maybe you can even come to a quidditch match one of these days."

Anastasia shrugged a bit, raising her eyebrows at him. “Look, I don’t know what kind of door you think we’ve opened here with all this sharing and closeness,” she teased. “I just would like to open the door and greet you like normal,” she continued. She shrugged a bit. “I don’t see why not! I’m not the biggest sports fan, but I’m sure I can make an exception for your special magic game,” she teased.

Nikolai grinned at her. "I promise to act like a perfectly normal, boring person. There will be no surprises. I promise," he grinned. He wanted this to still feel the way it had when she'd thought he was just another muggle. Their relationship was still new and fresh and he loved the levity of it all. "Don't worry," he insisted with a smile. "Quidditch isn't just a sport!" he exclaimed. "It's much more exciting than that."

Anastasia made a face at him, raising an eyebrow. “Alright, I’m taking your word on that, seeing as you already dropped a huge surprise on me,” she teased. An owl flying into the bedroom when she was sleeping was certainly surprising. She’d never let him live that down. She raised her eyebrows again, shrugging a bit. “I’ll be the judge of that. If it has as much grace and strength as a ballet, maybe I’ll change my mind,” she said with a wink.

Nikolai shot her a playful look. "Come now, darling. Don't you trust me at all?" he teased back. "I could always erase it from your memories and go back to just being strange," he joked. "I won't actually do that!" he added quickly. He thought she'd change her mind on quidditch once she saw a game. "I mean, it's completely different but it does require a lot of grace and strength. Just wait until you see it before you judge it. I was an excellent player back in the day."

Anastasia laughed, giving him a playful grin. “I think it’s pretty clear that I trust you,” she promised. She gave him a look, eyebrows up, a slight smirk on her face. “Oh yeah, that’s making me want to trust you more,” she teased. “You’re a mess, Nik,” she teased, giving him a light push. She raised a hand in defeat. “I’ll give it a chance! I’m just saying, I usually find that I’m more graceful and stronger than most athletes,” she teased. “Oh you were, were you?”

Nikolai chuckled a bit and raised his free hand in surrender. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I give up. No more teasing about abusing my magical powers," he relented playfully. "You can trust me!" He pushed her back gently. "Be nice to me. I made you breakfast," he joked. He knew she'd change her mind once he saw the game in action. "I mean, I'm sure you are more graceful in some aspects but you've never seen it. Plus, don't let Dot hear you dissing the game. She'll never speak to you again," he teased. "I was. Captain of my house team for two years."

Anastasia rolled her eyes playfully at him. “Good! You better knock it off,” she teased. “I know, I know,” she promised. She laughed a bit, shaking her head. “Yeah, okay, that’s why I should be nice to you,” she teased. She was definitely more graceful. She was so graceful. Graceful as fuck. “Dot and I are friends! A little friendly trash talking is always fun,” she said playfully. “Ooh, fancy,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “i don’t really know what ‘house’ means, but it does sound fancy.”

Nikolai grinned at her, letting it slide. He always had such a good time with her. He didn't think he'd ever laughed more. "Well, that and many other reasons. The main one being that you fancy me," he said playfully. He rolled his eyes in amusement. "Friends? Didn't you speak to her, like, one time? I'm pretty sure she'd take you down if you tried to imply she wasn't strong or graceful," he teased. "At my school, you'd get sorted by the sorting hat into whichever of the four houses you had the traits for," he tried to explain. "I was in Gryffindor, the core values being courage, bravery, nerve, and chivalry," he winked.

Anastasia rolled her eyes playfully and grinned. “You got me there,” she said playfully. She shrugged a bit and grinned. “That’s all it takes to become my friend,” she insisted. “I didn’t say she wasn’t! And without magic, I’m sure I could take her,” she teased with a wink. She thought that was a bit confusing, but nodded along. She raised her eyebrows at him and snorted a little. “You sure you didn’t make that up to boost your image?”

Nikolai winked at her. "It's your own fault for falling for me," he teased back. Oddly enough, he was pretty sure that did make her and Dot friends. And he hadn't even had to introduce them! "Huh. Well, I guess you are friends with her. Until you call her ungraceful to her face," he added playfully. He put on a mock hurt expression. "I would never make it up! Gryffindor pride is real, darling. I don't need to lie about my most distinct traits," he told her. He led her to the other door of the bar that she hadn't seen and pulled it open. "In you go."

Anastasia laughed, raising an eyebrow at him and shaking her head. “You are definitely responsible for that, not me,” she teased. “I never said that!” she said playfully. She snorted a little but nodded. “Okay, if you say so, baby,” she teased. She walked into the bar, excited about everything she could learn in here. She was so curious about the way he lived and she hoped there’d be a lot to see in here.

Nikolai scoffed playfully. "Am not! Learn to control your emotions," he teased back. "You implied it!" he laughed. He led her in the secret entrance to the magical side with a smile on his face. "I do say so. You can ask anyone!" he insisted playfully. There weren't many people milling about just yet but the magical area was vastly different in its atmosphere than the muggle section. "Perhaps you'd like to try a butterbeer?" he offered. "Might be a bit early for firewhiskey."

Anastasia shrugged casually. “I suppose I could just unfall for you, if you’d prefer,” she said, raising her eyebrow at him. She did think he was those things, even if on a small scale in some ways. It seemed brave that he’d date someone without magic and let her into his world, though she wasn’t sure that was what it meant. “Sure, I could try a butterbeer,” she said, even though she had no idea what that meant. She was amazed at how different it felt in here. She’d always thought his bar was different, but now. Wow.

Nikolai made a face. "No, don't do that," he said quickly. "What a terrible decision. You'd regret it. I'd regret it. No one would be happy," he added in a lighter tone. He led her up to the bar and slipped behind it to pour her drink for her. "We have an entirely different menu over here. It gets quite lively, I must say. In a much different way than the side you're used to." He set the butterbeer in front of her with a smile. "Over here, no one has to hide. It's fun to mingle with the muggles but it's easier to come over here and be yourself."

Anastasia smirked at the way he immediately was against that. As he should be. Her smile softened and she kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. I couldn’t if I wanted to,” she promised, giving his hand a light squeeze. “Do you really? That’s absolutely mad,” she said honestly. She figured that made sense. Bars were already pretty wild, though. She had no idea what to expect. She gave the drink a sniff when he put it down. Smelled sweet. “Do you just like use magic all the time?” she asked curiously, taking a tip. “Oh, that’s surprisingly nice.”

Nikolai squeezed her hand back. He didn't want her to go anywhere anytime soon. He was in too deep to let her go. "Good. It'd ruin the whole rest of the year for me," he teased. "It's not too crazy. There's just some dishes that would be tricky to explain to a muggle without outing us," he said with a shrug. He leaned against the bar and offered her a smile. "Most of the time, yeah. It makes just about everything easier," he admitted. "Plus it just looks pretty," he said, nodding towards where one of his employees was adding a swirl of sparkles that floated around a glass. "Isn't it?"

Anastasia laughed at the fact that that was his reasoning for why she shouldn’t fall out of love with him. “The year is almost over, you know,” she teased. She nodded a bit and shrugged a shoulder. “I suppose that makes sense. But the fact that you have two entire menus is still sort of mad to me,” she said honestly. She wondered if she would use magic all the time if she had it. Did people use magic for dancing? She couldn’t imagine how. “It does look pretty. And I guess why give yourself more work if you don’t have to,” she admitted. “It’s sort of warm and cozy feeling.”

Nikolai pretended to just realize that. He gave her a faux horrified look. "Almost over! You're right! It'll ruin all of the next year for me too! How could you ever want to do such a thing? Truly despicable," he teased. He figured that she had a point. It did seem a bit excessive. "Well, some food is just a little too whimsical to really put out for non magical people to really understand," he admitted. "We're supposed to stay hidden, after all," he added with a shrug. "I'm glad you like it. I made it special just for you," he grinned. "Magic can be a lot of fun."

Anastasia licked her lips and smirked a bit. "I think I could ruin the year after that for you, too, if I wanted to," she said playfully. "Good thing I'd never do that to you," she said, leaning in and kissing his cheek. "I can't believe you're supposed to stay hidden and you've already told me. What would you do if we broke up?" she asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at him. She just thought it was interesting that he’d already decided she was okay to tell. How had he come to that conclusion?

Nikolai laughed, unable to keep the charade going. "You really could. You could probably ruin more than a few years. Maybe even an entire decade," he smirked. He smiled at the kiss on his cheek. "I appreciate that." He straightened up a little bit to stretch. "I mean, I don't know. I just didn't want to keep half of my life from you and I just feel like you're the kind of person who isn't resentful enough to try and out me. Plus, without proof you might seem crazy to other muggles and I'd probably just get a little warning about being careful. I don't know how it works, actually, but with Rosie working for the ministry and encouraging me, I'm sure I'd be alright."

Anastasia grinned at his laughter, smiling wider as he continued to humor her. “I could definitely ruin a decade,” she said lightly. “You’re welcome,” she said. It was sweet that he wanted to tell her, she thought. It felt like a lot to risk. She let out a laugh as he continued though. “Oh, so you just figured if I told people I’d be the crazy one, and you’d get off clean?” she teased. “You’re right, though. I’m not resentful. The best revenge is living well, and I’m always doing that.”

Nikolai shook his head with a grin. "You could ruin a lifetime, darling," he told her. "You're a dangerous one." He had been rather stressed leading up to telling her but he had to figure it had gone wrong for other wizards somewhere along the way. Not everyone could find the right partner to tell on their first try, right? "Sure. I mean, magic isn't supposed to be real after all. Who'd believe you?" he teased. "That sounds exactly like you."

Anastasia couldn’t help but smile a bit more smug. She prided herself on her ability to ruin men, but she’d never ruin Nik. “Good thing you have an edge up then, huh?” she teased. She laughed a little and shook her head. “No one, clearly. They’d probably put me in a mental health check, just to make sure I’m alright,” she teased back. “You know me so well,” she said with a smile. “What kind of wild food do you have, then?”

Nikolai winked at her. "Yeah, it's about the only thing I have going for me, isn't it?" he asked playfully. He was sure there were probably some people that would believe her but the majority wouldn't. He'd be alright if she told. He didn't think she ever would. "Probably. Poor you," he teased. "I'd be living my life and you'd be trapped for trying to ruin it." He thought for a moment before procuring a menu for her. "I was trying to think of the craziest thing but realized it's all a bit out there."

Anastasia shrugged a shoulder casually. “That, this bar, and me,” she said playfully. She laughed and nodded. “Oh yeah, it’d totally ruin my life for a little while,” she said. “Fortunately, we’ll just be living our lives together,” she said with a smile. She wasn’t going anywhere, and she didn’t think he was either, really. She laughed a bit incredulously, raising an eyebrow at him as she picked up the menu herself. “Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?” she said to him before looking down at the menu.

Nikolai nodded with a grin. “Oh, of course. How could I forget about you? Can you forgive me?” he asked playfully. He let out a chuckle. “It really would. You might even start to wonder if you really were crazy,” he teased. His smile quickly changed from playful to soft. “For a long time,” He hoped, at least. He was really falling for her hard. He didn’t think he’d know how to function properly without her. He leaned across the bar a bit more, looking at the menu with her. “I can tell you what some of my friends like? Or what my favorites are? Or my mum, the muggle.”

Anastasia shrugged a shoulder and grinned a bit. “It was implied, that’s all,” she said playfully. “Of course,” she said with a smile. She laughed and nodded. “I probably would.” Fortunately, that wouldn’t happen. She nodded. A long, long time. She couldn’t imagine not spending time with him right now. “Hm. How about I get one of your favorites and one of your mum’s favorites?” She wanted to talk to his mum really badly, the more she thought about it.

Nikolai grinned at her. He couldn't help it. She just brought a smile to his face so easily. It was impossible not to be overjoyed just to be around her. It was something he would never get tired of. "Probably," he agreed. He looked over the menu upside down and scanned for the item his mother loved the most. "Ah, here. It's a variation of a shepherd's pie. It just has a few more magical elements to it. Nothing too crazy, but you'll certainly taste a difference in the spices and the like. How's that sound, darling?" he asked.

Anastasia was beyond curious about what could possible be different about shepherd’s pie. She really felt like she had a lot to learn. She was both excited and a bit nervous, which she was sure was normal, though she really had little frame of reference for this sort of thing. She thought she was handling it all extraordinarily well. “Sounds perfect,” she said with a smile. She was happy to spend time here with him, just observing the wizards and their lives and him.

Nikolai smiled brightly when she agreed to the shepherd's pie. She was really trusting him here. He appreciated it so much. She could have run scared or she could have simply chosen to not try and experience his lifestyle but here she was, going out on a limb for him. "My current favorite is a new sandwich on the menu and I'll have that whipped up for you as well." He put the order in magically and then leaned down against the bar. "How about I get you a glass of berry ocky rot?"

Anastasia nodded, thinking that didn’t sound like it could wrong. She was a big fan of sandwiches. “Great. I love a good sandwich, and if you like it, it must be good,” she said with a smile. She thought all of this was really interesting. Did he only have wizards working here? She had a lot of questions. She’d start writing them down so she could ask him later. “Do I want a glass of that?” she asked with a small laugh.

Nikolai grinned at her briefly. "Really, Ana, who doesn't love sandwiches?" he teased her. "It's a very good sandwich. My new favorite one of all time. Really it's excellent," he told her. He could say that. He'd come up with it after all. "It's a fruit wine. One of our very best, in many peoples' opinion. I'm sure you'll love it. It's very refreshing," he promised. He moved to pour her a glass and then placed it in front of her with a flourish.

Anastasia laughed and nodded. “That’s an excellent point,” she agreed. “Well, I can’t wait then!” she said. He did have excellent taste. He was with her. “I do want a glass then. Is it like, just a really good wine, or is it like going to put a refreshing spell on me?” she asked with a small laugh. She trusted he wouldn’t do her wrong, but she was a bit uncertain about what to expect, if she was being completely honest.

Nikolai regarded her with a laugh. She was so cute and curious and he loved that. He loved to see her inquisitiveness when it came to his world. He was ready to show her every part of it that he could. "It's just a really good wine. You might feel a little bit more refreshed, it could be some magic. It could just be the really good wine," he said playfully. "It's really delicious, I promise. I wouldn't trick you into anything bad."

Anastasia let out a small laugh and nodded. “Okay, just wondering,” she said with a smile. She realized she probably sounded a bit foolish with some of her questions, but how was she supposed to just know! She nodded. “I know. I trust you, remember?” she said, grinning at him a bit. She leaned back, taking a sip of the wine and nodding. It was very good. “You’re right. Amazing,” she agreed.

Nikolai leaned across the bar and rested his chin on his hand. He figured he was okay to spend all his time with Ana. He wasn't even scheduled to work that day. He just wanted to spend time with her and show her things. "I know, I know. Just reassuring you like any good boyfriend would," he grinned. He watched her take a sip and his grin turned into a beaming smile. "Right? It's one of our best. It's aged for a thousand years."

Anastasia thought he was so cute. She was so charmed by him. “You are a very good boyfriend,” she promised. She frowned for a second. A thousand years? That seemed a bit wild. How was that even possible? She had a lot to learn. “Well, it’s amazing. When my food is ready, do you want to split it with me? We can go sit in one of those tables back there and I can observe the magical people,” she suggested with a grin.

Nikolai felt himself bursting with pride at that. He was trying to be his very best for her. It was what she deserved. She was far too good for him and that was saying a lot as he thought very highly of himself. “Thank you, darling,” he smiled. “I’m glad you like the wine. Simone does as well and seeing as you’re the two classiest ladies I’ve ever met, I’m not surprised,” he joked. He thought that sounded like a perfect idea. “Absolutely. I’d love nothing more. I’m a bit hungry myself,” he grinned back.

[anastasiahumphreys]

dinner and dancing | anolai ft. ritz

nik introduces ana to rosie and fitz. they go out dancing after that. 

Nikolai had been waiting for Anastasia to show up at the bar for a bit. His shift had ended but he'd stuck around the bar for a few minutes, mostly watching Fitz and Rosie talking. They were spending an awful lot of time together. He decided to walk over and say hello, deciding that he could introduce Ana to them once she came in. "Hey guys. What's going on?" he asked with a smile.

Rosalind thought his work was about to pick up an awful lot. She wouldn't see him around as much, she bet. "Oh, that sounds exciting. Any chance you'll get Dot?" she asked with a small smile. She was about to answer him when Nik came over, and she didn't think fast enough to respond to him. Of course she wanted to go to dinner with him. She'd have to find a way to let him know later. "Hey! I thought you'd be long gone by now. What're you still doing here?" she asked, smiling back at him.

Anastasia was running a bit late, or at least, later than she preferred, but she hoped Nik wouldn't be too upset. She stepped into the bar, brushing her ear behind her hair and straightening out her clothes. She looked around, spotting Nik over with two others. The girl looked like she could be his sister. Maybe that was her. She waited for a moment so they could finish whatever they were saying, before going over and putting a hand on Nik's shoulder. "Hey," she smiled.

Fitz shrugged slightly. He wasn't sure. "It's likely I might because I have a friendship with her already. I really hope I can," he smiled. He waited, feeling a twist of nerves in his stomach as he waited for her answer. And then Nikolai appeared. He glanced up at him, fixing his regular smile on his lips. He waited while the two talked but then his attention was on the girl who had appeared beside Nik. "Oh, and who is this?" he asked with a charming grin.

Nikolai grinned at his sister and gave a half shrug. "I decided to stick around a bit. I'm waiting for someone but I thought I'd come and say hi to you two first. You look cozy," he grinned. He looked over when he felt a hand and smiled at Ana, moving his arm to wrap around her waist. "Hello love. This is my sister, Rosalind and our friend Fitz," he told her. "And this is Ana," he answered Fitz's question with a laugh.

Rosalind thought it would be nice if he could work with Dot. That would be nice for the both of them, really. She nodded a bit as he explained. She decided to ignore his comment about them looking cozy. "Just come over to say hi?" she asked with a smile. When Ana joined him, she smiled a bit. Ah, he wasn't just coming over to say hi. She really felt Nikolai deserved the best, and from what she heard, Ana made the mark. "Hi, nice to meet you. I've heard loads about you," she smiled, standing up and giving Ana a half hug.

Anastasia smiled when Nik wrapped an arm around her. She thought his sister and friend looked sweet. She laughed quietly when his friend asked about her. She hugged Ana back. She was sweet. "Pleasure is all mine. I've heard quite a bit about you, as well. Nik speaks fondly of you," she said with a smile. She smiled a bit at Fitz. "I've heard about you, too. I hear you ask a lot of questions," she teased. "You haven't proven Nik wrong yet."

Fitz thought it was nice to see the way Nik slid his arm around this Ana girl. He wasn't quite sure who she was, as he hadn't heard her name before but Rosie seemed to know who she was. "Oh? You've heard about me?" he asked with a smile. "I do ask a lot of questions," he admitted. "It's lovely to meet you, Ana," he said, standing up and reaching out to take her hand and kiss it. "What is it that you do?"

Nikolai shrugged slightly with another grin. He kept his arm around Ana, though he loosened it slightly when she hugged his sister. He watched the way she interacted so seamlessly with his sister and Fitz and thought that there was really something special about her. "Well, she is my favorite sister," he teased. He laughed a bit at Fitz before rolling his eyes. "Alright, knock it off," he said, tugging Ana closer to him and away from Fitz playfully.

Rosalind smiled sweetly at Nik. "Aw, you speak fondly of me. How cute," she grinned. She rolled her eyes when he teased back. "I'm your only sister! Twerp. You're a real pain," she said playfully. She laughed quietly when Nik got all possessive. "Oh yes, what do you do?" she asked, though she was pretty sure she already knew. She couldn't believe Nik was dating a muggle. How mum and dad of him.

Anastasia thought it was cute how Nik was with his friends. She sure did like everything about him. "So I've noticed," she teased. "It's lovely to meet you as well, Fitz," she smiled. She laughed a bit when he kissed her hand, laughing harder when Nik pulled her closer. "It's just the French in him," she teased Nik. "I'm a dancer. And dance instructor. What do you both do?"

Fitz chuckled a bit at the exchange between the two siblings. He liked their dynamic. They were so fun and playful with each other. It was nice to see. "Ah, see, she gets my charm," he said with a smile. He raised an eyebrow slightly as she spoke about her jobs and then glanced at Rosalind before catching Nik's eye. "Oh, well. I'm a journalist," he said simply. He had a feeling she was a muggle.

Nikolai rolled his eyes slightly at Rosie but he was grinning. "You're still my favorite sister," he grinned. "You're the pain." His grip on Ana stayed firm even with everyone laughing at him. "He's trouble, that Fitz," he teased. He waited while she spoke about her job and gave Rosie a look before shooting it at Fitz, knowing he didn't know about her being a muggle. He only hoped that Fitz picked up on the clues.

Rosalind rolled her eyes, shaking her head. What a pain. "She's much nicer than you," she said playfully. "Oh, that sounds like fun! What kind of dance do you do?" she asked curiously. She already knew she was a muggle, she didn't need the nudge. "I'm a police officer," she said with a small smile. "Do you two have plans for the night or are you just hanging out here?"

Anastasia had really enjoyed everyone she'd been introduced to. She needed to introduce him to her brother. "I do a bit of everything. Lots of ballet. I like the more contemporary sort of stuff, but I don't do that as much," she explained. "What kind of journalism?" she asked curiously. She laughed a little when she said she was a police officer. "Really? You don't strike me as such," she said honestly. "I think we have plans, right?" she asked, turning to Nik a bit.

Fitz found everything about this to be delightful. "Ballet? You do ballet? Is that your favorite form? How long have you been dancing?" he wondered. "Oh just qui," he cut himself off with a cough. "Excuse me. Quick reviews of games, player profiles. Who has the best odds that season." He glanced over at Rosie when she answered and said she was a police officer and picked up his drink to hide a smile. "Oh, leaving so soon?" he asked. "Oh, I see."

Nikolai shot a glare at Fitz when he heard him start to say quidditch. Luckily the slip up had been easily fixed. He rubbed his fingers over Ana's side as she spoke to his friends and smiled a bit. "She looks too sweet to be one but she's one of the best," he grinned. He turned to Ana again with a smile. "We do have plans but we can wait if you want to stick around a little longer but we do have a reservation," he said with a shrug. "It's up to you if you want to stick around or head out."

Rosalind wasn't surprised Ana didn't think she looked like a police officer. She felt like auror made more sense, but it was hard to explain how there was a difference when she knew it was the muggle equivalent. "I do my best," she said simply, in response to Nik. "Dancing must be a lot of fun. Maybe we can see you sometime?" she half suggested, half asked. "Oh, go, go. Don't let us hold you back," she said softly.

Anastasia nodded, the smile unwavering on her face. "Yes! Mm, I think it might be. I really do love it. I've been dancing since I was about three. My mum is a ballerina, too. I think she sort of encouraged it, but it all worked out," she smiled. "I'm sure you're even better than you let on," she said to Rosie. "Well, we shouldn't miss the reservation. Do we have time to chat a bit more?"

Fitz listened carefully as Ana went on, a fresh wheel of questions spinning in his head. "Since you were three? That's quite some time. Though you can't be more than twenty, surely. Have you ever done anything else aside from dance?" he wondered. He waited a bit, looking to Nik to answer the question. "Oh, then please, sit down with us." He'd just have to ask Rosie on a date later. If he got up the nerve again.

Nikolai couldn't keep the smile off of his face. Rosie seemed to really like Ana and Ana seemed to really like his friends. He couldn't be luckier. "She's an amazing dancing. She taught me a few steps. I'm practically a professional," he teased. "Rosie's very good at what she does. She's one of the best." He weighed his options. On one hand, he wanted Rosie and Ana to bond but on the other, Fitz was a wild card. "We have a few minutes. We can sit.”

Rosalind thought that sounded like something. She was had been dancing since she was three? She hadn't been doing anything for that long. "Wow. You must really be incredible," she said honestly. "She taught you? That's something I want to see," she said with a small laugh. She smiled a bit at Nik, but waved a hand. "Sit, sit," she said, moving over to make room for them.

Anastasia nodded, amused by their amazement. "Mm, yes. I'm twenty-one, so close. I did go to primary and secondary school, and I teach dance a bit now, but for the most part not really. I think I'm quite good," she said with a laugh. She sat down after Nik agreed, sitting next to Rosie. "When did you move to London, then?" she asked Fitz.

Fitz didn't know much about dance but he thought being committed to something for so long had to mean she was rather talented. "I think I'd like to see that as well," he grinned. "That's very impressive, though, Ana." He shifted so Nik could sit by him and took a drink of his beverage. "Oh, I think it's been about a year now. You have better football teams here." That was the sport, right? He was fairly certain he'd said it right. "Did you grow up here?"

Nikolai grinned at his friends. "Maybe one of these days I'll show you but not today. We're in a bar, no one's dancing. It's far too fancy for a place like this," he teased. He let go of Ana so she could sit down and took the spot next to Fitz. His hand went over the table, letting his fingers link with Ana's so they were still touching. "It was a year. Dot brought you in and we couldn't get rid of you."

Rosalind raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly at Nik. "Sounds like an excuse to not embarrass yourself at work, but okay," she teased. She made room for Ana, letting her sit next to her. "You're lucky you're getting the abridged versions of his questions tonight," she said, teasing Fitz lightly. She nodded a bit as she talked. "Oh, that's cool. What is LVMH though?" she asked curiously, hoping she didn't sound really stupid.

Anastasia could dance in any space, really, but she wasn't gonna make Nik dance. She hadn't really taught him that much, anyway. She linked her fingers with his, smiling softly. "That's kind of a while. How do you like it?" she asked him. "Oh, really? I'm sure sometime he'll ask me all his questions then," she said with a laugh. "I did. But I've traveled quite a bit with my parents. My grandfather owns LVMH which is located in Paris, so we used to go there a lot. I mean, my parents still do, but I typically only go for events now."

Fitz thought it was rather interesting that Nik was dating a muggle but he decided he liked this girl. He had so many questions on the tip of his tongue just begging to be asked but he knew better. "I'm trying not to scare her off," he told Rosie. "I like it. It's a good country. And I've made the best friends of my life here," he smiled. He had no idea what LVMH was and was about to ask when Rosie beat him to it. "Do you like Paris? When was the last time you were there?" he wondered.

Nikolai rolled his eyes at his sister. "More like I don't want to cause a scene. And it's not just the place where I work, I do own this establishment," he teased. "I have to set a standard for my employees. What's next? Dom starts dancing between tables? No one wants to see that," he said playfully. "It's fashion, obviously. Ana goes to a lot of shows and the like. It's really impressive. She said she'd take me to one," he said matter-of-factly. "That's why she always looks amazing."

Rosalind laughed a bit at her brother. "Excuses, excuses. However, I for one would love to see Dom dancing between tables," she said playfully. She laughed again when Fitz said he was trying not to scare her off. She knew, of course, that it was just the magic-muggle barrier, but that would go away eventually. She felt her eyebrows go up a bit. She was super curious. "Wow, so he owns fashion companies?" she asked. That seemed intense. "Wow, that's cool. No wonder you're so fashionable," she laughed.

Anastasia smiled at Nik, squeezing his fingers lightly. She thought he would be cute, dancing in his bar, but she didn't push. She could make him dance with her in the bar on a different day. "Don't worry, I think it'll take a lot more than questions to scare me off," she teased. "That's wonderful. I've always loved London," she smiled. "I do like Paris, yes. I was there early March. It's quite a beautiful city," she smiled. "Look at you, knowing all my stuff," she smiled proudly. "It is fashion, among other things. My grandfather also owns Dior, so fashion season is a big time. I'm actually missing fashion week right now, but my parents are there so." She nodded a bit. "Yeah, I mean, I think it's not as like clear cut as he owns it like Nik owning the bar, because it's really complex and old, but yeah, basically. He's in charge of both of them."

Fitz smiled brightly. "Well, I do ask a lot of questions," he warned her. "Nik here gets fed up of me and sends me off to talk to Dom," he chuckled. "It is a beautiful city. I miss it," he admitted. He'd love to go back for a visit but he didn't think that was possible yet. "Oh, fashion? That's interesting. I know the fashion scene in Paris is quite impressive." He didn't, really, but it seemed like the right thing to say. Perhaps Simone knew more. "Oh, why didn't you go?" he wondered. He nodded a little as she went on but didn't have much else to say or ask.

Nikolai squeezed Ana's fingers back. He liked this. He liked showing off their relationship to his friends. It was nice. "That's because you ask too many while I'm working," he told Fitz. "I can't focus on doing my job and answering all of your questions." He watched his friends interact with his girl and smiled to himself. This was going so much better than he'd expected it to. Not that he'd thought Rosie would be a problem but Fitz was keeping his curiosities at bay. "Of course I know your stuff. I listen," he teased. "Oh, you could have gone to fashion week." He hoped she hadn't skipped because of him.

Rosalind thought that was all sort of confusing, but it sounded fun. And she suspected she had quite a bit of money. She looked it. And she knew it could be expensive for muggles to travel. It could be expensive for wizards, too. "That all sounds very exciting," she said honestly. "Maybe you can go next time then. It sounds like fun. I've never been, so I can't say for sure, but it sounds nice," she smiled. She wasn't big on fashion, either, but maybe she could be. "Oh, you guys better get going. You're going to miss your reservations."

Anastasia gave Nik a look. "You send him off! How rude of you," she said playfully, laughing a bit. "You should visit sometime. I'm sure it's just as lovely as when you last left it. It's never gotten less lovely from visit to visit, at least from my experience," she said with a smile. "It is. It's a nice place to go for fashion," she said with a smile. "I know you do," she laughed. "I was going to, but I had a really big audition in the middle of the week and it didn't really work out. Anyway, now I'm here meeting you two, so I think it worked out well," she smiled.

Fitz thought that was interesting. He wanted to go back to Paris but it just wasn't time. It was nice to hear that it hadn't changed, though. The place was far too pretty for that. "I will. At some point," he promised. He nodded along as the conversation continued, trying his best to keep all of his questions at bay. He had so much he wanted to know. He just couldn't ask yet. "Oh, it was lovely to meet you, Anastasia," he said with a smile. "Don't be a stranger. And don't let Nik hog you."

Nikolai rolled his eyes playfully. "I don't have time to explain how beer taps work when we're in the middle of a rush!" he chuckled. He listened to her tell them all about fashion and wondered if they were as confused as he had been. He'd have to ask Rosie later. "Oh, well, when was the audition? How'd it go?" he asked. He was sounding like Fitz with all his questions. "Oh Merlin, I nearly forgot. We better head out," he said, sliding out of the booth. "I'll see you guys later."

Rosalind smiled when she said it was in two days. "Good luck! I'm sure you'll get it, whatever it is," she said with a smile. She stood up, hugging Ana and sort of kissing her cheek. "I'm so happy to have finally met you. We'll have to do something sometime," she said with a smile. She nearly laughed when Nik said Merlin, but thankfully kept it to herself. "Have a lovely night!" she said. She finished off her drink, setting the empty glass on the table. "I should probably be going, too," she said honestly. "Have a good night, Fitz," she smiled. She started to leave, but turned around and smiled at him. "Oh, and, I would love to have dinner with you," she smiled, turning away to leave.

Anastasia thought Nik and his friends were cute. She liked the way they interacted. She could really tell he was the baby sometimes. "It's in two days. I'll let you know," she grinned. She frowned briefly. Merlin. Who said that? Man he was weird sometimes. It was a wonder she was still seeing him. "Oh, we better go then. It was lovely to meet you, too, Fitz. And it was lovely to meet you, Rosalind. You're quite delightful," she smiled. "I won't let him hog me, don't worry," she laughed. "Have a good night," she said to them, taking Nik's hand. "Did you want to get a taxi?"

Nikolai realized a few moments later that he'd said Merlin. Why had he done that? He was so embarrassed. He always looked like such an idiot in front of Ana. It was a wonder she even spoke to him. "I hope all goes well! I bet you'll get it," he smiled. He waited while she said her goodbyes to his friends and wished them goodnight as well. "Let's get out of here," he smiled. He linked their fingers as they walked, nodding at the question. "Yeah, let's get a taxi. It's a bit of a walk from here. I think they really liked you, by the way."

Anastasia smiled sweetly at him. "I'll be pretty disappointed if I don't get it, so let's hope you're right," she grinned, squeezing his hand a bit. She linked her fingers with his, swinging their arms slightly. "Okay, sounds good to me," she said, hailing a taxi. "Oh yeah? I hope so. I really liked them. Your sister is lovely. Your brother was, too. You have quite the family, huh?" she grinned.

Nikolai gave her hand a squeeze. "I have faith in you. If you don't get it, they're crazy and have no taste," he grinned. He liked her so much that even her squeezing his hand had his heart beating a bit faster. "Did you? I'm glad. I know Fitz is a lot to handle but he was actually pretty tame tonight. I figure once you're around him more he'll be a bit much," he admitted. "She is lovely. Dom is alright," he joked. "I do. They're the best. I'm really lucky. And they really like you which is luckier."

Anastasia was sure she'd get it, too, but there were tons of other talented people out there, so if she didn't, it wouldn't be the strangest thing. "You're cute," she said with a smile. She hadn't really thought Fitz was all that bad. Maybe he'd bother her more later, but she had a feeling it was going to take a lot more to bother her. "Maybe he'll be more annoying later, but I liked him," she said with a smile. She laughed when he said Dom was alright. "What would you have done if they hadn't liked me?"

Nikolai nudged her side gently. "You just like me," he teased her. "But I am actually pretty adorable." He opened the door to the taxi when it stopped in front of them, letting her get in first. He told the driver the address before sitting back. "Well, I'm glad he wasn't annoying. He was fairly well behaved today," he grinned. "But he was very tame with his questions tonight." He knew for a fact it'd be worse if she ever found out about the wizarding world. "I don't know. Their opinion is pretty important but so are you. I'd just have to convince them they were wrong."

Anastasia hummed quietly. “Maybe, but you are definitely pretty adorable,” she grinned. She climbed into the car when he opened the door, settling into the seat and getting her seatbelt. “I guess we’ll just have to save the annoying for another day then, huh?” she teased with a grin. She smiled as he spoke, nodding a bit. “I think if anyone could convince them, it would be you. I also think I need to get you to meet my brother.”

Nikolai smiled to himself. "Well, thanks love. I'll treasure that compliment for as long as I live," he grinned. He buckled himself in and then reached over to take her hand again. "Or, hopefully, he doesn't get annoying around you ever," he teased. "He just is a curious guy," he shrugged. He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "You always have so much faith in me. You must like me," he teased. "I'll admit, that makes me nervous but I'm also excited too."

Anastasia grinned at him. He was so cute. She hadn't felt quite this way about someone in so long she couldn't remember. In fact, she wasn't sure she'd ever felt this way about someone. "I do have a high tolerance for annoying," she teased back. "Curiosity is a good thing," she said honestly. She smiled when he kissed her cheek, laughing a bit at his words. "Oh yeah? What gave you that idea?" she teased back. "Nervous? Why?" she laughed. "He's a dancer! How scary can he be?" she said with a laugh.

Nikolai paused for a moment, pretending to think it over. He pulled a fake affronted face when he looked at her. "A high tolerance for annoying sounds like quite the dig at me, young lady," he teased. "I'll have you know, I am not even the second most annoying of my group of mates," he joked. He rubbed her hand with his and gave her a soft smile. "Just the way you look at me." He kissed her cheek again. "You're a dancer! You could kick my ass in less than five seconds. I'm sure your brother is stronger than you. I'd give him one second to knock me out," he teased.

Anastasia laughed and shook her head, reaching out and grabbing him softly. "I'm not at all making a dig at you!" she laughed again. "Oh yeah? Who is the second most annoying then?" she asked curiously. She really liked him, and the way he touched her skin, and smiled at her, and he just made her heart flutter a little. She felt like she'd gone all in all of a sudden, and it was a bit much, honestly. "Hm, I'll give you that," she said, her voice less playful. She laughed quietly and shrugged. "I mean, true. But he wouldn't knock you out."

Nikolai let out a loud laugh and put his hand over hers. "I know, darling, I was just teasing you some," he grinned. He thought for a moment, fingers stroking her hand. "Dom, maybe. He's actually a really good brother, I talk a lot of shit but he's done a lot for me. He's really helped me get my pub up and running. I don't think I could have without him. Simone's too nice to be annoying and Wren and Dot are usually more focused on talking to each other. Shit. I am second most annoying," he realized with a laugh. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sure he won't. I bet he's tall, too. He could flick me over and not even put much effort into it. I should work out more."

Anastasia listened as he spoke, nodding a bit. She smiled, nearly letting out a quiet laugh, as he spoke about his brother again. With his realization, she laughed, leaning into him a bit. "It's okay. I like you even though you're the second most annoying," she said playfully, winking at him. She grinned playfully at his fake pity. "Oh, shush, you. He wouldn't flick you over, and I don't think he even can. Work out more if you want, but I think you're real strong already," she said with a slight smirk.

Nikolai chuckled when she leaned into him. He shook his head a bit, still surprised he'd just figured out he probably would be considered the second most annoying. Maybe even the most by certain friends. "Well, thank you. That's a relief. I'm starting to think everyone else is just using me for my bar," he joked. "I'm pretty sure he could. Is he more threatening looking than Dom? Well, who isn't, actually," he laughed. "If only you'd met Wren, he's a good person to compare imposingness to. Do you think your brother will like me?" he asked. "Oh? Do you?" he smirked back.

Anastasia made a face and laughed, shaking her head. "They definitely aren't using you for your bar. They pay, don't they?" she said playfully. She laughed quietly when he said everyone was more threatening than his brother. "Well, to answer your question, yes, even though you did answer it yourself there," she teased. "Another time, I'm sure. I do think he'll like you, yes. You're a nice guy. Why wouldn't he?" she said honestly. She nodded a bit, looking him up and down a bit. "Mm, I do."

Nikolai made a thoughtful face. "I suppose you're right. Now it just sounds like I'm charging them to be friends with me," he teased. "Which doesn't sound like a bad idea." He smiled at the sound of her laugh, giving her hand a squeeze. "Well, he sounds terrifying," he laughed. "But I hope he does. It wouldn't be that great if he didn't. Especially since my family already likes you," he grinned. "That's good to know. Maybe we can do some more dancing later," he smiled, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.

Anastasia narrowed her eyes at him, raising an eyebrow slightly. "How does it sound like that? They choose to come there," she teased him back. "Though making money off friends isn't the worst idea," she added, still playful. She laughed at him, squeezing his hand back. "He's not terrifying," she laughed. It seemed hilarious to her, honestly. "His girlfriend is scarier than him," she admitted. "He will. Okay?" she insisted, nudging him. She smirked a bit, wondering if he meant actual dancing, but didn't say anything. "Where is this place we're going to?" she asked curiously, leaning into his touch.

Nikolai grinned at the look on her face. "Because I make them pay even though they're my friends," he responded playfully. "It's nice getting money from them. It makes me feel important," he joked. At first, he wasn't quite sure how his girlfriend could be scarier than him but then realized he knew Ana likely seemed more imposing than him. "Well, maybe let's ease into meeting her then," he joked. "I believe you. I'll just be my usual, charming self," he winked. "Oh, it's just on the west end. I heard it's really nice."

Anastasia shrugged. "You'd have gone out of business if you hadn't made them pay," she said honestly. She laughed, nudging him. "You're silly," she teased. She laughed and nodded, squeezing his hand a bit. "No rush on meeting her, don't worry," she said with a grin. "Don't be too charming. I don't need my brother wanting to date you," she teased. "Oh, I can't wait. Though I am enjoying the ride with you."

Nikolai made a face. "You're right. They really do drink a lot," he admitted with a grin. "They're basically the only ones who kept me afloat in the very beginning," he added without shame. He was grateful for them. They'd stepped up to help him. "Well, that's sounding a bit better then," he teased. "I don't know if I can tone down the charming. It's natural. If he wants me, he wants me," he teased. "I'm enjoying it too, love. We'll be there soon. I really hope it's as nice as people say," he frowned a bit.

Anastasia laughed quietly. Who didn't drink a lot? "They care about you," she said with a soft smile. "Who wouldn't, with that face?" she winked at him. She laughed, nudging him. "Well I don't share, and I don't need a riff between my brother, so we'll just have to hope he only likes you a normal amount," she teased. She tilted her head a bit, nudging him gently. "Even if it's trash, it'll be a good time. Don't frown," she said, smiling at him.

Nikolai smiled when she did. "Yeah, they do. They're good mates. And they've always looked after me, being the youngest at all," he teased. He laughed at her nudge, grinning fondly at her. "Don't worry. You won't have to share me with him. I am all yours, try as he might to steal me away," he promised playfully. His smile returned but he was still a bit nervous. He'd asked a muggle about a place, not wanting to have to go to Dom for help with everything constantly. "We always have a good time, don't we?"

Anastasia nodded along. She understood that. She was the youngest, and while she didn't have a big group of friends like he did, she thought she understood the sentiment enough from her own experiences. "Aw, they gotta make sure their baby is okay," she said playfully, pinching his cheek. "Mm, good. I wasn't kidding about the not sharing," she said with a wink. She smiled when he did again. "Better. I don't need you getting premature wrinkles," she said playfully. "We do. You don't let me down."

Nikolai laughed a little when she pinched his cheek. He reached up to pull her hand away and kissed it instead. "Well, you know how it goes. The youngest is the most spoiled. Everyone's always looking out," he joked. He thought she was really cute talking about not wanting to share him. As if she didn't already have him wrapped around her little finger. "Don't even worry about it, love," he promised playfully. "Oh, no, we wouldn't want that," he laughed. "I'm happy to hear that." He glanced out the window, noticing the area they were in and figuring they were getting close. "I think we're almost there, love."

Anastasia grinned when she kissed his hand. She wanted to kiss him. "I do. You do seem quite spoiled, too," she grinned. "Not in the rotten way, though," she added with an amused smile. She let out a content sigh. She was glad that she didn't have to share him. She wasn't big on sharing. Especially not when she liked someone as much as she liked Nik. "We don't! Your skin is so nice, I'd hate to see you all wrinkled up in a year," she teased. She looked out the window when he did. "Mm, I'm excited."

Nikolai grinned back at her. "I am. So spoiled. You're going to have to try and keep up with the amount of spoiling I need," he teased. He really didn't need to be spoiled at all. He laughed again at her teasing and shook his head. "I'm glad you think it's so nice? Yours is very nice too, love, don't worry." When the car stopped he thanked the driver and paid for the ride before getting out and offering her a hand to help her out. "Let's hope we like this suggestion," he smiled. "I have a feeling you will."

Anastasia laughed at that, raising an eyebrow at him. "Oh yeah? We'll see what I can do about that, babe," she said, lowering her voice and leaning in to kiss right by his ear. She leaned back again, keeping her hand in his the whole time. "Oh, I'm not worried. I don't frown so much," she winked playfully. She took his hand when he offered it, leaning in and thanking the driver before shutting the door. "Who gave you the suggestion?" she asked curiously. "Consider my interest piqued," she said playfully.

Nikolai hadn't really expected that from her but at the same time, he wasn't really surprised. She was always driving him crazy in the best way. "We'll see," he agreed quietly. He let out a laugh at her next words and rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh, of course. How silly of me," he teased. He held her hand as she got out of the car and kept a grip on it as they walked towards the restaurant. "Just someone at work," he said casually. "Do you like salsa dancing? Because after dinner... they do salsa here apparently," he told her with a laugh.

Anastasia smirked a bit at his reaction, leaning against his shoulder gently. She laughed quietly, smiling up at him. "Silly you," she said playfully. She still wondered who it was, but she figured it probably wasn't important. When he said salsa dancing, her eyes lit up, and she put her hands on his chest and pushed him gently. "No way! You're kidding. I love salsa dancing. Oh, you should have told me! I would have worn something else," she said, practically glowing. "Oh, I'm so excited. Let's go," she grinned.

Nikolai saw the way her eyes lit up at the mention of dancing and knew this had been a great idea. He didn't even care if he embarrassed himself more tonight than he ever had before in his life. She was happy. "I'm not kidding! It's a thing they do here. I heard about it and just knew it was something you'd love," he grinned. "That would have ruined the surprised, love," he teased. He was still grinning as he led her into the restaurant and gave him name for the reservation.

Anastasia grinned like mad. She was so excited. She couldn't even believe how excited she was. "Oh my god, I can't wait," she said with a smile. She laughed a bit and nodded. "That's true. And this was quite a surprise," she admitted with a grin. She followed him in, holding onto him closely as he lead the way. "Ooh, so fancy," she said with a smile. She was enjoying it, really.

Nikolai couldn't believe he'd been so nervous she wouldn't like this. He was beyond thrilled. "I can't wait either," he grinned. "Not since I've seen how happy you are." He gave her hand a tight squeeze as they walked in, hearing the lively music and taking in the vibe of the restaurant. He had no idea places like this existed. "I'm glad I could surprise you." He nodded a bit. "It's very fancy." Once they reached the table, he pulled her chair out for her before going around to his side. "I'm going to embarrass you when we dance and I apologize in advance."

Anastasia couldn't believe he didn't think she'd love it. "Did you think I wouldn't love the chance to dance?" she said with a light nudge. She held his hand tightly, walking with him to their table. She was so excited. She thought this place seemed quite lovely. She followed him, holding onto him. "You're good at this," she smiled at him when they stopped, thanking him as she sat down. "I don't think I'll be embarrassed at all. Just happy," she said honestly.

Nikolai shrugged a bit with a laugh. "I didn't know if you liked salsa all that much! I thought you might but then, I don't know," he trailed off with an embarrassed chuckle. Why had he been so worried? "Good at what? Surprising you or planning dates?" he asked playfully. He smiled at her as he sat before glancing around the place. His grin widened when she spoke again. He was thrilled. She was so happy and it was because of something he'd done. "Well, that's good to hear. I love seeing you so happy."

Anastasia scoffed at him playfully, nudging him gently. "It's dancing. I love it," she grinned. She liked most dancing, honestly. "Both? Being on dates with me?" she said with a grin. "The whole thing," she added. She thought he was so cute, and was so amused that he had doubted himself so much. "Have you ever seen me not happy?" she asked playfully. She was pretty sure she'd only been happy around him. He just made her happy.

Nikolai let out another laugh. "Well, now I know for sure," he smiled at her. Her answer had him chuckling to himself. "Hm..." he drew out the word playfully. "It's sounding like I really am the whole package, huh?" he teased. He really enjoyed being around her. She just was so light and fun. "No, I definitely haven't. You're always smiling. I like that about you," he told her. "I like a lot of things about you," he corrected with a grin. "Should we look at the menu?"

Anastasia laughed a bit and nodded, grinning widely at him. "It sounds exactly like that, doesn't it?" she grinned. She propped her elbows up on the table, leaning on her hands. "I'm a happy person. And being around you makes me even happier. Why wouldn't I be smiling all the time?" she asked honestly, tilting her head to the side. "I like a lot of things about you, too," she admitted. She nodded a bit, leaning back. "Probably. Did whoever recommended this place to you also tell you what's good?" she asked curiously, opening the menu.

Nikolai smirked a bit. "It sure does. Sounds like you've found quite the catch," he teased. He could tell that she was a happy person and he had to admit that had drawn him to her. She radiated happiness. "You make an excellent point love. And I can say that the feeling is mutual. Being around you always brightens my day," he promised. "You make me happy." He smiled at that. "I guess it's a good thing we're on a date then," he grinned. He shook his head a bit, flipping open his own menu. "No. They did not. I guess we'll have to guess. Could be fun."

Anastasia found her fondness dancing on her face, a small smile still playing on her lips. "Hmm, quite the catch," she agreed. She put her hand to her cheek at his words. "Aw, shucks. You're making me blush," she winked. "Mm, I'm glad. Making each other happy seems pretty important to me," she said honestly. She felt like they were rather perfect for each other, honestly. She laughed a bit. "I guess so, huh?" she teased. She looked over the menu, humming quietly. "I vote we get something crazy, and something we know will be good, and split them both," she suggested.

Nikolai watched the way she smiled at him and felt his heart stop for a second. He really was gone for this girl already. It was crazy. "Lucky you," he teased. He let out a laugh when she winked. "Good. You look cute when you blush," he grinned at her. He nodded. Happiness was probably one of the most important parts of a relationship. "I definitely agree with you. Looks like we're a good match then," he smiled. He looked over the menu while she did, chuckling at her suggestion. "Alright, we can do that but if the crazy thing is really bad you can't push the whole thing off on me," he teased. "What are you in the mood for?"

Anastasia laughed quietly, but nodded and smiled genuinely. "Lucky me indeed," she said with a smirk. "Oh do I? Mm, noted," she teased. She nodded in agreement. They were definitely a good match. She didn't know if she'd ever clicked with someone they way she did with Nik. "Maybe even more than a good match. Who knows?" she said playfully, though she was being entirely serious. "I would never!" she said with fake offense. "I don't know. Steak maybe?" she suggested. "Tacos? French fries?" she laughed. "I really don't know."

Nikolai chuckled at her teasing. "Mm, noted," he repeated with another laugh. "As if you didn't already know that," he teased. He smiled at her. More than a good match. He liked that she'd said that. "Who knows," he repeated in an equally playful tone. "I guess we'll find out eventually," he smiled. He laughed a bit. "Mhm, I know you were thinking about it," he teased. He looked at the menu a bit more and nodded slightly. "Alright. How about we get a steak for the safe dish because that's usually good anywhere and we pick an interesting kind of taco?" he suggested.

Anastasia grinned, shrugging a shoulder. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," she said with a slight smirk. "We'll definitely find out," she agreed, smiling up at him. She laughed and shook her head, nudging him lightly under the table. "I would never! Honest!" she laughed again. She raised an eyebrow at that idea, tilting her head a bit. "Oh, I like that idea a lot. I wonder what kind of interesting taco we can find."

Nikolai laughed when she nudged him. She was cute. She had to be the cutest thing he'd ever laid eyes on. "I'm so sure you wouldn't," he teased. "You can't fool me." He looked over the menu a bit more, studying the selection of tacos. He wasn't quite sure which seemed the most out there but he read each description. "Hm... what about the second to last one?" he suggested. "The duck confit one. I don't even know what that is," he admitted.

Anastasia honestly wasn't sure she would have pushed it off on him. She had eaten a lot of weird things, and she'd gotten good at finishing, or almost finishing them, even when she didn't like them. She looked at the menu and nodded. "Oh, that sounds good," she said with a grin. "I've never had duck confit in a taco," she added. "It should be good. You'll love it."

Nikolai figured that would work then. He shut the menu, not wanting to be too distracted by the other options but as he flipped it over, he noticed the drink specials on the back. "You've had duck confit?" he asked, surprised. "What does it taste like? I don't know why I'm surprised," he realized with a laugh. "You've been to Paris, of course you have," he laughed. "Look at the drink specials on the back, love. I say you let me pick one for you and I'll let you pick one for me."

Anastasia nodded, laughing quietly when he did. "I have. It's delicious. Savory, tender. You'll like it," she grinned. "I don't know why you are either," she teased. She nodded, flipping it over. "Oh, I like that idea. I don't know that I know what kind of drinks you like, so I might just pick something that sounds good and hope you like it," she laughed, looking up at him for a moment.

Nikolai grinned at her for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "I trust you," he grinned. "Silly me, always surprised by you when I should know better by now," he teased with a wink. He scanned over the drinks offered, trying to pick one he thought she'd really like. "Oh, well, I like most drinks," he admitted. "I'm not the pickiest. I end up trying a lot to see if I want to add them to my menu, so I don't think you can really go wrong. Luckily for me, you've ordered from me more than a few times. I have an advantage," he grinned.

Anastasia smiled when he chuckled. She really liked him. "You should. I'm very trustworthy," he grinned. "Maybe one day I'll stop surprising you. Or maybe you'll always be surprised by me," she teased. "You? A bartender? With your very own bar? You like drinks? Huh," she said playfully. "I'm sure you'll drink something I pick for you, even it's shit," she said with a laugh. She nodded a little, still reading the menu over. "I know, you have quite the advantage here. It's a bit unfair, really."

Nikolai shot her a grin. "Oh yeah. The most trustworthy," he teased. He really did trust her, though. "Darling, I don't think you will ever stop surprising me. I can't imagine the day when I'm not surprised you even want to go out with me," he said playfully. He shrugged, his face half innocent and half smug. "I'll drink it. Don't you worry," he winked. He found a drink on the menu similar to the one she'd ordered the night they'd met but then had a better idea. "Why don't you think for a moment, peruse the menu, I'll be right back. Bathroom," he said sheepishly, before kissing her head and heading off to the bathroom.

Anastasia laughed a little, nudging him under the table. "A handsome guy like you? Why wouldn't I want to go out with you?" she smirked, leaning on her hand as she looked at him. "I'm not worried," she added with a grin. She nodded a bit, smiling up at him. "I'll be here," she said. She looked over the menu, reading the descriptions of things, even if she wasn't going to get them tonight. Maybe she'd come back here with her friends sometime.

Nikolai nudged her right back. "Because you're easily the most beautiful girl not only in London but all of Europe. I'd go as far most beautiful in the world," he grinned at her. He winked at her again as he disappeared to the bathroom. He went into a stall and apparated to the bar, grabbing a juice box and apparating back. He walked into the kitchen, having a quick conversation with their waiter and requested the juice brought exactly as it was to the table. He returned to Ana with a smile. "Miss me?" he asked.

Anastasia rolled her eyes playfully at him. "I don't doubt that, but even the most beautiful girl in the world has to go out with someone," she teased. "Don't sell yourself short, love," she added. She glanced up towards the door after a moment, feeling like he was taking a bit long. When she did notice him coming back, he wasn't coming back from the bathroom, which she thought was interesting. She smiled when he sat down again. "I did. I was getting lonely. I was about to go sit over there with that couple," she teased.

Nikolai smirked slightly. "Yeah but she doesn't have to go out with me," he reminded her playfully. He hoped his little trip hadn't taken too long. "Did you order a drink while I was gone?" he asked with an eyebrow raised slightly. He glanced at the couple neared to them and let out a chuckle under his breath as they shared a kiss. "I'm sure they would have appreciated that," he teased. "But I'm sorry I took so long. There was a line."

Anastasia honestly thought he was a dream and a meal all in one. She was so glad she'd happened to meet him. And she was definitely in his league. "No! I was waiting for you!" she laughed. She shrugged, grinning still. "Who doesn't appreciate my company?" she teased. "It's okay. So long as you didn't climb out the window in the toilets to escape me," she laughed.

Nikolai laughed quietly. "Slacker. I ordered yours at the bar as I came back. It should be here any minute now," he smirked at her. "I'm sure a couple that into each other would be a bit miffed at you barging in on their snogging," he teased. He nearly laughed at her suggestion of climbing out the window but simply smiled. "I would never," he promised. He saw their server appear with glasses of water and the juice box for Ana. "So. How'd I do?"

Anastasia scoffed at him. "You said you were going to the bathroom! You cheated," she teased, nudging him under the table. She laughed a little. "Probably. Or they wouldn't even notice I was there," she admitted with another laugh. "Good. I'd never see you again," she said, half joking, half serious. She smiled fondly at him when the waiter brought a juice box. "You did wonderfully. Though I still expect some alcohol," she said with a smile.

Nikolai chuckled. "To be fair, I did. I just went to the bar on the way back," he teased her. "Your legs are far stronger than mine, don't go kicking me. You might break something," he laughed, moving away. "Oh, if it's that easy to get rid of you, I should have made my escape while I had a chance," he lied playfully. He smiled at her reaction to the juice box and asked the waiter to bring her a sangria. "There, now you get your booze, you picky little thing," he teased her.

Anastasia laughed a little. "You still cheated," she grinned. She snorted, shaking her head. "I didn't kick you that hard. Don't be silly," she teased. She gave him a look, but laughed. "Like you'd ever want to get rid of me, Mr. 'I'll-Always-Be-Surprised-You-Like-Me'," she teased. She stuck the straw in the juice box, taking a drink. She tacked on her drink order for him before the waiter left. "Thank you. Now after we order, let's go dance."

Nikolai shrugged a shoulder. "What are you going to do about it? Kick me again? I have better reflexes than that. I don't fall for the same trick twice," he teased. He smiled fondly as she went on, taking a sip of his water. "I don't know, you are a bit much," he teased with a wink. He watched her with the juice box, wondering if she was curious about it. "I would be more than happy to." He paused. "Go embarrass myself that is," he grinned.

Anastasia shrugged, a small smirk on her lips. "I'll decide later, when you aren't expecting it," she winked, taking a drink from her juice box. She laughed loudly at him. "What? You can't handle me? I thought you were better than that," she teased. "Oh, good. If you can't embarrass yourself with me, who can you embarrass yourself with?" she teased. She smiled when the waiter came back with their drinks. After she ordered their meals, she smiled, taking a drink of her water and standing up. "C'mon, then!"

Nikolai rolled his eyes playfully. "I'll still dodge you. Or I'll just step on your toes when we're dancing," he teased. He took a sip of water, smiling to himself. "Maybe you have too much faith in me, darling," he laughed. He knew he'd make a fool of himself on the dance floor but he wasn't too bothered. He just wanted her to have fun. "Absolutely no one," he teased. He took one sip of his new drink before she was standing. "Okay, okay. Let's go," he grinned. He took her hand, leading her down to the dance floor. "Take the lead, love."

Anastasia grinned at him sweetly. "Who said I would kick you?" she teased. "You're gonna step on my toes anyway," she laughed, taking a drink. She pursed her lips. He better just be fucking with her because if she was legitimately putting energy and feelings into him for him to decide she was too much, she'd be pretty disappointed. Maybe not the most surprised, but really disappointed. "I guess we'll see, huh?" she said, raising an eyebrow slightly. She took his hand, walking with him to the dance floor. "Just mirror my moves. We'll go slow," she promised, leading him.

Nikolai shrugged a bit. "Just letting you know I'll dodge if you get any ideas," he winked. "That's a fair assessment," he admitted with a laugh. He'd be stepping on her toes quite a fair bit tonight. He hoped she didn't mind. "Sounds like a challenge. I feel like you're going to try and get rid of me now," he teased. He grew a bit more anxious as they walked to where others were dancing. "I'll do my best. And I'm apologizing in advance for any injuries that may occur during this dance," he added with a laugh as he started to follow her.

Anastasia laughed for a moment before giving him a more serious smile. "Actually, really quite the opposite," she said honestly. If she wanted to get rid of him, she would have. She smiled softly at his apology, shaking her head. "Learning is a work in progress," she said honestly, taking his hands and starting to dance with him. "Anyone can salsa. Just move your hips and it'll start to come naturally."

Nikolai liked the smile she'd aimed at him. "Oh, well, I like the sound of that a lot better," he told her with the same honest tone. He still knew he wouldn't be very good at this dancing and he would be injuring her but he liked that she didn't seem to mind. "Sounds like something Dom would say," he laughed. "But I'll do my best." He tried to follow her steps, looking down at her feet mostly. It started to feel easier to follow the steps after a moment.

Anastasia laughed when he said that was something his brother would say. "Would you rather I be mad at you for accidentally hurting me?" she said playfully. She smiled to herself as he watched her feet, squeezing his hand a little. "It'd be a lot sexier if you were watching me and not my feet," she teased. "But if you need to keep your eyes on them, I guess I can give you a pass."

Nikolai let out a laugh when she did. "No. I much rather you never be mad at me," he admitted with a grin. He laughed once more, his eyes flicking up to meet hers again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to. I just didn't want to step on you," he said again. "I'll look at you instead, I promise." He followed the steps, not looking down this time. "You look like you're really enjoying yourself," he said with a smile.

Anastasia grinned at him, biting the inside of her lip softly. "I can't think of a good reason to be mad at you," she said honestly. She smiled brightly when he looked at her, pulling him a little closer. "It's okay if you do. My feet are practically numb, anyway," she said playfully. She sped them up just a little bit, smiling fondly. "I am. I love dancing. Dancing with you is even better."

Nikolai wondered briefly if she'd be mad when she found out about the magic. He hoped not. He had a feeling she wouldn't be but he couldn't be sure. "I hope you never can," he admitted, smiling. "I'd still feel really bad if I stepped on you," he laughed. When she started moving faster, he matched the movements. "Is it? I would think you'd enjoy it a bit more with a more suitable partner."

Anastasia was sure he would feel bad, but it wouldn't be the biggest deal, honestly. "Dropping me would be far worse," she promised with a small laugh. "If you wanted to hold my hand and spin me out, though, I'd like that," she grinned. She shrugged a little. "I dance with people on my level all the time. It's nice, but you're nicer," she said honestly.

Nikolai laughed a bit. "I can imagine it might hurt a fair bit more to be dropped. I promise to not to do that," he grinned. He nodded a bit. He moved his other hand from her and spun her out before bringing her back in. "How was that?" he asked with a grin. She really was something else to enjoy dancing with him so much. "I appreciate that. It's high praise coming from you," he said honestly.

Anastasia smiled at hem and nodded. "Then we're good," she smiled. She spun out and back into him, dancing again. "Very good! You're better at this than you think you are," she complimented. She shrugged a shoulder as they danced, smiling still. "I mean it," she said. She noticed the waiter bring their food over and stopped dancing, taking his hand. "Let's go eat."

Nikolai still could hardly believe she liked him. She was so incredible and beautiful. He felt immensely lucky. "I don't think I can take all the credit. I think it's because I have such an amazing teacher," he grinned at her. "I know you did," he smiled at her. He stopped moving when she did, letting him take her hand. "Sounds good to me." He walked back to the table with her and let go of her hand to pull her chair out for her.

Anastasia rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, laughing a little. "You're a bit of a kiss up, I think," she teased. "I don't think I've even taught you anything!" she laughed. She liked walking with him, and dancing with him, and holding his hand. She really, really liked him. It was different than the way she'd liked other boys before. She didn't know what the difference was, but there was a difference. "Thank you," she smiled, taking a seat.

Nikolai made a fake insulted face. "I am not! Never in my life have I been accused of something so horrible," he laughed. "A kiss up. Take that back." He thought she'd taught him plenty. "How would I have know the steps if you hadn't taught me them!" he laughed. "Are you trying to be difficult?" he teased. She really was so much fun. He went back around to his side of the table and sat. "Well, this looks interesting. I already forgot what the tacos are."

Anastasia laughed at how fake enraged he got. "Oh? That's the worst thing anyone's ever accused you of? Now I think you're a liar, too," she teased. She grinned. "Okay, I take it back," she teased. "You're just moving with me! Maybe you have more dance in you than you knew," she said with a smile. She laughed a little when he said she was being difficult. "No. It's just happens," she teased back. "It smells great, doesn't it?"

Nikolai rolled his eyes playfully. "It's a pretty terrible thing to accuse someone of, especially me. I'm the least kiss up person," he laughed. Especially of his friends, he thought. Besides, he was a Gryffindor. He didn't need to kiss up. "You better or I wouldn't be kissing you for a while," he teased. "Maybe so. I think you bring it out of me," he grinned. He nodded at the question. "It really does. Okay, what should we try first?" he asked with a smile.

Anastasia grinned at the way he got all worked up, shrugging a shoulder. "Hmm, then you just really like me, huh?" she teased. It was her turn to roll her eyes playfully, smiling while she did. "Maybe I do," she said lightly. "I think you just have a secret knack for it," she winked. Maybe he was better than he knew. "The tacos, obviously. We each can try at the same time," she grinned, picking one up and waiting for him to do the same.

Nikolai pretended to really be thinking about it. "I guess I must like you at least a little," he teased. He really didn't think he had much dancing talent at all but he wouldn't argue about it. After all, she was the expert. Maybe she saw something he didn't. "If you say so," he grinned. He nodded a bit and reached for one of the tacos. "Okay. On three. One... two... three!" He took a bite, chewing it thoughtfully.

Anastasia liked the playfulness between them. It was nice. It felt nice. She waited as he counted, taking a bite when he did. She hummed pleasantly as she chewed. "Mm, I liked that a lot. A lot a lot," she decided, taking a sip of her drink. "I like this a lot, too, by the way. Good pick," she said, taking another drink. She picked up her knife and fork, cutting a piece of meat, but not eating it yet. "You get a bite, too."

Nikolai let the flavors sit on his tongue for a moment. He was impressed. "It's really, really good," he decided. "It has a really interesting flavor profile. I wonder what they season it with," he mused. He took a small sip of his drink when she did. "Oh, I'm glad that you do," he smiled. "I'm liking everything as well." He moved to cut off a piece of meat after she did and then nodded to her before taking the bite. "This is amazing too."

Anastasia nodded along. "I don't know. It's certainly interesting. It blends together really perfectly," she decided. "Do you like your drink? I went out on a limb," she admitted with a small laugh. She took her bite when he did, tapping her foot a little as she chewed. "Mm, it is. It's really good. Steak is such a staple, it's always a good thing when a place can make it memorable."

Nikolai had to agree. He wondered if he could get the recipe at some point but he felt weird asking the staff. For now, he'd just enjoy it and his date with the beauty across the table from him. "I can't pinpoint what spice they're using but it's amazing. It's like nothing I've had before." As they tried the dishes, he mostly watched her for reactions. She was so stunning and kind and warm and he wanted her to enjoy every moment of this. "You're right. It's such a staple. And it can make or break a restaurant."

Anastasia nodded in agreement, taking another small bite. "We'll have to come here again," she grinned. She took a drink from her glass, setting it down and leaning on her hand a bit as she watched him. "I agree! And it's good, right? Good call on this place," she said, leaning in to take another bite again. She loved this place. She definitely wanted to come here again, especially with him.

Nikolai had another bite of the steak, savoring the flavor before having a sip of the drink she'd ordered for him. He liked that she already knew him well enough to have ordered him something he enjoyed so much. "Absolutely. It's a rather remarkable place, isn't it? It suits you," he smiled. He picked up his taco again, smiling at her when he noticed the way she was watching him. "I'll have to thank the customer for recommending it to me. I'm a bit upset it wasn't my own idea but I never even knew it existed," he admitted, laughing before taking a bite of the taco. "As soon as he mentioned it, though, I knew you'd love it. I couldn't wait to see you light up when I told you about the dancing. You have such a beautiful smile."

Anastasia smiled when he said the place suited her. She felt it did, too. Some places just felt like they were made for you to exist in them, and this was one of those places. "I'm glad you think so," she grinned. She laughed when he said he was upset he didn't think of it on his own. "How were you to come up with a plan for a place you didn't know existed!" she laughed. "I didn't know it existed, either," she said with a grin. She flipped her hair behind her, smiling at him. "Oh, what, this old thing?" she said playfully, flashing her smile at him. She smiled more genuinely, feeling warm and fuzzy. "Thank you. I'm glad you brought me here."

Nikolai couldn't imagine a place better fit for her. Everything about the restaurant had character. From the lively music and the bustling dance floor down to the eclectic menu. Everything had a bit of a spice to it and so did Anastasia. She was magical in her own way. "I'll definitely bring you back here," he smiled. He shrugged a bit with a light chuckle. "I just wish I'd known and had the idea myself. I want to impress you," he told her with a grin. He let out a quiet but delighted laugh when she flipped her hair and shot him a grin. "You're beautiful. I don't think I could possibly tell you that enough," he said sincerely. "I'm glad you came with me."

Anastasia hoped this could become a semi-regular place for them. It was always nice to have a go to place. This place was as good as any, as far as she was concerned. "Oh, good," she grinned. She smiled, nudging his foot gently under the table. "You impress me all the time. Don't be silly," she said with a grin. She smiled wider when he laughed, leaning on the table a bit. "Thank you. I'm glad you think I'm beautiful," she said, equally sincere. "I think I would go anywhere with you," she admitted.

Nikolai would have to start looking for more places like this. He wanted to take her to places that included dancing as it meant so much to her. He figured they could always go to a club or something of the sort but dinner and dancing felt much more romantic. He wanted this to be serious between them. He wanted to be able to tell her the truth about himself. "Well, I'm doing my best to. I'm hoping I'll impress you enough that you'll want to be exclusive," he admitted with a smile. "How could I not? You're the most stunning person I've ever met. Inside and out," he promised. Her words had him smiling fondly. "Anywhere?"

Anastasia leaned forward a bit, giving him a coquettish smile. "Did you think I was seeing other men, Nikolai?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him, her chin propped on her hand. "I'm already exclusive," she said lightly, leaning back and taking a sip of her drink. She smiled a bit, licking her lips. "Yeah? You're something else, Nik," she said with a small laugh. She nodded, taking another drink. "Anywhere. Don't take advantage of that."

Nikolai shook his head, though he was smiling at her as he did so. "No, I didn't. I just wanted you to know I'm not seeing other women and I was hoping we'd just make it official that we only saw each other," he admitted, a bit sheepish. "I don't want to see anyone but you." He smiled at her, just watching her for a moment. His eyes were drawn to her lips when she licked them and he reached out for his drink to distract himself a bit more. "Am I? What do you mean?" he wondered. "I'd never take advantage of you," he promised with a smile.

Anastasia smiled at the way he smiled. If the table wasn't between them, she'd kiss him. She just kind of wanted his hands all over her suddenly. "Then I think we're officially not seeing anyone other than each other," she said with a smile. "I don't want to see anyone but you, either." She was quite the serial monogamist, actually. "I mean you're incredible," she said honestly. "I'll hold you to that," she said, raising an eyebrow at him but smiling still.

Nikolai nodded with a grin. "Then I think..." he drew the word out playfully. "That makes you my girlfriend," he winked. "Guess you'll have to meet the rest of my friends now. It's just Dot and Wren. I'll see if I can pry them away from each other long enough to hang out with us. Maybe we could have a little party so you can get to know everyone better. I know Simone really likes you," he smiled. He was a bit surprised for a moment before a wide grin lit up his face. "Thank you. What a compliment," he admitted. "Please do. And also, tell me if I ever go too far or make you uncomfortable," he added.

Anastasia smirked a little. She had nearly asked him if he was asking her to be his girlfriend, but she wasn't sure if that was what he meant, and she didn't want him to feel like he had to say he was asking her to be his girlfriend. But coming up with it on his own? That she loved. "Guess it does huh? I like the sound of that," she grinned. She laughed a little. "If they want to be with each other that bad, I can wait," she teased. "I'd love to get to know your friends better," she smiled. She smiled when he did. "Of course, babe," she smiled. She shook her head, smiling sweetly at him. "I didn't mean take advantage of me like that," she said honestly. "But I will."

Nikolai smiled at her warmly when she said she liked the term. He did too. He couldn't wait to tell Rosie and Dom, honestly. He felt a bit giddy like a teenager. "I like the sound of it, too. I like the idea of being your boyfriend," he grinned as he took a sip of his drink. He felt like they were a step closer every date to her finding out the truth. "They just hang out with each other the most lately. Don't worry, I can get everyone together. We can all meet up after the bar closes one night," he suggested. He smiled back at her, nudging her leg under the table with his own. "I know but I wanted it to be said. Please, tell me."

Anastasia felt on fire. He really set something off inside of her and she loved it. "I like it, too. We're real and official now. I like that a lot," she smiled. She laughed a little and nodded. "I know you can. I don't doubt you," she promised. "I can't wait," she grinned. She let her leg rest against his, just liking the touching. "Don't worry, Nik. You don't make me uncomfortable," she promised with a genuine, soft smile.

Nikolai liked it a lot as well. He couldn't believe it, almost. "I guess this means I'll have to meet your brother sometime soon, huh?" he asked with a smile. "Since we're real and official." He was a bit worried about it, he'd admit but also rather excited. It made everything feel more real. "It'll be a good time. I think you'll fit in well which is good because one or more of them are at the bar more often than not," he laughed. "Okay," he nodded with a smile. "That's good to know. I'm really enjoying tonight, by the way."

Anastasia smiled widely and nodded. "You most certainly will. We'll set it up," she promised. She couldn't wait for him to meet her brother. She was really excited about it. She also couldn't wait for her brother to meet him. She'd talked about him a bit, but it wouldn't be the same as her brother actually getting to meet him. "That's a good thing for sure. I'm sure I'll get along with them. Who can't I charm?" she teased. "I'm really enjoying tonight, too," she promised.

Nikolai couldn't wait. Plus, she'd met both of his siblings and half of his closest friends. It was about time he was thrust into the position of being the one doing the meeting. He knew he wouldn't handle it as smoothly as she had but he didn't mind. "Sounds good. You'll have to give me some talking points that will impress him," he joked. He let out a laugh. "You've charmed me for sure and I know you've charmed all of my friends that you've met. I can just tell," he smiled. "I'm glad. Maybe I can find another place like this."

Anastasia laughed a little, smiling at him. "I can manage that. Don't worry. He's a pretty easy going guy, honestly," she promised. He could be a bit protective and all, but he wasn't that bad. "I'm sure it'll all go swimmingly then," she grinned at him. She took a drink, raising her eyebrow at him a little bit. "Oh yeah? I wouldn't say no to that," she grinned.

Nikolai had figured as much but he was still slightly nervous. He'd slipped up enough around her and she'd ignored it. He wasn't sure if her brother would or not. "That sounds good to me. I believe you," he promised. "Absolutely. I don't think it could go any other way," he agreed. He nodded and took another bite of his taco. "I'll ask around. Someone will have some kind of suggestion," he smiled. "Besides, I can see how much you like this place."

Anastasia couldn't believe how much she liked him. All because she happened into his bar one night. Wow. What were the chances? She could have gone to any other bar, or he could have been not working. She could have missed him so easily. "I'm glad you were working that night I came in," she said with a soft smile, taking a sip from her drink. "I'd be happy to go to any restaurant with dancing that you take me to," she smiled at him.

Nikolai smiled fondly at her. He was glad too. He didn't want to think about how different things would be if he hadn't met her. "Maybe you'd be here with Dom if I hadn't been," he joked. "In all seriousness, I'm glad you came in. Seems like so long ago but I know it wasn't," he admitted with a smile. It was strange to think of life before Ana, he thought. "I hope there are quite a few. Otherwise I suppose I'll have to open one next," he joked.

Anastasia laughed a bit, shaking her head. "I like your brother, but not that much," she teased. It did feel like a while ago, but she knew it hadn't been that long. Maybe a month. Maybe they had gone a bit fast, but she didn't really feel like it was a bad thing. "It does feel like a while back," she admitted. "Are you being serious, because if you opened one, I would definitely help you," she said with a laugh.

Nikolai let out a laugh when she did. "I'll have to let him know that now so I can rub it in his face," he teased back. It seemed insane that one moment in time, something that had happened by chance alone, had made such a significant impact on him. "I knew that day that you were special," he told her with a smile. He shrugged a bit. "I mean, I could? In the future a bit. I'm still working on some... projects for the bar. However," he grinned. "In the meantime maybe we could do a themed night? You can pick the dance style."

Anastasia thought he was silly. She grinned, shaking her head playfully. She took a bite, taking a sip of her water after she swallowed. "Was it the coat or the juice box request?" she teased, smiling at him. "My bets are on the juice box," she added. She nodded a bit, shrugging a shoulder. That made sense. "I would like a themed night. I can help you pick the music and everything," she grinned at him.

Nikolai pretended to think it over. "Well..." he drew the word out playfully. "I was going to say it was your confidence and your overall demeanor. The juice box request might have lost you points, actually," he teased with a wink. He nodded a bit, thinking this could be a lot of fun. He'd have to get everyone on board but he didn't think that'd be too hard. "Sounds great. Any ideas on the theme you'd want yet?" he asked curiously.

Anastasia laughed when he said the juice box lost her points. "That made me approachable, then," she teased, winking back at him. She shrugged a little. She could think of a ton of themes. "Are we talking only for dance? I want a ballroom dancing night. Everyone can get dressed up and you can get Dom to dress up and serve drinks all fancy. It'll be fun."

Nikolai gave her a playful grin. "You're right. You needed something to make you approachable. You're clearly way too cool for me." He thought for a moment before shrugging a shoulder. "We're talking whatever you're thinking." Ballroom dancing seemed like such an odd choice but he was into it. "I'm sure Dom would be thrilled to not have to dance," he laughed. "Ballroom it is."

Anastasia shrugged casually, smiling at him still. "Clearly. If I hadn't asked for the juice, maybe you would have sent Dom over," she teased. She let out a little hum as she thought. "Well, then this could get fun," she said with a playful smile. She laughed a little. "I'm sure he would. You, on the other hand, won't be so lucky," she teased.

Nikolai grinned. "Oh, because Dom could have handled you so much better," he laughed. "That would have been something." He just wanted her to be happy really. If that meant planning more than one themed night at the bar then he had no problem with it. "Anything you want," he promised with a smile. "This is unfair. If I have to dance, all the other employees do too at some point," he insisted playfully. "It'll be mandatory that the staff dance at least twice. That'll have to do," he grinned.

Anastasia laughed and shook her head. "He definitely wouldn't have. But would he have cared the way you would have?" she said with a small smile. She thought it was interesting that he would let her do anything she wanted. She hadn't really intended that, but she wasn't complaining. "You're only dancing because you're dancing with me," she said, leaning a bit closer to him. "If you aren't dancing with me, then who is?" she said, giving him a small smirk. "If you want to make them dance, I won't stop you."

Nikolai doubted it. He didn't think Dom would have even noticed. "He would have been fine, probably," he chuckled. "But he's a bit oblivious, I guess." He wouldn't mind dancing in front of everyone with her, even if he knew he'd be embarrassing himself. She'd get to show off a bit and he'd be doing his best to keep up. And it would make her smile. "Clearly Dom would be," he teased. He leaned across the table, closing the distance with a kiss. "I'm making them dance. We're all embarrassing ourselves. One goes down, the rest have to follow," he teased.

Anastasia made a face, having already known that. "And I probably wouldn't have been as impressed," she teased. "You're far more interesting than your brother. No offense," she added. She laughed a little. "I don't think so," she teased. She grinned when he kissed her, kissing him back. "Make them dance then. I'll have fun watching all of you," she teased with a small laugh. She took a bite, taking a drink after. "What are we doing after this?" she asked curiously.

Nikolai tried to imagine the scenario unfolding. "Yeah, I don't know if the same impact would have been left. You might not have returned," he teased. "Oh, I can't wait to tell him you said that," he joked, picking up his drink. "Probably not, you're right. He'd be too afraid." He smiled as she returned the kiss. Everything felt so natural with her. He loved that. "You might have to give everyone a lesson," he admitted. "I don't think anyone knows the first thing about ballroom dancing. If anyone would, it'd be Dom. He knows so much about mu--everything," he corrected. "Dessert, I suppose. We can get something here or go somewhere else?" he suggested. "I have some of my mum's cupcakes from her bakery and other sweets back at my flat," he added.

Anastasia nodded a little in agreement with him. "I don't know that I would have," she admitted. "You're a lot of the charm of that place, I have to admit," she said, winking at him. She laughed. She liked that they had such a great relationship. "I'm sure he would. I'm quite the dancer," she teased. She laughed a little. "That's the fun in those kind of nights. No one knows what they're doing," she said with a chuckle. "Does he really? That's interesting. He's one of those quiet, keeps all his information to himself, types, huh?" he teased. She hummed quietly. "Let's save dessert here for next time we come and eat your mum's cupcakes tonight," she said with a smile. She really just wanted to see his flat.

Nikolai didn't really think that was true. He wasn't part of the charm. Maybe just to her, he decided. "Well, I'm happy to have charmed you, that's for certain." He grinned at her as he finished off his drink. She really was. Her dancing overwhelmed him; Dom would not be able to keep up. "At least we'll all be awful together and you can be the star of the night which I suspect is what you wanted," he teased. He nodded a bit. "He likes to study people. Watch them, rather. Watch sounds less creepy," he admitted. "Alright, cupcakes at my flat it is." When the waiter returned he asked politely for the check and then paid it when it was returned to him. "Did you want to dance again before we go?" he asked. He wouldn't mind.

Anastasia grinned fondly at him, crossing her legs under the table. "I'm happy you charmed me, too," she promised. She laughed and shook her head. "That's not what I wanted! I'm always the star, first of all, and second of all, dancing is fun!" she grinned, finishing off her drink, and then drinking some of her water. She laughed a little. "I don't know that watch sounds less creepy," she admitted. "But people watching is a fun thing to do," she added. "You know, I make incredible cupcakes. Sometime I'll have to make them for you," she noted. "They're probably not as good as your mum's, but," she trailed off. She took a drink of her water, but shook her head after a moment of thought. "Mm, no. We can always dance at your flat if I really need to dance again," she said playfully, standing up.

Nikolai thought it was possible that she'd shine so bright no one would even notice his rubbish dancing next to her. He hoped for that, especially since this would be at his bar. "You are and it is," he agreed with a smile. He didn't know how to explain that Dom just liked to observe muggles because no matter how he tried to word it, it sounded pretty odd. He'd just have to brush past it. "We're talking too much about Dom," he decided playfully. "I bet you do. Cupcakes are one of my favorites. Mum sent me home with a few of my favorites when I visited her earlier," he explained. "Ah, I bet you're both equal at cupcake making," he offered with a smile. He followed suit, taking a sip of his water as well before standing up. "Alright then, let's go to my flat," he said as he took her hand to lead her out.

Anastasia was pleased that he agreed with her. He always did, but she was always happy that he did anyway. She laughed when he said they were talking about Dom too much. "Okay, enough of him," she teased. "They are? That's rather perfect then, hm? Aw, that was nice of her. I bet she keeps them on hand when she knows you're coming around," she grinned. "Sweet of you, but I haven't been baking as long as your mum," she said with a grin. She took his hand, following him out. "Do you want to walk or get a cab?"

Nikolai liked a lot of desserts but he always had a taste for cupcakes. "They're a bit juvenile, probably," he admitted with a chuckle. "But I do enjoy them a fair bit. I don't have a single bad memory of a cupcake." He chuckled a bit, wondering if she was right. "I think she just has two of everything on hand when I come by," he admitted. He was sure she had a point but he was sticking to his answer. "So maybe they'll be a bit different but a cupcake is a cupcake," he smiled. His hand tightened on hers as they left the restaurant. "We can get a cab," he suggested. "It's a bit of a walk."

Anastasia laughed and gave him a look, raising an eyebrow. "Juvenile? I don't think so. Cupcakes are a great treat for everyone," she teased. Maybe she wasn't a good judge, seeing as she still loved juice boxes and fun little snacks. She was a bit juvenile herself. "Who does?" she said with a laugh. "That's cute," she grinned. She laughed a little, smiling at him. "I didn't think you wouldn't like them. Like you said, a cupcake is a cupcake," she winked. She smiled as he held her hand tight, walking close to him. "Okay, sounds good. How far is this place?"

Nikolai shrugged slightly. "I've always thought danishes and scones were more adult treats. Or macarons, those just seem sophisticated," he chuckled. "Cupcakes, though, you can break the bottom off and make a sandwich of. How fun is that?" he teased. He was certain someone out there had a bad memory associated with a cupcake. "Maybe it made them sick. Maybe they brought their partner a cupcake and said partner broke up with them, I don't know," he laughed. He thought she was adorable. "I will happily try your cupcakes, Ana." He signaled for a cab when they were outside and held her door for her. "Not too far but it's back by the bar and we took a cab here from there."

Anastasia thought about his description of sweets, before humming quietly. "Danishes and scones, definitely. But macarons, sophisticated as they, are so yummy and pretty. I mean, have you seen them? Such bright colors. Tell me those weren't made to be enjoyed," she said playfully. "Yeah, that is pretty fun. I prefer just taking a big bite and getting frosting everywhere, though," she said with a laugh. She laughed a little, giving him a look. "Why make cupcakes so dark?" she teased. "I'll happily make you cupcakes, Nik." She got in after him, nodding a bit. "Mm, fair enough."

Nikolai laughed at the playfulness in her voice. "Aren't all foods made to be enjoyed?" he teased. "You have a point, though. They're begging to be eaten with all of those bright colors." He could so easily picture her eating a cupcake like that. "I can't wait to see you get frosting everywhere," he teased lightly. It'd be so cute. "I'm just saying! It's possible to tie a bad memory to a cupcake!" he insisted with a laugh. "I'm looking forward to trying them." Once they were situated in the cab he took her hand again as he leaned forward to give his address.

Anastasia made a face at him and shook her head. "Absolutely not. Have you ever had asparagus? That was not made to be enjoyed," she said with a laugh. "They are! They're cute. Who doesn't love cute food." She grinned when he said he was excited to see her eat cupcakes. "You're just looking forward to seeing me not look perfect. Well, joke's on you, I even look perfect with cupcake all over my face," she teased. She waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah, you've made your point," she teased, smiling at him. She leaned against him in the back of the car, smiling happily to herself. He was her boyfriend. She was so happy.

Nikolai couldn't help but laugh harder. "I have had asparagus. It's not the worst food on the planet," he teased her. It definitely wasn't the best either. "Awful, grumpy people probably don't," he grinned. He had to admit, seeing her a bit disheveled with cupcake on her face was appealing but only because he thought she'd look cute. "You'll look adorable," he promised with a grin. He chuckled quietly, letting it drop. He rubbed her hand softly, glancing out the window. He was a bit nervous about her seeing his flat. He hoped he'd hidden everything and his spell had held up. If it hadn't... this might not go well.

Anastasia made another face, turning to look at him. "But can you honestly say it was made to be enjoyed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She smiled and shrugged. "Maybe not, but they are also really good," she said with a small laugh. She smiled and nodded, glancing over at him. "I'm always adorable, silly," she teased. She smiled as he rubbed her hand. They were a couple. They were a real couple. She was so happy. She really liked him.

Nikolai shrugged, trying not to chuckle at the look on her face. "If it's prepared properly, it is made to be enjoyed. I could change your mind on asparagus in one try." His grin was playful when he aimed it at her. She had to be the cutest person he'd ever seen; it wasn't hard to believe a cupcake wouldn't make her look even more precious. "You are always adorable," he relented teasingly. He glanced out the window briefly. "What's your favorite kind of cupcake?" he asked after a moment.

Anastasia groaned and laughed, nudging him. "Asparagus doesn't compare to cupcakes or macarons, Nik!" she exclaimed, laughing still. If he was offering to cook for her, though, she wouldn't say no. She smiled at him when he smiled at her. "I'm glad you think so," she grinned. She looked over at him when he turned back to her. "I had a tiramisu cupcake once. That was really good. I like a good old chocolate one, though. What about you?"

Nikolai laughed with her. "I never said it compared! Just that it can be enjoyed!" he insisted playfully. He knew how to cook it properly in a way that she would enjoy. He could make most things taste good, he thought. "How could I not?" he asked with a laugh. He squeeze her hand when she looked at him, a smile dancing on his lips. "Tiramisu? That sounds incredible. I think I have a few chocolate ones for you," he grinned. "My mum makes a really incredible vanilla bean cupcake. That one or a lemon one might be my favorite."

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Why do you insist on proving me wrong?" she asked playfully, shaking her head. She was pretty sure anyone with eyes would agree she was adorable, but it meant a lot that Nik thought so. "It was. It had a chocolate covered espresso bean on top. Ooh, I loved it," she admitted. "Oh, I'd like that," she smiled. She nodded a bit. "Vanilla or lemon. Interesting choices. Very light, fluffy flavors. I do love a good lemon flavored dessert, though," she agreed.

Nikolai leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm not insisting on proving you wrong. I just think asparagus is unfairly judged," he teased. He thought that cupcake sounded quite magical, honestly, even if coffee wasn't his favorite. He'd have to ask his mum if she knew how to make them for Ana. "Sounds delicious," he smiled. "I like the lighter flavors the best," he admitted. "I won't turn any cupcake down, though. Those two just remind me a lot of being a kid and my mum making cupcakes for my birthday when my siblings were both off at school."

Anastasia smiled at the kiss, but rolled her eyes again. "You're lame," she teased. "Defending asparagus," she added, laughing quietly. He was so cute. "It was," she said with a grin. "Lemon is a particularly good flavor. Vanilla is good, too," she agreed. She grinned a little. "You're a mama's boy, aren't you?" she teased lightly. "How long were you home with your mum before you went off to school, too?"

Nikolai let out a laugh and pulled away from her. "You just like to pick on me," he teased. He didn't mind. He liked her a lot. "It is a great a flavor. I don't think there are many flavors that I don't like," he shrugged. He just loved food. "I suppose I am, but that's mostly because I'm the youngest. I had her to myself the longest," he shrugged. "Oh, until I was eleven. I'm two years behind Rosie so I had that."

Anastasia leaned closer to him when he moved away, leaning up and kissing his jaw. "Only cause I like you so much," she teased lightly. She could believe that. He liked asparagus for fuck's sake. If he wouldn't draw the line there, she doubted he had many foods in general he didn't like. "I like that. A man who loves and respects his mum is always a good man," she said with a smile. She made a face, turning to look at him a little. "Until you were eleven? What did you do before then?"

Nikolai smiled at the kiss on his jaw. "If you say so, Ana," he teased. He was quite close with his mother. They had similar businesses in the fact that they both served food and since his bar was so close to her bakery, he stopped by quite often. Why wouldn't he? "She's an incredible woman," he said with a smile. "You'll really like her." He frowned slightly, wracking his brain for what was so odd. "Oh. Um. The school only starts at that age. I did my other schooling at home." Was that a thing?

Anastasia smiled when he complimented his mum again. He was so sweet and good. He had such a good heart. She could just tell. "I don't see how I couldn't adore her," she said honestly. She frowned a little, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Huh, interesting. So you did all your primary schooling at home? Did they send you away to a private school after that or something?" she asked curiously. "I went to a private school, but my education was weird, because I was always training for dance. And somewhere along the lines I realized how rich my parents were, and that I didn't really ever have to make a dime. I think that changed a lot for me."

Nikolai felt like he was fumbling. He had no idea how to recover from this if she didn't buy it. "Yeah. I did it all at home," he nodded. "Then the private school. That's where Dot and Dom met. Wren went to the school too but he was older," he explained. That worked, right? He hoped so. "You love dancing, though, so I can't imagine you didn't like that," he said with a smile. He still wasn't too sure how much money her family had but he didn't really understand it either. "And now you're here on a date with me."

Anastasia nodded a little as he talked. That made sense. "Oh wow, that's really cool. How cool that you guys are all so close. I only talk to two of my friends from school, really," she admitted. She nodded and smiled. "I did like it. It was great. I had to work harder, and I missed some things that felt like a big deal at the time, but I'm so glad I got the training I did," she said honestly. She laughed a little and nodded. "I know. Looks like things worked out alright," she said playfully.

Nikolai relaxed when she believed him. He really had to be more careful with his words or he had to suck it up and confess his secret to her. He just didn't know if they were ready for that yet. "It's pretty easy to stay in contact when we all hang out at the bar," he shrugged. "I think if we didn't have that I wouldn't see them much." He smiled as she spoke. "I'm glad that you did as well. You're an incredible dancer," he smiled. "Looks like it," he grinned. When the cab stopped in front of his house, he leaned forward to pay before getting out and offering a hand.

Anastasia figured that made sense. It was interesting that they all ended up going to the same bar, though. He wasn't that old, it's not like he'd owned the place for that long. "I'm sure you wouldn't. You'd be all busy working," she teased. "Now you get to see your friends at work. What a dream," she added playfully. "Thank you. I've been very lucky," she admitted. She waited as he got out, getting out too and taking his hand. "So this is your place, huh?" she said with a smile, looking up at the building.

Nikolai nodded a bit. He felt lucky that things had worked out the way that they had. He considered the group of friends to be a second family. "We would. I'd probably hardly see Rosie or Dom and I'd never see the rest of them. I'm really lucky," he admitted with a smile. He looked up at his building, trying to remember if he had hidden everything that he'd meant to. He hoped so. "Oh yeah, this is it," he grinned. He was a little nervous but he hid it well. He started towards the building, holding the door open for her.

Anastasia nodded a little, raising her eyebrows. "That would suck. You're so close to them," she said with a soft smile. She followed him into the building. "It's cute," she said before they went in. "Oh, thank you," she smiled, stepping into the door with him. "How long have you lived here?" she asked curiously, waiting for him to show her where to go next.

Nikolai grinned at her. "Yeah, I am pretty close to them," he agreed. "I got really lucky," he repeated. He found himself worrying a little more about the state of his flat the closer they were. "Oh, thanks," he chuckled. He thought for a moment as he led the way up the stairs. "Probably a few years now. I moved in with my mum for a bit after school, lived there until the bar became profitable," he explained. When they reached his door he hesitated for a split second before unlocking it. "This is it."

Anastasia smiled. She thought it was more than lucky. Sure, some people were lucky, like her. But he had worked really hard for things to be the way they were for him. She admired that. She nodded a little. "That's not bad. Was it weird living with your mum while being an adult? I've always hated when my mum comes around for a few days. She starts telling me how to do my dishes! Ridiculous," she said playfully. She followed him in, smiling a little. "I like it. It's cute, like you," she said with a wink. It was quirky like him, too.

Nikolai laughed a little when she said she didn't like her mum coming around for a few days but he shook his head slightly. "No, it wasn't weird at all. I'd spent the majority of the seven years prior to it at school. I only really saw her for Christmas and the summer holiday," he explained. "It was nice to see so much of her. And luckily now I know the proper way to do dishes," he winked. He glanced around as subtly as possible, instantly zeroing in on a few things he needed to hide. "I'm glad you like it. Do you want to sit? I can get you a drink if you'd like?"

Anastasia nodded a little. She would have felt like it was overbearing having someone over her shoulder when she'd spent most of the past seven years by herself, but she thought it was nice that he didn't feel that way. She raised her eyebrows and gasped at him. "Rude! I know the proper way to do dishes!" she laughed. "It's nice you guys had a good time, though," she said honestly. She nodded a little, glancing around his apartment subtly. "Hm, yeah. Just water," she said as she sat down.

Nikolai let out a loud laugh. "Sure you do," he teased. He couldn't imagine having not moved home for a bit. He'd had no income, anyway. Unless he'd moved in with Dom, he had to go back to his mum's. "Yeah, it was nice. I worked at her bakery during that time as well. I need to take you there someday," he mused, mostly talking to himself. He nodded a bit, heading towards the kitchen. "Oh, why don't you sit down and make yourself at home?" he suggested.

Anastasia raised an eyebrow a little. "Oh really? You've really been holding back on me with the sweets then," she teased. "You do. But I mean, I will have to meet your mother then. Are you prepared for that?" she said playfully. She nodded, taking a seat on his couch. "So, do you have girls up here often?" she asked playfully. He sure was odd. He had a style going, for sure, but it was just a little weird. Sort of hipster. Not really what she'd expected.

Nikolai shrugged with a smile. "I suppose I have. Baking isn't my favorite and nothing I make is as good as what she makes," he admitted. "I'm better at cooking." He chuckled softly. "Maybe I'll take you to the bakery when she's not there," he winked. He grabbed water for both of them before quickly hiding a few things in the kitchen. "Only the ones I like," he teased as he brought her the drink.

Anastasia gave him a look but nodded. "Alright, that's fair," she teased. "You can make me food then," she added. She laughed a little but raised an eyebrow at him. "Probably a good call. I'm a handful," she said playfully. She smirked a little, taking a drink of the water. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said with a smile. "I really like you," she said honestly, smiling at him.

Nikolai laughed a little. "I can definitely make you food. I'll make you dinner sometime," he promised. "Maybe for our next date." He shook his head, an amused smile on his lips. "You're such a handful," he teased. "Too much for my mum to handle." He sat down next to her and took a sip of his water. "I really like you, too," he promised. He leaned closer, kissing her gently on the lips.

Anastasia smiled at that idea, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I wouldn't say no to that," she said honestly. "Sounds like a good date to me," she added. She laughed when he agreed with her. "At least you're honest," she teased. She watched as he sat next to her, smiling a bit. "You do? That's great," she said, half playful, but mostly just smiling sweetly. She leaned in, kissing him back. "I like your place a lot."

Nikolai would think of something to make for her to wow her a bit. "Then I'll definitely cook for you," he promised. He was already looking forward to it. "I will always be honest with you, love," he winked. He'd eventually tell her about the whole wizard thing so that counted. "I do," he repeated with a smile. He kissed her on the cheek before kissing her jaw. "I'm glad to hear that," he said as he straightened up again.

Anastasia smiled at him and nodded. "This sounds like a wonderful date then," she grinned. She laughed a little at his wink. "I count on that," she said playfully. She liked him a lot. She wasn't always the best at expressing her feelings, especially when they were this strong, but she really really liked him. And she liked that they were dating. And that he liked her, too. She smiled when he kissed her jaw, sitting up when he did again. "Do your siblings live close by?"

Nikolai thought so as well. Cooking was personal and romantic. It was the ideal date for him to plan. Besides, cooking was nearly second nature to him. He couldn't mess it up. "I won't let you down, I promise." He leaned closer and kissed her cheek. He'd be content to simply sit like this with her if that was all she wanted to do. He just wanted to be around her. "Close enough," he shrugged. "None of them are too terribly far. It's always easy to get to them." Thanks to apparation but he couldn't exactly say that. "Does your brother live close to you?"

Anastasia smiled at him and nodded. "I wouldn't expect you to," she said honestly. She smiled when he kissed her cheek. She nodded a little. She thought that was nice. "That's really nice. And you're near your bar here, aren't you?" she asked. They came here from a different direction, so she wasn't sure, but she thought it felt close. "He does. He's a bit closer to the studio than I am, but he's pretty close."

Nikolai liked that. He wanted her to be able to put trust in him. He found that incredibly important in a relationship. "Good," he smiled. He nodded a bit, adjusting on the couch so his arm was behind her. "I am pretty close to it," he smiled. Even with his apparation skills, he liked living nearby. It just made sense. "Oh yeah? That's cool. It's nice to live close to siblings. It feels a bit more like home, I think. Maybe that's just me."

Anastasia thought that was nice, having everything he needed so close. "How nice," she said with another smile. She nodded. She liked being close to him. She loved her parents, and they loved her, but she had never been as emotionally close to them as she was to her brother. Having him around was amazing. "It is. It does make it feel more homey. I know for me, a lot of times my parents weren't around, so my brother was a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. I'm so glad I get to see him so regularly."

Nikolai definitely enjoyed it. He liked still feeling close and connected to his family. He might complain about them sometimes but he truly loved them all. "It's a good time. There's never a dull moment around here." He listened as she spoke, his hand dropping off the couch to rest against her shoulder. "I get that. My dad wasn't around a whole lot because he taught at the boarding school so that's why I'm so close to my mum. It was just us for some time. I imagine that's how it worked with you and your brother?"

Anastasia smiled fondly. She liked that. She never wanted to live in a dull moment. Life was short, what was the point in wasting it with boring things? "That's how I like life," she smiled. She leaned into him a bit more as they spoke. "Oh he did? That must've been hard. But then I bet it was nice when you left your mum to know your dad was there. It was like that, yeah. He's a bit older than me, so he really took care of me in a lot of ways. He's much more grounded than I am. I'm sure if things had been reversed I wouldn't have been as good a big sister as he's been a big brother."

Nikolai knew he liked her for a reason. They had so much in common, like their view points on life. It was rather magical, he thought ironically, as only one possessed the ability. They made their own magic, though. "What's the point in going day by day without excitement? Then it's just going through the motions," he shrugged. "Yeah, it was harder growing up. There was a time we really wanted him to come home... I don't remember much of it except spending a lot of time with Dom and Rosie," he admitted. "But it was good--and bad, actually, having him at school. I couldn't get away with anything," he chuckled. He smiled, the expression soft. Her brother had looked out for her the way Dom had looked out for him. He liked that. "It's good that you had him around to look after you. I can't imagine how much of a wild child you'd be," he teased. "I think you would have made a great big sister."

Anastasia nodded in agreement as he spoke, making a face at the thought. "I never want to just go through life doing the motions. If I ever get to that point, someone needs to like, send me to a new country, so I have to do something different," she said with a laugh. She nodded along as he spoke, frowning a little. "Why couldn't he come home?" she asked curiously. She laughed, smirking a little. "I should've known," she said playfully. It made sense. She got away with all kinds of shit. "I am, too. I think I probably would've been too wild for you," she teased. "I don't think so. I think I would have helped steal cookies and then left him with only that so I could party," she said with a laugh. "I mean, the combination of not having him to guide me, and then also being in charge. It wouldn't have been good."

Nikolai couldn't agree more. What would be the point? It wouldn't be a life worth living. "Send you to a new country?" he asked with a laugh. "Bit extreme but understandable. I don't even know what I'd do if it started becoming repetitive. I don't have a back up plan. I invested everything in the bar. I just have to hope for the best," he chuckled. His smile slipped a little. He didn't remember much about the war but he knew she had no knowledge of it. "Things were just tense for a while. He wanted to stay at the school to help out. I was too young to really remember much of it." He hoped that was a sufficient answer. "I was always a bit of a troublemaker even if I couldn't get away with it," he grinned. He laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Nah, I think I could have handled you. Or I would hve done my best." He laughed again, the arm wrapped around her pulling her into him. "Then I guess we're both lucky we ended up the way we did," he mused as he leaned in for a kiss.

Anastasia laughed when he did and shrugged a shoulder. "I was going to say put me out of my misery, but that felt a bit extreme," she admitted with a laugh. "We just won't let one another become repetitive," she said with a smile and a nudge of her foot. She frowned a little and nodded. "I understand. At least you don't remember it much," she said with a small smile. She laughed, smirking again. "I entirely believe that you got into trouble even when you knew you wouldn't get away with it." She liked that he was determined to have ended up with her now. "Oh yeah? I believe you," she said with a grin. She leaned into him, moving so her head was on his shoulder. "We definitely are," she agreed, turning to kiss him.

Nikolai laughed louder at that. "Yeah, putting you out of your misery does seem a bit extreme," he teased playfully. "Oh yeah, we'll make a pact. Neither of us will let the other grow boring," he smiled, nudging her back. He nodded a bit, letting it drop easily. He couldn't go into much detail. He didn't even know how to explain. "Yeah, there's that," he agreed. He chuckled a bit, shrugging a shoulder. "What can I say? I was the problem child. I was also my mum's favorite," he winked. He adjusted so she could get closer to him, kissing her again. "Very lucky," he agreed before moving for another kiss.

Anastasia laughed, smiling fondly at his laugh. "Yeah, that's why I went with new country!" she laughed again. She nodded, liking that idea. They'd keep each other fresh and fun. It sounded nice. "Sounds like a good deal to me," she smiled. She laughed, laughing harder when he added the bit about being the favorite. "She liked your troublesomeness, huh? I bet you keep her young," she teased. She smiled, leaning in and kissing him back. "The luckiest," she said quietly, leaning in and kissing him again.

Nikolai shook his head at her but he was still grinning. "Much better. Still dramatic but better," he teased. "Don't worry, I'll get you as far from England as possible," he promised with a chuckle. "That's a better deal anyway." It hinted at a future for them anyway and Merlin, he really hoped for one. He was nearly ready to tell her everything. "I think she just let me get away with it because I was the last one left," he admitted. "And I'm the one who visits her the most now," he added. "Enough talk about my mum," he laughed, leaning in and kissing her a bit deeper.

Anastasia shrugged and smirked. "I have a flair for the dramatic. What can I say? You love it," she grinned. She laughed and nodded. "We'll go together. It'll be so fun," she said with a grin. She nodded along. That made sense. She laughed when he said enough about his mum, leaning into him. "No problem, babe," she said. She put her hand on his chest, leaning in and kissing him again.

Nikolai grinned at her. "I've always been fond of the dramatic," he winked at her. "It will be a lot of fun," he agreed. He wanted to do a lot with her, honestly. He enjoyed her company and he really had such strong feelings for her. He pulled her closer to him, grabbing her around the waist to pull her into his lap. He kissed her harder than he had been, nipping at her lower lip gently.

Anastasia smirked and nodded, leaning in and kissing him softly. "That's why you like me so much," she said playfully. She moved with him easily, straddling him as she settled onto his lap. She kissed him back, letting out a soft whimper against his lips. She moved her fingertips to the hem of his shirt, letting her hands slip under the fabric and graze his soft skin.

Nikolai nodded his response. He didn't find words as necessary at the moment as he did touching her. He kept his hands low on her waist. The whimper she made was better than any other magic he'd ever witnessed. He wanted to hear it again. He sat up a little bit to let her get her hands under his shirt more and moved his hands to her thighs, sliding them under the hem of her dress.

Anastasia rolled her hips into his slightly, liking the grip he had on her waist. She liked the direction this was going towards. She liked his hands on her thighs. She liked him a lot. It was amazing and electrifying. She adjusted a bit, letting her dress move more easily. She moved her hands all the way up his chest, feeling over his pecs, before moving back down, flicking her tongue out against his lip as she did.

Nikolai squeezed her thighs a bit when she rolled her hips. He let his hands roam over the skin of her thighs, feeling her warmth. He teased the skin with soft patterns, not going too high until he was certain where she wanted this to go. He kissed her a bit harder, rocking his hips up against her a little. He tugged at the hem of her dress, pulling away from the kiss when his hand slid up her back to the zipper.

Anastasia hummed in delight, letting him know she liked what he was doing. His hands on her felt so perfect. His hands must've been made to touch her skin. She kissed him back harder, her hands moving around his neck. She let her fingers tangle in his hair, rolling her body against his. She pulled back when he did. "Take it off," she whispered against his skin, leaning in and kissing the corner of his mouth.

Nikolai liked the sound that she made. It was quite the pretty sound but that made sense. She was stunning. He rolled his hips up as she moved against him, letting a moan of his own slip into her mouth. She drove him positively insane. He hummed out a deep sound when she spoke and undid the zipper on her dress, pulling back to pull it over her head. Merlin, he thought. She really was extraordinary. He leaned in for another kiss, hands roaming her body more freely, tracing over skin in an attempt to memorize her curves.

Anastasia felt herself melt into him when he moaned. She liked him so much. She pulled away from him, lifting her arms to help get the dress off. She leaned in again, wrapping her arms around his neck again and kissing him again. She sighed softly into his mouth as his hands moved over her body. She whined a little, leaning into him more, rolling her hips into him.

Nikolai moved his hands over her a bit more, sliding up her back to unhook her bra. He pulled it from her easily and leaned into her once more. He broke the kiss once more, moving his lips to trail down her neck, sucking a mark there without thinking. He bit the spot gently, hands moving to cup her breasts in his palms. He rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, biting down on the junction of her neck.

Anastasia let him take her bra off, moving her arms to get it off and toss it away. She leaned her head to the side, moaning softly as he moved his lips over her skin. She felt so connected to him. His teeth on her skin in combination with his hands on her breasts was just perfect. She rolled her hips into his again, one of her hands moving to his hair. She moaned softly again, just wanting more of him.

Nikolai liked that she was almost completely naked on top of him and he hadn't even taken anything off all the way yet. It spurred him on, finding himself determined to get her off before he took his clothes off. He moved his hands back down her body, grabbing her by the hips and moving them so her back was pressed against the couch. He started kissing down her body, starting with her neck down to her collarbones. His hands went back to her breasts, kneading them gently and teasing the nipples.

Anastasia held him close, her hands both in his hair. She was so desperate for more. When he moved them, she wrapped her legs around his body tightly, holding him close as he kissed over her skin. She only loosened them when he moved down, letting out a small gasp as his hands found her breast. He had such a good touch. She could spend all her time with him, easily.

Nikolai cast a spell, warming his hands and making them so her skin would tingle the slightest bit. Not enough to make her suspicious but enough that she'd feel it. He rubbed her breasts gently, flicking his thumbs over her nipples gently. He leaned down and took one into his mouth, sucking on it gently and flicking his tongue against it. He continued to move his hands down her body, pressing one between her legs to feel her heat.

Anastasia moaned softly at the feeling of his hands on her skin. He was really something special. Her whole body was full of anticipation, waiting for him to touch her next. She whimpered when his mouth moved around her, biting her lip. She let her head move back against the back of the couch, letting out a whimpery breath when his hand moved to her legs. She spread them a little, wanting his next move.

Nikolai rubbed his hands all over her skin, wanting her to feel the magic. He sucked hard on her nipple, catching it between her teeth to give it a tug. He licked his way down her body, trailing his tongue over her skin. He sucked a mark below her belly button and then tugged her panties off of her body, cupping her before sliding two fingers inside of her. "You're so wet for me," he murmured as he thrust. "I love that."

Anastasia already felt like she was having a hard time catching her breath. He just made her skin feel electrifying. It was incredible. She sucked in air as he licked down her body, biting her bottom lip when he pushed two fingers into her. Her hips buckled a little, and she whined his name. She tried to say something, but just made some noises.

Nikolai rocked his fingers into her at a steady pace. He moved down, licking around his fingers before finding his way up to her clit. He sucked it into his mouth, using a spell to send more warmth through her. Not too much but just enough to heat her body some more. He flicked his tongue against her clit as he sucked on it and then adjusted. He moved to replace his tongue with his thumb and then slid his tongue in with his fingers.

Anastasia was sure she was going to lose her mind with him. No one had ever made her feel this way. Her whole body was on fire and it was amazing. She moaned as his mouth joined his fingers, arching her back. "Nik," she cried out. Her hand moved to her own face, wiping sweat off her face and sliding into her hair, tugging on it. Her toes curled as he changed things up again, moaning his name as she came around his fingers.

Nikolai liked the sound of his name from her mouth a lot. He wanted to hear it again and again, all night long. He helped her ride her orgasm out before pulling away from her. He crawled back up her body, leaving kisses along the way. He popped one of his fingers into his mouth and leaned close to her to press the other into hers so she could taste herself. Once she'd cleaned it off he pulled it out and kissed her hard on the mouth, rocking his hips down against her, not caring she was getting his pants wet. "I could do that again and again. All night long."

Anastasia arched her back as she finished out her orgasm, letting out soft whimpers as he kissed back over her skin. She watched him, her lips parted as she tried to catch her breath again. She took his fingers in, licking between them, pulling off with a pop as he pulled them out. She kissed him back, her hand wrapping around his neck to pull him close. "That would be lovely and all, but I want more than just your fingers," she said, her lips still on his, rolling her hips up into his.

Nikolai kissed her again and again, letting her pull him close. He rocked his hips into hers again and then once more, grinding against hers this time. "I seem to remember using my mouth too," he teased her gently, his lips only a breath away from hers. "And what would you like from me then, Anastasia?" he asked her. He kept rubbing his hips into hers to tease her. He loved that she was naked and he hadn't taken a thing off yet.

Anastasia moaned again, already feeling weak for him again. She laughed quietly, kissing him against. "Mm, yeah, that was nice, too," she said, kissing him again. She pulled kissed him again after he asked her a question, moaning into his mouth as his hips moved against her more. "Fuck me, Nik. Please fuck me," she whined, kissing him again, her hips rolling up into his.

Nikolai smirked down at her in between the kisses. "Yeah, I had a feeling you were enjoying yourself," he teased her before kissing her again. He kept rocking his hips down against her, working them in a rotating motion. "Are you sure?" he asked, wanting to check. He rocked his hips into her again before pulling back to pull his shirt over his head. "Because I could just go down on you again if it's too fast."

Anastasia didn't really know how she couldn't have been enjoying herself. He was incredible. "Well of course," she teased. She moaned softly against his lips, rolling her hips upward. "I'm sure," she promised. She bit her bottom lip. He was driving her crazy. She moved her hands over his chest when he pulled his shirt off, shaking her head. "Stop talking so much. I want you," she said, emphasizing 'you.'

Nikolai laughed quietly. She seemed quite desperate for it and who was he to deny her? He'd wanted her from the moment he'd laid eyes on her. He had no intention of waiting any longer than he had to unless she specifically asked him to slow down. He rocked his hips into her harder before sitting up to get his pants and underwear off. "I think you should be on top, love," he told her, adjusting them. He cast the charm silently, wanting to be ready.

Anastasia thought he was just such a tease. He was absolutely killing her and she didn't think she could take it any longer. She smirked a little to herself as he got undressed, resisting the urge to touch him. She wasn't gonna say no to that, but she frowned a bit as he readjusted. "Wait, do you have a condom?" she asked quickly. "I don't keep them on me," she noted. She liked him, but she wasn't quite ready for that.

Nikolai relaxed against the couch, waiting for her to position herself on him. When she mentioned a condom he frowned. What in Merlin's name was that? Was it a muggle thing used for sex? He realized they must have some kind of protection and she was expecting him to have it. "Oh. Uh, you don't have one? I don't have any. I haven't... had use for them in a while." Did that sound like something a muggle would say? He was going to kill Dominic.

Anastasia shook her head at his question. She had some at home, but this was his place. She laughed softly, leaning in and kissing the corner of his mouth. "Kinda need one of those, don't you think?" she teased. "It's okay," she promised. She leaned in and kissed him again, then stood up. "I'll go grab some. There's a convenience store nearby, they should have some," she said, pulling her dress back on and getting her shoes on. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and grabbed her purse. "I'll be right back," she said. It was easier for her to go get them than for him to, and they were dating now. She stepped out of his flat, hailing a taxi and going to get the condoms. She was back at his flat in what had to have been about ten minutes. She'd left it unlocked, so she knocked and opened it. "Problem solved," she smiled. She took her hair back down and slipped her dress back off and then grabbed a condom from the box and tore it open. She kneeled in front of him, moving her hand to his length and licking up it once, then rolling the condom down him. She moved onto his lap so she was straddling him, lining him up with her and slowly sitting down on him. She moaned out his name, taking a moment to adjust before bouncing up and down on him slowly.

Nikolai didn't understand what was happening at all. He didn't know anything about condoms or anything else of the sort. In his world, a spell was enough. He watched her leave, slightly flabbergasted. What on earth was a condom? What was she going to do with it? He stayed in the same spot for a moment, stroking himself for a moment or two. It felt like she was gone for an eternity. When she finally came back he glanced at her, a little desperate. He watched as she opened something and then wrapped it over him. What the hell? He wasn't sure what she was doing with it but he was so focused on her mouth and her hands and then her climbing on him. He grabbed her hips and thrust up a little bit but let her get comfortable on him and set the pace.

Anastasia thought it was funny how just like that, they were right back at it, like nothing had happened. She moaned again as he thrust up, her head falling back a little, eyes rolling back. She had wanted to do this from the moment they met, honestly, and she wasn't typically one to want to jump on a guy the moment they met. She'd just felt such a spark with him, and she was right. She rolled her hips every so often, still moving up and down. "Oh fuck," she moaned out.

Nikolai held her hips tightly, trying to help her move at a steady pace. He kept his hips perfectly still, wanting her to take full control. His hands roamed over her body, up her sides and over the curve of her breasts. He thumbed over the nipples before sitting up slightly and adjusting their position. He took her right nipple into his mouth, sucking on it gently and scraping it the softest amount with his teeth. She was so beautiful it was hard to keep his hands and his mouth off her body.

Anastasia kept her hands on his shoulders, rolling her hips every so often. She moaned, her lips parted as she moved up and down his dick. His hands on her body really had her on the edge already. She had been so desperate for this, she didn't think it would take much more to push her over. She let her head fall back, losing her rhythm for a moment as his mouth found her nipple. "Nik," she half moaned, half whined, putting a little more energy into her movements.

Nikolai licked around her nipple gently. He traced patterns across it, his arms wrapping around her back to keep her close to him and to keep her steady. He switched off to take the other one between his lips and thrust his hips up at the sound of his name. He cast a charm to transfer heat to her along with a gentle little tingle that he didn't think would be too suspicious. He moved up to her collarbone, nipping gently at it before pressing his lips to her neck.

Anastasia let her head fall back, whimpering as he kept it up. She was getting so weak as she got closer. She moaned louder as he thrust up to meet her. It was insane how incredible she felt with him. She knew sex with him would be good, but she didn't know it'd be this good. She leaned into him more, coming around him and slowing down a bit, getting a bit sloppy.

Nikolai could tell that she was getting a little weak and he decided to help her out. He started thrusting up faster, taking more control. When he felt her start to come around him he picked up the pace a bit more, holding her hips tightly. He kissed her neck lightly before biting into it when he finally came a few moments later. She was unreal. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was. It drove him insane.

Anastasia rolled her eyes into the back of her head as he took over, letting out a louder moan. She didn't think she'd ever felt a connection with someone the way she did with Nikolai. It was incredible. She moaned again, softer, when he bit her neck and came himself. She kept her hips moving, albeit a bit slower, still coming down from her high and a bit weak from it. After he finished, she relaxed a bit, leaning her head on his shoulder but not moving off him yet.

Nikolai felt her starting to relax and he wrapped his arms around her securely. He pulled her against him, taking a deep breath and breathing her in. He felt spent and a bit exhausted but he still found himself on a high. He pressed a kiss against her skin, holding her close. He rubbed his hand over her back gently, lips still ghosting her skin. He murmured her name gently before pulling away to look at her face. "Was that okay?" he asked quietly.

Anastasia really enjoyed every bit of that. She stayed in his arms, still catching her breath. She let out a soft laugh, leaning in and kissing his lips. "If it wasn't, I wouldn't have let you finish," she teased. "You read my body, don't question it," she said, leaning in and kissing him again. After a moment, she reluctantly moved off of him, laying back against the couch. "I feel great," she admitted. "Tired, but great."

Nikolai continued to rub her back in a soothing manner. She felt so warm against him. It felt like magic. He let out a chuckle at her teasing. "I'm not at all surprised by that answer," he admitted with a grin. He kissed her back softly before loosening his arms around her as she moved. "You know, I feel exactly the same way," he smirked. He kissed the side of her head. "You can stay the night if you want to. Whenever you want to sleep, I'll show you to my room."

Anastasia leaned into his touch, resting her head on him. She smirked a bit at response. She knew what she wanted and needed and she wasn't going to ever not get what she wanted. He didn't need to ever doubt his time with her, because she wasn't one to put up with something out of civility. "That's exactly what I like to hear," she grinned at him. "I was planning on it," she said playfully. "I could stand to just gaze into your eyes for a while, but I think that'd probably be more comfortable in your bed, don't you?"

Nikolai laughed. She was so confident and sure of herself. It was an admirable trait. He couldn't think of one he liked much more than self assurance. "Mm, I'm not at all surprised by that either," he said playfully. He rubbed her skin gently, offering her a sleepy sort of smile. "Yeah that would be more comfortable," he agreed. "Up we go." He got to his feet and stretched before leaning down to scoop her up. "Aha! Bet you weren't expecting that."

Anastasia leaned in and kissed him softly, leaning her head on him again. She whined a bit when he actually stood up, not expecting the transition so immediately despite having asked for it. "Yeah, okay," she said with a laugh, stretching a little on the couch. Before she could stand up, he was holding her, which made her smirk a little. "I was not," she said, letting out another laugh. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into him again.

Nikolai laughed at her reaction to him. She was the cutest damn thing he'd ever seen. He hadn't expected to fall for a muggle but how could he not when she was so perfect? "I have the element of surprise on my side," he teased. He held her as close to him as he could and led her into his bedroom. "I thought about dropping you ungracefully onto the bed," he joked as he set her down gently. "But I'm not actively trying to get rid of you."

Anastasia grinned at his laugh, holding him closer. "Clearly," she teased back. She gave him a look, shoving him gently when he said he was gonna drop her. "First of all, I'm always graceful, and second of all, ass!" she laughed. She laid back on his bed, putting her hands behind her head. "It would take more than that to get rid of me, but I wouldn't forget it," she teased.

Nikolai laughed at the look and the push. "Hey! I didn't actually drop you! It was a joke," he whined through his chuckle. "I don't know if being dropped can be made to look graceful," he teased. He stretched a bit before he moved to climb in the other side. "You just like me too much," he winked. "I'll never get rid of you. You're hooked." He leaned over to give her cheek a kiss before relaxing into the bed again.

Anastasia smiled but shook her head in a faux disapproving way. "Good thing you didn't," she teased. "I'm a dancer, babe. I've been dropped, trust me, I still land gracefully. I haven't done it naked, but," she laughed. She moved closer to him when he got in bed, smiling fondly at him. "Absolutely," she agreed with him. "You're right. Especially after tonight," she said plafully.

Nikolai shrugged a shoulder. "Guess so," he teased. "I don't know, Ana. I could pick you up again and we can find out," he grinned. He had no intention of doing that, though. He really didn't want to get up again, not when he could share this bed with her and get snuggled in. "Good," he grinned. "Because I don't want you to up and leave me in the middle of the night." He reached out to tickle her side gently.

Anastasia laughed and nudged him a little. "Stop it or I'll make you sleep on the couch," she teased. She smiled at him affectionately. "I would never leave you in the middle of the night," she said softly, suddenly erupting into laughter. Her hands moved to grab his, holding them out a little so he had to stop. "Do you want me to smother you in your sleep?" she teased. "And I was just about to get all sweet."

Nikolai laughed loudly at that. "Make me sleep on the couch? In my own flat?" he teased back. He liked the look of her smile a lot. She was so expressive with her feelings. He laughed and gently tugged his hands free of hers. "Alright, alright. My apologies," he grinned. "Feel free to get all sweet now. I'll behave," he promised. He leaned in and kissed her lips. "You're beautiful."

Anastasia laughed and nodded, leaning closer and kissing his face. "Don't think I wouldn't make you do it," she teased. She laughed again, a little leftover laughter still in her system, leaning in and kissing his nose. "Maybe I don't want to now," she teased. Her smile went all soft again and she leaned in and kissed him back. "I'm so happy to be here in your arms."

Nikolai rubbed her arm gently after she kissed his nose. "Alright, fine. Don't be sweet to me," he grinned. He pulled her closer when her smile changed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm so happy you're here," he agreed. "We could make this a more frequent thing, falling asleep together," he suggested. He'd very much like to wake up with her in his bed on a regular basis. He didn't believe he'd ever grow tired of it.

Anastasia put a hand on his face, caressing his cheek and holding him close. "I don't think I could deprive you of my sweetness if I wanted to," she said playfully, leaning in and kissing his lips softly. She let out a small hum, leaning on him gently. "I would like that," she said. "Only fitting, seeing as you're my boyfriend and all," she said with a small smile. She thought it sounded like a good idea.

Nikolai chuckled out a breath. His hand covered the one she'd laid on his cheek and he grinned. "I don't think you could either. You're just naturally sweet as sugarcane," he smirked. He leaned in for another kiss. "What a happy coincidence," he teased. "Hm, yeah. I am. And you're my girlfriend." He couldn't believe how good it felt to say that. "I'd like to see as much of you as possible so come over any time, darling."

Anastasia smiled warmly at him, leaning in and kissing him softly. "The sweetest without a doubt," she grinned. She found herself smiling even wider, really relaxing into him. His girlfriend. It felt so natural to be his girlfriend. How wild was that? Maybe she fell too deeply too quickly, but she really felt like she was right about him. "I promise I will. And you can come to mine, as well."

Nikolai rubbed her skin gently. "Absolutely," he agreed. He felt the way she relaxed and realized he could get used to this. He could wake up every morning having fallen asleep with her in his arms. How had he been so lucky? "Oh, with all your pets? Will I be fighting for bed space?" he teased. He kissed her hair. "We should get some sleep, darling. It's quite late. I can whip up breakfast in the morning."

Anastasia laughed a bit at that and shook her head. "Absolutely not. I'll make a space just for you," she grinned up at him. "I won't argue with that," she said lightly. "Goodnight, Nik," she smiled, leaning into him. She was so glad they were together. She didn't think she'd ever felt this good in someone's arms. If that wasn't a sign, she didn't know what was.

[anastasiahumphreys]

fitzmonet‌:

Curious, Fitz thought. She seemed awfully keen on asking questions about his life. He would have thought that Nik wouldn’t want such a nosy girlfriend. He seemed to hate answering any of Fitz’s questions. “Yes, I do. I cover sports. It’s how I found my way into this group. I met Dot and one of her practices and she brought me here,” he smiled kindly. “Oh, well.” He paused. He couldn’t exactly say he’d fallen off of his broom, could he? “I was… trying out for a team at my school. I must have misjudged something somewhere and fell. And then it snapped,” he explained. Did that sound right? He hoped. Talking to muggles was such a challenge.

Ana raised an eyebrow a bit at that. She hadn’t taken him for the sports type. Shame on her for jumping to conclusions based on stereotypes. “Oh yeah? Football? Tennis? Rugby? Who’s your favorite team?” she asked curiously. “Dot plays? I didn’t know that. What team is she on?” she asked. There was so much she didn’t know about Nik’s friends. That couldn’t be a coincidence, right? She made a face. “That sounds unpleasant, to say the least. I broke my foot during a performance once. Kept going, but I passed out from the pain once I got offstage. The ankle was just me being reckless, and I got in deep shit for that one,” she said with a laugh. 

[anastasiahumphreys]

fitzmonet‌:

Fitz hadn’t meant that she needed to go and order the drinks but since she’d offered he smiled. “Ah, perhaps just a glass of wine. It is only the afternoon and I do have some work left to do today,” he said playfully. He wondered why she seemed so curious about his schooling and tilted his head to the side a bit. “My favorite subject?” he repeated, stalling for a moment. What an odd line of questioning. “I wasn’t big on the curriculum. I did, however, enjoy working for the school newspaper.” He wondered why she wanted to know. “Mine was rather uptight as well but it was more enjoyable than being at home. I got into a bit of trouble as well. I even broke my arm once.”

That made sense to her. “A glass of wine it is,” Ana said, smiling at him before getting up. She went to the bar, handing the bartender the thing she’d brought by to drop off for Nik, and then placed their drink order before going back to Fitz. She slid back into her seat and smiled at him, nodding once. “Yes, your favorite subject,” she said. She didn’t love that answer, but she nodded. She’d just have to ask him about a fake thing in a little bit if she didn’t feel like she was getting anywhere. “Fitting, seeing as you write for a newspaper now, right?” She understood that. “Oh you did? How’d you break your arm? I broke my ankle once. It was awful,” she admitted. 

[anastasiahumphreys]

fitzmonet‌:

Fitz smiled, nodding a bit. “He’ll be in later. I’m certain of it,” he promised. He motioned for her to take a seat and his smile grew. “Fantastic. Would you like a drink?” he asked. He didn’t have one but he wouldn’t mind getting them some. “I did, yes. I went to a school in France with my sister Simone. From what I’ve gathered, the education systems were quite similar,” he told her. “What was your school like?”

Ana was in no rush. She didn’t mind waiting around for Nik, or even just dropping the tickets off with someone else after chatting with Fitz. “I would love a drink. Do you have a favorite you’d like me to order for you?” she asked with a smile. She nodded a bit as he spoke, but that didn’t really seem to help her much. “I’m sure they aren’t too far off,” she said with a smile. “What was your favorite subject?” she asked curiously. She nodded, but shrugged. “It was rather uptight, but I had a lot of fun breaking rules,” she admitted with a laugh.

[anastasiahumphreys]

fitzmonet‌:

Fitz fixed an easy, charming grin on his face. He hadn’t really had a chance to get to know her yet as they’d only met once but he was quite looking forward to it. “I’m wonderful, thank you. I just finished up some work. Are you here looking for Nik?” he inquired. “I don’t think he’ll be in for a bit. Would you like to sit with me for a while?” he suggested.

Ana nodded a bit, remembering he was a journalist of sorts. “You’re welcome. I was, actually,” she said, glancing towards the bar. “Oh, that’s alright. I would quite like that, actually,” she said with a friendly grin. She sat across from him, tucking the tickets away in her purse. “So did you go to a similar private school as Nik?” she asked curiously, smiling still.

[anastasiahumphreys]

If she were telling the truth, Anastasia was still a bit confused and amazed about the whole magic thing. It was so cool, but it felt unreal. And what were the chances she would have actually met a wizard? Weird. But she thought it was so cool and interesting and she wanted to learn whatever Nik was willing to teach her. She stopped by his bar to give him tickets to an event she wanted him to go with her to later, but she wasn’t sure he’d be there. She turned when she heard her name, smiling. “Oh, hi Fitz! It’s nice to see you, too. I’m good, how are you?” she asked. Was he magical too? She wasn’t sure. 

Fitz had been planning to leave the bar after having a late lunch. He typically didn’t eat lunch there as he liked to explore and try new places but he’d conducted an interview on the magic side of the place. Why not stick around to eat? As he was crossing over into the muggle side again he spotted a familiar face and smiled brightly. “Anastasia!” he greeted the girl. “It’s lovely to see you again. How are you?” he asked her. 

[anastasiahumphreys]

introductions and dancing | anolai ft. dimone

ana meets dominic and simone. she also teaches nik some dancing.

Anastasia was really excited to be meeting some of his people. She didn't know who exactly she was going to end up meeting, but she knew they'd planned on her chatting with someone for a moment before going back to her apartment to dance. She had met his friend, Dot, earlier, so she was less nervous than she would have been if she and Dot hadn't run into each other. She pushed the door open, looking around for a familiar face. She smiled when she spotted Nik, walking over to him at the bar. "Hey handsome, come here often?" she winked.

Nikolai was just finishing up his shift. Dominic was on as well and would be leaving shortly, but he figured now was the perfect time to introduce Ana to his brother. And since Simone was with him, it seemed a bit less daunting than he figured it would be to just meet a sibling. He thought the two might get along, anyway. He hoped, at least. They were the two least intimidating of the group, he thought. When he heard Ana's voice, he grinned. "Hello to you too, beautiful," he smiled. "Just often enough if I'm bumping into you," he teased.

Anastasia smiled a bit wider at the way Nikolai smiled when he heard her. She liked him so much. He always understood her playfulness and was playful back with her, which she appreciated very much. "Good answer," she grinned. "You'll have to keep coming around," she teased. "How's your day been?" she asked with a smile, leaning forward on the bar a bit.

Nikolai let out a quiet chuckle and shook his head fondly. She was so much fun. He always felt so good when he saw her. She brought this happiness to him that was unreal. "I'm known for my good answers," he joked. "But I will definitely continue coming around as often as I have been," he teased. "So long as you do the same." He leaned across the bar when she moved forward, kissing her quickly on the lips. "Better now," he said cheesily.

Anastasia shrugged a little and rolled her eyes playfully. "I guess I could come around often," she teased. She leaned forward a bit more, kissing him back and pulling away with a grin on her face. "Yeah? Happy to have brightened your day," she grinned. "When do you get off then?" she asked curiously, twirling a bit of her hair as she watched him.

Nikolai grinned at her. "I would like that an awful lot," he promised with a wink. He smiled once she pulled back and gave her a quick once over. She always looked so good. It was crazy. "Absolutely," he grinned. He looked around a bit, noticing his replacement bartender had come in. "Right about... now," he grinned. He walked around the bar and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Ready to meet Dominic?"

Anastasia was happy he was getting off already. She didn't mind hanging out with him while he worked, but she much preferred holding his hand and messing with him. "Good timing," she grinned. She kissed him back, a hand on his face. In response to his question, she nodded a little. She was nervous, but she could be ready. "Ready to meet Dominic," she agreed.

Nikolai held her close to him for a long moment before pulling away. "Alright. He's just down the bar with our friend Simone. I think they're into each other, so pay attention and tell me if you think the same," he teased. He took her hand, lacing their fingers together as he led her towards his brother. "Hey, Dom. I want you to meet Anastasia," he greeted. He squeezed her hand a bit.

Anastasia pulled away when he did. She laughed quietly and nodded. "I'll be sure to let you know," she promised. She took his hand, holding it tightly as they approached his brother. She squeezed his hand back, letting go only to shake Dominic's hand. She smiled brightly, shaking his hand back. "Anastasia! I've heard quite a bit about you, too. I hear you're rather big brother-y."

Dominic thought today was a lucky day, too. He was so excited to go out with her. He liked her and tea, so it was pretty much as good as it could get. "You are right about that," he smiled. He hoped she was. Chances were good they'd find a solid tea. "Worse case scenario, we can't find something better than the cafe," he smiled. He turned a bit when Nik spoke to him, smiling up at Anastasia. "Hi! Dominic. I've heard so much about you," he said, reaching out to shake her hand. He laughed a bit and nodded. "Yeah, probably. I hope that's not a bad thing."

Nikolai smiled when she let go of his hand to shake Dominic's. He stood close to her and watched them interact. "We might have talked a lot about how big brother-y you are," he told Dom. He looked over at Ana again with a smile. "And I promise I only told Dominic the good things about you," he grinned. "And this is Simone. Simone, this is Anastasia," he grinned.

Simone nodded a bit. He was absolutely right. That would be the worst case scenario. And it wasn't even that terrible of a scenario. She could do without finding something better. "I'm okay with that," she smiled. She turned as she heard Nikolai speaking and smiled a bit. She watched Dominic interact with the girl that had come over and then smiled when her name was mentioned. "Oh, yes. Hello, I'm Simone Monet," she said, offering her hand.

Anastasia smirked back at Nikolai. "That's because there only are good things about me," she teased, winking at him. "Not a bad thing, just a thing," she grinned. She turned, shaking Simone's hand. "Beautiful name. I'm Anastasia Humphreys. Nice to meet you. You must be from France, with an accent like that," she grinned. She had spent quite a bit of time in France throughout her life.

Dominic smiled a little and nodded. "What a strange conversation to have," he teased. He didn't mind it thought. He knew he was big brother-y so to speak. He also knew Nikolai was little brother-y. That was sort of how it went. He watched the girl interact with Simone, smiling a little. He thought they might get along well, which was nice. Simone could use another friend, he thought. The more the merrier.

Simone shook Anastasia's hand delicately. "Oh, thank you," she smiled. She seemed like a sweet girl. She could see why Nikolai seemed to be so fond of her. "It's lovely to meet you as well. I am from France, yes. Paris," she told her. "Have you ever been?" she wondered. "How did you and Nikolai meet?" she asked as well, thinking that was a good place to start.

Nikolai laughed at that. "Maybe so, but she has an older brother as well. We bonded over being the youngest siblings," he told him. "Ah, yes. Of course. Only good things." She was adorable. He watched her and Simone speak and then turned to Dom. "What are your plans for your day off?" he asked him, letting the two girls speak for a moment. He wanted Ana to fit into their group so badly and he had high hopes that she would.

Anastasia smiled and nodded. "Oh, yes, you must be the doctor. Nik told me about you and your brother," she smiled. "I have, quite often actually. My grandfather lives in Paris. He's in fashion," she smiled. She thought back, laughing a little. "We met here, actually, " she said. It wasn't much of a story, but she didn't really care. "How did you meet him?" she asked curiously.

Dominic nodded a bit, thinking that made more sense. "Ah, I see. Is her brother big brother-y too?" he laughed a bit. He was glad Simone and Anastasia seemed to be hitting it off. "Simone and I are going to go buy teas," he laughed a bit. "Nothing particularly, but she hasn't been around mu-," he stopped himself. "Downtown London much," he corrected. "I figured I'd show her around a bit. What about you?"

Simone admittedly was a bit nervous about talking to this muggle girl. She didn't want to accidentally mess this up. "Yes, that's me," she smiled. "Oh, does he really? It's a beautiful city. That must be why you're dressed so impeccably," she smiled, looking over the girl's clothes. She was incredibly beautiful. "We met here as well," she told her. "My brother moved here first and started frequenting this place after his friend Dot told him about it."

Nikolai chuckled a little bit and then nodded. "He is. He's seven years older than her. I can't imagine you being that much older than me," he admitted. "Oh, really?" he asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. That sounded like a date to him. "That sounds like fun. I'm sure you're the best person to do that," he admitted. "Have fun." He thought for a moment. "I'm really not sure," he admitted.

Anastasia nodded in response to her question. "He does! It's quite beautiful. Oh, thank you. That does play a part," she laughed a little. "What a popular place Nikolai's bar is, huh?" she said playfully. "Ah, that sounds super cool. I only happened to stop in, and now I mostly come in for Nik," she laughed. "Though it's a lovely bar," she added.

Dominic shook his head. He couldn't imagine being that much older than him, either. Four years already felt like a lot. "Likewise," he laughed. He nodded. "Yeah. I think it sounds like fun, too. Plus, you know, you can never go wrong with tea," he grinned a little. "I am a rather good guide," he said, though he knew that wasn't what either of them meant. "I will. I hope you have fun, too, even if you don't know what you're going to do."

Simone thought Anastasia was incredibly nice. She liked that. She'd be good for Nikolai, she thought. "You're welcome," she smiled. She laughed. "It has become quite the popular place," she agreed. She thought that sounded lucky. She'd just stumbled in and now she had Nikolai. It was a cute story. "I can understand that," she smiled, though her gaze flickered to Dominic for a moment. She mostly came in for him. "I hope you two enjoy your date," she said.

Nikolai had to admit that Dom had a point. Tea was pretty much the one thing everyone could agree on. It was absolutely delicious. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself. With or without the tea," he smirked. "You're a fantastic guide for London. Simone's lucky to have you," he teased. They were totally going on a date and neither of them knew it. It was hilarious. "We will. Don't worry." He thought about suggesting they tag along but realized he didn't really care enough to. "You wanna head out, Ana? Or are you having too much fun?" he smiled at her.

Anastasia noticed the way Simone looked at Dominic, even if it was just for a moment. She was a sweet girl. She was a really cute girl. She was lovely, honestly. She liked her. She seemed a bit shy, but that wasn't a bad thing at all. "Oh, yeah, let's go," she smiled up at Nik. "I'm sure I'll get another chance to talk with you. À bientôt," she said, waving at Simone. "Do you want to walk or get a cab?" she asked him curiously.

Dominic rolled his eyes. Nikolai was really pushing it. "Stop it," he said quietly. "Oh, I'm sure you will," he said honestly. He nodded a bit when the two started to go, smiling at both of them. "Have fun. See you later. Be safe," he said, waiting for them to leave to turn back to Simone.

Simone smiled delightedly when Anastasia spoke to her in French. "Oui! À bientôt!" she replied. She was lovely. Nikolai needed to keep dating her, she thought, as she'd really like to see the girl around more. She waited for them to leave and turned to Dominic again. "I liked her. I hope we see more of her," she said, fondness in her voice.

Nikolai winked at Dom. "I'm stopping it," he laughed. "We will. Don't worry so much. See you around," he said to them before turning to lead Anastasia out. "It's not too far, is it? It's probably a good idea to walk and stretch our leg muscles a little bit," he teased. He slipped his hand into hers as they walked out of the bar. "They liked you, you know," he told her.

Anastasia took his hand easily when he did, smiling fondly. "It's not too far, no. I'm sure your legs could use it," she teased, winking at him. She smiled again, feeling a bit nervous still, which felt silly. "I'm glad. I like them a lot. They're wonderful. And she is definitely super into him. When I talked about you, she looked at him," she told him, nudging his side gently.

Nikolai laughed at her teasing. "Well, we're definitely walking then. I'm already lacking in dance talent so I need all the stretching," he teased. He was glad to hear that she liked his brother and friend. It had been incredibly important to him. "Yeah? I'm thrilled. I can't wait for you to meet the rest of the gang," he grinned. "Did she? Perfect. He's into her too. I bet it still takes a year for either of them to make a move," he laughed. "I really am thrilled you like them."

Anastasia laughed, shaking her head. "I think the walk will help tremendously," she teased. "I can't wait, too. Dominic and Simone were really nice. If the rest of your friends are anything like them, I'll try not to be so worried," she said honestly. She let out a laugh. They did seem shy and slow, but they were cute. "Eh, they'll probably be in love by that point, and it'll all happen quickly from there," she laughed. "Of course I do. What's not to like?"

Nikolai shook his head fondly. He bumped her side lightly and let out a low chuckle. "We'll see," he teased. "I'm glad. They're the easiest friends of mine, I think. They're pretty similar and pretty unassuming," he shrugged. "I suppose next up should be Rosie, since you've met Dom. Maybe Dot, too, then Wren and Fitz. Fitz can be a lot," he admitted. He laughed. "You're right about that." He shrugged a bit, thinking maybe the fact that they were wizards would be enough for some muggles but he really didn't think it would bother Ana. "I'm still happy you do."

Anastasia frowned a little when he said they were the easiest friends to meet. She hoped his sister and other friends liked her as much as Dominic and Simone did, then. It was a little daunting. She smiled and shrugged a shoulder. "I'm sure I can handle them all. I'm a pretty likable charming person, I'd say," she teased. She thought they were cute. She hoped they would get together. She felt like he was taking a long time to say something, but didn't say anything. "I do. I really do."

Nikolai laughed as she spoke. It wasn't so much that she needed to be likable and charming. His friends would love her. He just worried a bit about how many questions Fitz would ask her. "It's not them I'm worried about," he teased. "You'll impress them all easily. Look at you, how could you not?" Really, though, who wouldn't like Ana? "Good. I'm glad," he grinned. He squeezed her hand. "When do I get to meet your friends?"

Anastasia laughed a bit when he said he wasn't worried about them liking her. "I tend to like people, too. Don't worry about me not liking them," she said playfully, though she meant her words. "Good point. I'm a damn stunner," she teased. She laughed a little, glancing over at him. "What friends?" she teased. She shook her head, laughing still. "I'm kidding. Don't worry, you'll meet them soon enough. My best friend is at uni right now, so she's a bit harder to get ahold of, but we can meet my brother and his girlfriend whenever you have time during the day," she smiled.

Nikolai shrugged slightly but he felt better about it. She did seem the type to get along with everyone. "Okay, I'm no longer worried. Unless you start liking them more than me." He nudged her side to show he'd just been teasing. "The most stunning person there ever was," he corrected with a grin. He laughed. "I knew it. You're just using me to steal my friends so you have some of your own!" he teased. "Oh, yeah? Well, I'd be happy to meet your brother and his girlfriend. Just set something up and I'll take the afternoon off," he smiled.

Anastasia laughed at that idea and shook her head, nudging him. "You wish I'd like someone more than you. Then you could get rid of me. I'm not that easy to shake," she teased. She reached a hand up and flipped her hair, laughing. "Well, you know." She laughed again, shaking her head. He was so silly. She loved it. "Ah, shit. Gave myself away!" she laughed. She nodded a bit. "Yeah. She's studying to be a primary teacher. Having much more fun than me," she teased. "I'll let you know as soon as I talk to him."

Nikolai laughed and shook his head. "You're out of your mind if you think that's what I'm doing," he chuckled. He pulled her a bit closer to him as they walked. She really was the most beautiful person he'd ever met. He almost couldn't believe that she wanted to spend all of this time with him. "You're not very good at hiding things," he teased. "Oh, that's quite cool! I bet she is having more fun than you," he joked. He nodded a bit. He was excited to meet her brother. "I hope he likes me."

Anastasia moved into him with ease, playing with his fingers a little. "How could you get rid of me? I'm the most stunning person out there, remember?" she teased, smiling at him for a moment. They were pretty close to her place. She could see it, though it would still be a little bit. "Shoot. You must know how wild I am about you, too, then, huh?" she said playfully, though she wasn't actually kidding. "I'm sure. She's probably wasted right now as we speak," she teased. She shrugged nonchalantly. She wasn't worried. "I can't see why he shouldn't."

Nikolai smiled. He was really enjoying being around her more and more every single day. He was beyond lucky that she'd wandered into his club while he'd been working. "I do keep you around for more than your looks, you know," he grinned. He glanced around as they walked, keeping an eye out. "I think I have an idea about that," he teased. "I think you're rather fond of me." He laughed at that and shook his head. "Yeah, but you're about to see me fail at dancing. I think that'll be pretty fun. Maybe not drunk fun but it's up there." He hoped she was right. "I look forward to meeting him."

Anastasia smiled fondly, but nodding. She knew she was more than her looks. She was mostly kidding usually, anyway. "Oh trust me. I know. I'm a catch," she winked. She laughed quietly, nodding a little. "You're pretty damn close, I'd say," she said lightly. She let out a loud laugh at that, nodding a little bit. "Yeah. That is pretty fun. I may win there, actually," she said, nudging him lightly. "Oh yeah? Is that just because I already met your brother and now you want to be on the same playing field?"

Nikolai laughed and bumped her side gently. She really watch a catch. He was so lucky. "You are," he agreed. He smiled over at her and squeezed her hand gently. She really was something special. "See, look at that. You're definitely winning. Plus, I own a bar and can give you free drinks. I'm pretty sure she isn't dating a bar owner," he teased. He chuckled quietly. "Something like that. Plus I know how much he means to you so I want to meet him," he added.

Anastasia nodded, an amused smile on her lips. "It's my shining personality," she teased. She squeezed his hand back, staying close to him as they walked. "Hm, right. So I'm getting to see you fail at dancing, and I get free drinks. I definitely win here," she said with a grin, nudging him gently. She smiled fondly, nodding a bit. "Don't worry. You'll meet him soon."

Nikolai gave her a playful grin. "Oh, that must be it. How did I not pick up on that sooner?" he teased. He liked just walking down the street with her like this. He liked being around people and showing off that they were together. "Exactly! You win at everything. You should rub it in her face," he joked. He nodded slightly, a smile on his face. "Good. I can't wait. I'm going to impress the hell out of him."

Anastasia rolled her eyes playfully, shrugging her other shoulder. "You simply aren't paying enough attention to me," she teased, turning to face him and laughing a bit. She didn't know about rubbing it in her face, but she most certainly would brag about Nikolai every chance she got. She thought he was really something worth showing off. "I'll be sure to do that next time we chat," she teased. "Oh, I'm sure you will. You're quite impressive."

Nikolai shook his head fondly. She was adorable. "My apologies, love. I'll be sure to focus solely on you from here on out," he grinned. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her instead, wanting to hold her even closer to him. "Good. Let me know what she says," he teased. "I also want to know what you say to her," he added with a grin. He smiled to himself. He couldn't wait then. "Am I? Tell me more," he teased.

Anastasia smiled slightly, the smile reaching her eyes. He made her all warm. "I'm counting on it," she teased. When he let go of her hand, her face fell a little, but then he wrapped his arm around her and she found herself smiling even wider. She leaned into him, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Oh, I will. I'll tell you the whole thing," she teased. She nodded, humming quietly. "Oh, you are. You own your very own business, and it's quite bustling. You are so very handsome," she winked. "And your arms. Wow."

Nikolai liked walking like this with her. He could hold her closer and could feel her body pressed against his. And it felt like they were closer, like they'd been together for a while. It was nice. "I can't wait to hear it. I do love hearing what people say about me. It's good for my ego," he teased. He liked how playful they were together. Really, he just liked her. Her words had him chuckling. "My business is quite successful if I say so myself," he teased. "And I won't deny I have fantastic arms. Please, go on," he teased.

Anastasia thought they seemed awfully similar. Even if he was only teasing, which she usually was, too, at least on some level, she loved getting a little ego boost, too. Everyone probably did, but she really did. "What if they say something bad about you?" she teased. She laughed when he agreed with her compliments, smiling ear to ear. "Let's see. You have beautiful eyes. And you are just the perfect height for kissing. Although, I'm not sure my brother will appreciate that like I do."

Nikolai waved his free hand and shrugged. "Who is going to be saying bad things?" he teased. "Even if they are, they're talking about me. Means I've affected their life," he joked, pulling her closer. He was certain that plenty of people had negative things to say but honestly he couldn't care less. "Ah yes, my eyes. I love compliments on them." He chuckled. "You just like me being shorter than you," he teased her. "I don't think he will either but I'm sure he'll find other things," he teased. He was having so much fun with her and he couldn't wait to see her dance and subsequently make a fool of himself.

Anastasia laughed at his response. He was so fun. "I can't see why they would, but you know," she shrugged. "Nice save," she teased. She laughed again, pinching his side gently. "You sound like such a sarcastic ass," she teased, laughing. "No. You're barely shorter than me. I like kissing you, really," she said with a slight smirk. She shrugged her other shoulder, laughing quietly. "His loss is my gain," she teased. They approached her house, walking up the drive. "Here we are at long last."

Nikolai laughed when she did. Her laughter was just contagious in the most beautiful way. "Neither can I," he teased. "Thanks, love." He laughed louder when she pinched his side, a bit tickled. "Don't you know that's exactly what I am? You nailed the description," he grinned. He shrugged slightly. "Even so, I'm enjoying being shorter than you," he grinned. He was attracted to her height. "But I just like kissing you in general." He smiled to himself as he walked up the drive with her. "I can't wait to get started."

Anastasia laughed, shaking her head fondly. "Clearly. I reckon I've spent enough time with you to know what a pain you are," she teased. "Oh are you? It's the legs, isn't it?" she teased him. She liked kissing him an awful lot, honestly. "Good. Otherwise I'd look silly," she teased. As they approached her door, she pulled out her keys, reluctantly moving away from him to unlock the door. "Me too! I can't wait to see you make a fool of yourself," she teased.

Nikolai grinned at her. "Well, you know, you still like me regardless of how much of a pain I am," he teased. He shrugged a bit, pretending to think. "I would say... yes. It's definitely the legs. They go on forever. I love them," he chuckled. He did really like the look of them. He moved his hand to rest it on her back as she unlocked the door, not really wanting to lose all of the contact. "Trust me when I say I'm going to be incredibly embarrassing," he laughed.

Anastasia raised an eyebrow and tipped her head towards him a little. "That's what I say," she teased, winking at him. "Kidding. Of course I like you. Why else would I deal with you as frequently as I do?" she teased. She laughed, shaking her head but smirking. "I know you do, babe." She took his hand again, leading him into her house. "I have a lot of space in my living room, or we can go to my actual studio. Do you have a preference?" she smiled.

Nikolai let out a chuckle. Merlin, she was fun to be around. She had such a liveliness to her, a brightness that just radiated out of her with every look she sent his way. He couldn't get enough. "Because you want free drinks?" he teased. "And juice boxes?" he added on with a laugh. He held her hand tightly as they walked in, rubbing his thumb against her hand. "Well, I have to see the actual studio now that you've told me it exists," he grinned. "Lead the way, love."

Anastasia laughed and shook her head. "I don't need your free drinks or your juice boxes," she said honestly, smiling fondly at him. She liked the way he held her hand. There was something really nice about it. A certain comfort and presence. "I suppose I should have expected that," she smiled. She lead him up the stairs and into her studio. It had mirrors and a barre attached to it with windows opposite the mirrors. She had a speaker on the ceiling in case she wanted to play music. "Ta-dah."

Nikolai knew she didn't need them but he would gladly give them to her. He liked her. He didn't see a problem with it. "I know. You're just crazy about me," he teased. He laughed when she spoke. "Expect the unexpected, love. That's the first rule of knowing me," he teased. He followed her up the stairs and into the studio and found his jaw dropping slightly. It was so fancy. He hadn't known what he expected, really. "Damn. This is... wow."

Anastasia grinned, turning to face him. She scrunched up her cheeks a bit, a wide smile on her face. "That's right," she said, her voice light and playful, but serious all the same. "I'll make a note," she teased. When they walked in, she looked him over, trying to gage his expression. "It's something, alright," she agreed. "But you know, I have been dancing since I was three. It's kind of my whole everything," she said with a small laugh.

Nikolai couldn't believe she had a place like this in her actual home. He knew she was serious about dancing but this was so cool. It looked like she could teach classes in here if she wanted to. He loved it. "I'm not judging you. I think this is awesome!" he promised. "And I think this is the perfect place for my very first dancing lesson," he grinned. "Let's get started."

Anastasia smiled. She didn't think he was judging her. He wasn't the kind to judge. Not with her, anyway. "I didn't think you were judging," she grinned, nudging him gently. She laughed a little at his words, nodding her head. "Let's go, then!" she said, slipping off her street shoes. "You, too," she said, nudging his foot with her own. "You can do your basic stretches to start," she smiled, walking onto the floor and reaching down to touch her toes.

Nikolai nudged her back. "I know, I just wanted you to know that I wasn't. Just in case," he smiled. He watched her take off her shoes and moved to do the same, kind of kicking them over by the door so they were out of the way. "Shoes off!" he announced with a grin. He chuckled quietly. "Basic stretches," he repeated, following her. "Can't I just watch you?" he grinned. He looked her over with a smirk before leaning down to touch his toes.

Anastasia laughed when he asked to watch her. "You could," she smirked, lifting her head up to look at him. After a moment she stood up, grabbing her foot from behind her and stretching. She held it for a moment before switching. She did a few more stretches, then stood up tall. "Feeling looser?" she asked with a grin, watching him as he stretched.

Nikolai grinned to himself. He followed her stretching but he kept his eyes on her. She was a work of art. He started to get a little distracted by her and since he didn't want to let her down when they started to dance, he moved to do some other stretches of his own. "Yeah. I'm feeling good," he grinned as he straightened up. "I'm ready to make a fool of myself."

Anastasia watched him with a fond smile. He was so cute. She couldn't believe he was actually here to dance with her. "I could try to teach you ballet, but that's not real fun. Until we get to you catching me and shit, but that's advanced. So let's just do some ballroom dancing," she smiled. She stepped close to him, moving his arm around her. "Hold me like this," she said, reaching out and holding him back. "Now you start with this foot. How about I lead first and then you can?"

Nikolai admittedly had no idea what any of the words she was saying meant. He'd heard of the types of dancing before but he had no real expertise. He wasn't so sure he should start catching her just yet. "Okay. Ballroom it is," he smiled. He watched her move his arms with a slight smirk. He pulled her close and kept his arms strong around her. "I'd follow you anywhere, Ana," he teased. "Show me what to do."

Anastasia was pretty sure he was just as clueless as he had been when they'd talked about fashion. He was cute for going along, though. "Oh, you just always know what I want to hear, don't you?" she teased. She adjusted a bit so she could lead and stepped forward. "You're just sort of going to move with me. Don't over think it. Your body will follow much more easily than you think it will."

Nikolai felt his smile turn into a smirk. Maybe he did know what she wanted to hear but he also meant what he'd said. He would follow her anywhere. "Just another one of my charms," he teased. He moved as she did, though a bit more awkwardly. He really had no idea what he was doing. "I don't know, I'm already feeling a bit awkward," he admitted with a laugh. "Am I doing it right?"

Anastasia smiled at him, raising an eyebrow a bit. "One of many," she agreed. She reached a hand down, touching his side lightly. "Loosen up. You don't have to be so stiff," she said with a smile. "Here," she said, moving in closer to their bodies were touching more. "Follow my body," she said. He was doing a pretty good job, honestly. "You're doing it. You're supposed to count, but I don't really care for counting while I dance if I can help it."

Nikolai tried to relax a bit more but he felt a bit silly. "I'm doing my best love," he promised with a laugh. When her body moved against his he found himself loosening up a bit and he moved his hand lower on her back to keep her close. "This I can do," he grinned. He followed along as best as he could and found himself doing better with every step. "Count? Count what? How many steps I take? That sounds incredibly boring," he laughed.

Anastasia smiled, leaning in and kissing his cheek. "You're doing wonderfully," she promised. She danced close to him, leaning into him a bit more. "Oh yeah? Makes it easier to loosen up, huh?" she teased, smirking a little bit. She crinkled up her nose and nodded. "Yeah, exactly. it's really boring. We'll just keep doing this," she grinned. She slowed down a bit after a moment, leaning in and kissing his lips softly.

Nikolai smiled when she kissed him on the cheek. "I'm trying to impress you if you hadn't noticed," he teased. He nodded a bit and grinned at her. "It definitely does. I forgot I was even tense to begin with," he grinned. He kissed her on the cheek and kept following her steps, a little less carefully each time. He was getting the hang of this. He smiled against her lips when she kissed him and kissed her back just as softly.

Anastasia laughed a bit and nodded. "I noticed," she teased. She kept moving with him, smiling at him. "Oh, good. That's what we're looking for," she grinned. She noticed he was getting a bit more into it, and couldn't help but smile. She was glad that this was getting easier. She was having a lot of fun dancing with him, honestly. She held him close for a moment, kissing him back before pulling away. "You might just be my favorite dance partner yet."

Nikolai thought maybe dancing wasn't so hard. Granted, he was doing the absolute minimum and he knew that once they stopped doing this simple step he'd be fumbling over himself again. He was okay with that though. Anything to see her smile. He kissed her slowly, his hand dipping slightly lower on her back. When she pulled away he laughed. "Let's not get too crazy. I'm hardly even dancing," he teased.

Anastasia let out a small chuckle and shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe that's true, but I'm enjoying myself all the same," she said simply. She held him close, dancing with him for a moment longer. She stopped, letting go. "Now you can lead. But we'll do something a little simpler," she decided. She moved his arms to her hips and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in close, and smiled. "Do you know how to dance like this?"

Nikolai laughed when she did. She was so cute. "As long as you're enjoying yourself. That's what really matters," he grinned. He frowned a bit when she let go but at the suggestion of leading he perked right back up. "Oh? I get to lead?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He wouldn't object to something simple. When she wrapped her arms around him and moved them into a basic position he couldn't hold his chuckle in. "Yes, I know how to dance like this. This is the most basic of dancing," he teased.

Anastasia thought he was cute. She smiled and nodded. "Well, it matters that you're enjoying yourself, too," she smiled. She smiled and nodded. "What? Did you think I was gonna lead all night?" she teased. She grinned widely when he laughed, nudging him gently with her shoulder. "How should I know what you can and can't do?" she teased. "Well, dance with me then," she grinned, moving slowly with him.

Nikolai smiled at her and pulled her closer. "I'm definitely enjoying myself," he promised. He was having a great time. He hadn't known dancing could be so fun but he figured it had to be if it was her entire life. "Kind of," he grinned. "But it's nice you let me have a turn. He shrugged a bit and continued to dance with her. "Because everyone can do this? I'm sure even Dom can," he chuckled. "I am, love, I am."

Anastasia smirked a bit, glad that he was enjoying himself. "I can lead again later," she teased lightly, though she was serious. She moved into him a bit, letting her arms relax. "Maybe he can," she agreed. "But I'm enjoying dancing with you," she winked playfully. "Do you think you could dip me?" she asked him curiously, leaning back so she could better see his face.

Nikolai chuckled. "If I'm being honest, darling. I like letting you take the lead," he whispered in her ear. There was something sensual about this, even if it was awkward and clumsy. "Even if I'm awful?" he asked, a teasing tone to his voice but he was nervous all the same. "Well, I have killer arms from playing quid--scotch. It's a game we made up. Kind of like baseball," he fumbled. "I've got you, darling," he promised as he dipped her low.

Anastasia closed her eyes, smiling slightly. "Lucky for you, I like taking the lead," she said, her voice low. "Especially if you're awful," she teased. She frowned a bit at that. Quidscotch. What was quidscotch? Sounded like an odd hopscotch. "So long as you don't drop me," she smiled. She'd been dropped before, but she'd rather he not. "I'm putting my trust in you," she said, holding onto him as he dipped her. She moved her leg up around him, keeping her arms around his neck and back. "Very strong."

Nikolai smirked at that. "I don't doubt that for a minute," he smirked. "You're rather good at it," he added. "Even if I'm awful," he teased back. He rolled his eyes at himself when she frowned. Quidscotch. What kind of foolish thing to say? He could never tell Dominic about that one. "I'd never drop you. Just catch you," he winked. He held her in the dipped position, smirking down at her. "I told you that I was," he grinned. "I bet I could lift you now," he smirked.

Anastasia knew she was good at leading. She was good at anything when it came to dance, really. "Hm, I know," she grinned, winking at him. She nodded, smiling. She didn't mind that he didn't know much about dance. It was kind of cute. "Aren't you cute?" she smiled. She leaned up to peck his lips before moving back to a standing position. "I didn't doubt you," she agreed. "You want to try a lift? You're getting ambitious here. What kind of lift do you want to do?"

Nikolai smiled at her when she called him cute. He leaned into the kiss, pretending to drop her but chuckling when he was certain he had a good grip. He pulled her to her feet and brushed a bit of her hair from her cheek. He was, without a doubt, infatuated with her. He couldn't help himself. He put his hands on her waist and kissed her deeply for a few long moments before lifting her into the air without warning. "This kind?"

Anastasia raised an eyebrow slightly when he pretended to drop her, but smiled like mad. She smiled wider when he brushed the hair from her cheek. She moved a hand to the back of his neck, holding him close, but loosely, as she kissed him back. She gasped quietly when he lifted her, but started to move to support the lift. When he dropped her into his arms, she smiled at him. "You're just a show off."

Nikolai knew he had surprised her by the sudden lift and he held her up for a moment longer than necessary before dropping her into his arms. He twirled them around a bit with a bright grin. "That's a Gryffindor for you," he teased. "Want me to carry you some more or are you ready to teach me some more moves?" he asked, still holding onto her. He liked this. He liked her. So fucking much.

Anastasia laughed a bit when he spoke, frowning in confusion, but still smiling. "What's a Gryffindor?" she asked with a laugh. She thought he was talking nonsense, between Gryffindor and Quidscotch. "You can carry me all the way up to my bed, if you'd like," she said with a small smirk. She kept her arms around his neck, holding him close as he held her. He was really something special.

Nikolai realized what he'd said and fumbled for words. "It's a joke between my friends and I. Gryffindor like griffins like bravery and show off. It's... Fitz's fault." He picked a name at random. He seemed like the type to make some weird word up anyway. He raised an eyebrow at her suggestion, smirking a little bit. "Oh, could I? If you'd just direct me in the way, I'd be more than happy to."

Anastasia thought that was sort of funny, but didn't question it. "It was very brave and show off-y of you," she said playfully, smiling at him. She nodded a small nod. "I wouldn't have offered if you couldn't," she said playfully. She pointed him in the right direction, leading him up to her room despite him holding her. "You're incredibly handsome, did you know?"

Nikolai carried her carefully, following her instructions so he could find the way to her bedroom. He was, admittedly, a bit nervous. He never got nervous about this sort of thing but he really liked Ana and didn't want to mess it up. "You know, I've been told that before. By my mum," he teased. He set her down on the bed carefully and moved on top of her. "I bet you know you're the most beautiful woman to exist." He leaned down and kissed her lips softly before moving to pepper kisses across her face. "I could live a hundred lifetimes and never see someone so beautiful. Well," he pulled back with a thoughtful look. "Maybe ninety-nine," he teased before kissing her again..

Anastasia laughed at him, nudging him gently. "You're a fucking smartass," she teased. "You're very sexy. Has your mum told you that, too?" she teased him. She wrapped her leg delicately around his, pulling him close. "Hm, I had a feeling, but I like your confirmation," she said playfully, her voice quiet and almost like a purr. She let her eyes flutter shut as he kissed her face, enjoying the warmth of his lips on her face. "Only because I'd finally get reincarnated and find you again," she teased, kissing him back. She draped her arms over his back, holding him in close.

Nikolai laughed when she did. "You're into me, though," he teased. "No, she hasn't. That'd be a bit creepy. But I've heard it once or twice. Means more from you," he admitted. He rested his hand on her side and rubbed her skin gently. "Oh yeah. I'm sure you love hearing it," he teased. "That's true. It'd take that long. What an exhausting century of looking for you. I'd find you, though, so it'd be worth it in the end." He kissed her some more and then started to slide his hand up under her shirt. "Is this okay?"

Anastasia smirked but rolled her eyes at him. "Obviously," she teased back. "Well, I think so, too. You're the one who brought your mum into this, though," she teased. She liked that it meant more to him from her. She smiled and leaned in, pecking the corner of his lips. "I do, especially from you," she said with a slight smirk. "What a romance we have going for us here," she said playfully, though she wasn't really kidding. She hummed quietly, kissing him a bit deeper. She pulled back a bit and nodded. "Mm, yes."

Nikolai kissed her nose. "A decision I clearly regret now. It seemed humorous at the time. Now? Not so much. I don't want to be thinking about my mum," he told her. He kissed her face some more before moving down to her neck. "You're beautiful," he said again. "A romance for the ages, clearly," he teased, keeping it light even if he meant it. He felt strongly for her already. He couldn't help it. He pulled back to pull her shirt over her head and looked down at her for a moment before moving to kiss her collarbones. "Beautiful," he murmured against her skin. "And so sexy."

Anastasia laughed quietly, leaning in and kissing him softly. "I don't want you to either," she said honestly, but lightly. She hummed quietly, closing her eyes as he kissed her skin. She smiled fondly at his compliment. "Everything with you is romantic," she said playfully, smiling up at him. She adjusted, helping him take her shirt off. She was glad he thought so. She let her head fall back. "Only for you," she said quietly, but she really did mean it.

Nikolai thought she was magnificent. She was truly out of this world. It was funny, she was a muggle but he thought he'd never seen anything more magical than her underneath him with her head tipped back and her eyes closed. "Just for me?" he asked against her skin. "I like that an awful lot. Say it again," he told her as he kissed down to where her bra cupped her breast. He nudged his hand beneath her to undo the clasp and pulled the fabric off her skin with ease. He kissed over her skin, purposely avoiding her nipple.

Anastasia smiled a bit when he repeated her words, smiling even wider when he asked her to say it again. "Only for you," she promised, her voice a bit breathless. She knew they weren't exactly exclusive, but she wasn't seeing anyone else, and she had no plans to start seeing anyone else any time soon. It was all for him. She moved to help him get her bra off, laying back against the bed easily. She whimpered quietly, pulling him closer. "All for you, Nik," she said softly, her voice catching a little.

Nikolai could not believe how lucky he was. Here he was with this beautiful woman and she kept saying she was only for him. She made him feel things he hadn't felt for anyone in a long time. He wanted her so badly. He noticed the way her breath caught and took her nipple into his mouth to suck on gently. His tongue flicked against it and he moved his hand to cup her other breast and rub circles around that nipple. Her whimper had been beautiful but he wanted to hear her moan.

Anastasia hadn't planned for things to go exactly this way, but she certainly hadn't planned for them to not go this way. A low, quiet moan escaped her lips when he put his mouth around her nipple. She was so weak for him. As much as she joked around about how great she was, she thought he was just as amazing. She let herself relax entirely, a hand moving over his back, lightly dragging her fingers over him.

Nikolai relished the sound of her moan. It was the most beautiful music. It felt like a spell she'd cast on him to make him want her more. Or a charm to make him draw the sound from her lips again. He switched breasts, taking the other nipple into his mouth and pinching the wet one between his fingers. He caressed the skin of her breast for a moment or two and then his hand began to move down over her toned stomach at a tantalizingly slow pace.

Anastasia wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen tonight, but she was excited for it. She bit her bottom lip softly, her moan barely escaping her lips. She could feel the anticipation building as he moved his hand down her stomach, wanting him to move just a bit faster. She wanted more and more of him, it was sort of ridiculous.

Nikolai liked taking his time. He was enjoying every second of this. He pulled back a bit to get her pants off and tossed them to the side without care. He kissed down her skin, over the flat plane of her stomach to her belly button and farther still. When his lips met the fabric of her panties he looked up at her curiously. "Are you okay with me going on?" he asked her quietly. He didn't want to push.

Anastasia lifted her hips, wiggling out of her pants easily. She just laid back with her eyes shut, enjoying the feeling of his lips on her skin and his hands over her body. She let out a shaky, whimpery moan. She looked at him and nodded, smiling a little. "Yes, please. Go on," she said honestly, desperately. She wanted this as much as she hoped he did.

Nikolai was pleased that they were on the same page. He would have stopped if she'd asked him to but he was thrilled that she'd given him the go ahead. He wanted her so badly. He ran his thumb over her through her panties, pressing her clit gently. He leaned in close to put his mouth over the same spot and flicked his tongue out, tracing circles over her before pulling back to kiss her thighs. His thumb returned to her clit and he repeated the pattern he'd been making with his tongue.

Anastasia bit her bottom lip as she waited, moaning as his finger moved over her clit. "Oh, Nik," she moaned quietly, her voice slightly weak. When his mouth replaced his thumb, she moaned louder, biting her lip harder. She involuntarily whimpered when he moved to kiss her thighs, though she enjoyed the feeling. She was greatly enjoying this. She felt like they had such amazing chemistry, honestly.

Nikolai really liked the sound of her moaning his name. It had easily become his favorite sound in the world. He kissed her thighs some more and bit down gently before sucking a mark on the skin. He continued to rub her clit as he did so but then pulled back and sat up to pull her panties off her legs. He smiled at her before moving back down and sliding two of his fingers into her at a steady pace.

Anastasia could feel her eyes roll into the back of her head. She was already so close to the edge. He was incredible. Between his lips on her thighs and his finger on her clit, she felt so good. His touch was amazing. She whined quietly when he pulled away, but lifted her hips to help get rid of her panties. She moaned at the feeling of his fingers, arching her back a bit.

Nikolai continued to thrust his fingers into her at the same steady pace. He dipped his head down to lick around them and pushed his tongue inside as well for a few thrusts. His free hand went to press down on her lower stomach as he curled his fingers deep inside of her. His lips closed around her clit and he sucked on it gently, flicking his tongue against it rapidly while adding another finger into her.

Anastasia moaned loudly when he added his tongue to his fingers, her legs getting a little shaky. "Oh, fuck," she moaned. Everything he was doing felt just incredible. She was so close. When his mouth moved to her clit, she knew she was about to come undone. "Nik, Nik," she said softly, a hand moving to his hair. She moaned his name again as she came around his fingers, pleasuring shooting through her entire body.

Nikolai picked up his pace with both his mouth and his fingers when she said his name. She was so sexy it made him burn for her. He sucked on her harder, curling his fingers deeper with every thrust. He wanted her to feel the absolute best she possibly could. He needed to do that for her. He helped her to ride it out before backing off slowly once he felt her finish. He licked around her to clean her up and then licked his fingers off before kissing back up her body.

Anastasia moaned as she came off her high, her breathing quite labored. Oh my god, he was so sexy. She just found him so unbelievably sexy. She laid back, trying to catch up as he kissed up her body. She hummed quietly when he did, leaning in and kissing his lips softly. She put a hand gently on his chest, pushing him carefully onto his back. She moved her legs to either side of him, kissing him a bit harder.

Nikolai kissed her softly when he reached her lips. He'd be fine stopping right here if she wanted to. He wouldn't push. But then she was pushing at him and he was rolling onto his back. His hands found her hips easily and he gave a light squeeze to her skin. He kissed her back just as hard, biting down on her lip gently. She drove him crazy. He felt like he was losing his mind and all they were doing was kissing.

Anastasia rolled her hips down into his. A soft moan left her lips when he bit hers, her hands moving to the hem of his shirt. She pulled away reluctantly, only to pull his shirt off of him. She leaned in again, kissing him hard, her hands moving over his entire chest. "Mm, so nice," she hummed quietly, kissing the corner of his mouth, then his jaw, before finding his lips again.

Nikolai leaned up slightly to help her get his shirt off his body before his back was against the bed once more. He rocked up, just once, before letting himself completely settle. Her hands on his skin had the fire inside of him burning for her. His hands traveled from her hips up her body, one finding her hair and entangling in it. The other moved to her breast and he gave it a small squeeze, his thumb brushing her nipple.

Anastasia honestly couldn't believe the chemistry between them. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced. She rolled her hips into him again, moaning quietly into his mouth. She pressed her body against his, one hand on the side of his face, holding him close, the other moving down his body. She slipped her hand under his pants, palming him through his underwear. She wasn't ready to kissing him just yet, but she would soon.

Nikolai liked everything she was doing. She knew exactly what to do with her hands, with her body. He didn't think she needed the dancing to showcase her art. She was a work of art on her own. It was beautiful and incredible and so fucking sexy. He let out a quiet moan when he felt her hand against him and had to focus to keep his hips still. He gave her breast a little squeeze before snaking the hand back down her body to rest it on her ass.

Anastasia smirked ever so slightly, enjoying the feeling of his hands all over her body. She kissed him a bit harder, biting his bottom lip softly. She pressed down a bit harder, but then pulled her hand back, working on getting his pants off instead. She broke the kiss reluctantly, sliding back onto her knees, and pulled his pants down. She carefully got his underwear off, slowly moving her hand over his length for a moment before leaning down and licking the tip.

Nikolai really felt like he was losing his mind. She'd hardly touched him at all and yet he could feel how needy he was for her every time she moved. He let out a sound when she pulled away from the kiss but kept his eyes on her as she moved down his body. Everything felt like it was happening so slowly. A low moan slipped past his lips when her hand closed around him and started to move and another, deeper moan escaped at the feeling of her mouth. "Fuck."

Anastasia could feel a warm, slow, lovely burn inside of her as she watched his reaction. A slight smile tugged at her lips when he moaned. She leaned down, taking in his head and swirling her tongue around him. She moved her hand in time with her mouth, humming quietly against his skin. She looked up at him, moving her head down a bit further, her tongue flat against his shaft.

Nikolai looked down at her with lust in his eyes. She was so beautiful it was hard to believe that she was a real person. She could be with anyone but she chose to be with him. He moaned again as she took his head in her mouth, letting out a low curse. Her hand mixed with her mouth was driving him crazy. "You're so sexy," he managed. He kept his hips tense so he didn't thrust up and hurt her. He moved a hand through her hair, holding it but not pushing her.

Anastasia felt like she was enjoying this almost as much as him. She liked him so much. She took more of him in, moving her hand. She focused on breathing through her nose, moving down him slowly until her nose pressed against his skin. She pulled back, starting a nice and easy pace. She moaned quietly in response to his compliment, picking up her pace slightly.

Nikolai ran his fingers through her hair but mostly kept a firm grasp on it to keep it out of her face. He wanted to see her. Her mouth was hot and wet and warm around him and it was driving him crazy. When her nose touched his skin he swore again, taking in a deep breath. His body was on fire. "I'm getting close," he warned her. He would have liked to last longer but she was doing everything just right and it had been a while.

Anastasia moved a bit faster before pulling off of him. She leaned back a bit, letting her hand finish him off, positioning herself so he came on her face a bit, before replacing her hand with her mouth again. She sucked him off, swallowing around him as she did, before pulling off again. She wiped her face a bit, licking her fingers, smiling up at him. "You're incredible," she said, breathing out a sigh.

Nikolai watched her with interest and let out a loud, deep moan when he realized what she was doing. He watched the way his come hit her face and bunched the sheet up in his free hand. He held her hair tighter when she went back down on him and squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment as he rode it out. He couldn't believe how hot she was. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. "You're so fucking hot," he mumbled as he watched her wipe her face and lick it off. He moved his hand to get the rest off her cheek and held his fingers to her lips.

Anastasia nearly smirked, but just offered him a sweet smile instead. She closed her eyes, closing her lips around his fingers, licking them off. She opened her eyes, pulling off of his fingers with a slight pop and laying down next to him. "Mmm, only for you," she said, smirking at him slight. "You're pretty fucking hot yourself," she admitted, raising an eyebrow at him slightly.

Nikolai nearly moaned at how hot she looked. She was too sexy for her own good. He pulled her close to him, his arm tight around her. "Only for me, huh?" he teased. "Better be. I'm not good at sharing," he joked. He leaned down to kiss her lips softly, her words still echoing in his mind. He should ask her to be his but he was worried it was too soon. "You know, I've heard that before," he teased. "I like it best from you, though. You're so beautiful."

Anastasia did smirk that time and nodded. "Of course, baby," she grinned. She laughed quietly, kissing him back. "I wouldn't expect you to share me," she said honestly. She curled into his side, a hand on his chest as she leaned into him. "It has a different ring coming from my mouth," she teased. She drew a small pattern on his chest, smiling up at him. "Maybe do you want to stay the night?"

Nikolai wondered how he got this lucky. What if she'd walked into the bar on any other night when he hadn't been working? What if she'd sat in front of Dom instead? Would he still be in this position? "Good, because I'm not planning on sharing any time soon," he grinned. He let out a content sigh as she settled in next to him and closed his eyes for a moment. "It sounds perfect coming from you." He was a bit surprised at her suggestion and opened his eyes to look at her. "I'd love to, if that's okay."

Anastasia was so pleased with the way their night had gone. She was really deep into this, and she wasn't entirely sure when that had happened. It had been creeping on her for a while, but she felt like it sort of hit her all at once tonight. "Everything is better coming from me," she said playfully. She smiled at him, nodding a bit. "It's definitely okay by me," she promised.

Nikolai chuckled quietly at her words, rubbing her arm softly. He turned to kiss the top of her head gently. "You're not wrong about that. You could make a boring book sound good," he teased her. "Or an insult, probably." He looked at her with a soft expression and brushed a thumb over her cheek before leaning down to kiss her lips. "Then I'd definitely like to stay with you."

Anastasia closed her eyes for a moment, smiling when he spoke. "I bet I could. You'll likely never find out about the insult, though," she teased. She looked up at him when he touched her face, smiling at him. She kissed him back. "Thank you. I like your company," she said honestly. She could lay here next to him for eternity, probably. "I'm gonna fall asleep soon, just warning you. I can feel it," she laughed quietly.

Nikolai laughed a little louder than he'd meant to. "Oh, you're only going to insult me in your head? That's just rude Anastasia," he teased her. He kissed her again and then once more for good measure. "I like yours too. And I really like your bed. It's much nicer than mine. I don't know how you ever leave it," he grinned. He kissed her forehead and smiled softly at her. "Go to sleep, love. Have sweet dreams."

Anastasia let out another laugh, rolling her eyes fondly at him. "That wasn't my plan, but maybe," she teased. She kissed him back, and again, holding him close when he broke the kiss. "It is a hell of a bed. I don't know how I ever leave it, either, honestly," she said with a quiet laugh. She smiled, nuzzling into him again, her head against his chest. "You, too, darling."

Nikolai shook his head at her. She was adorable. "Seriously so rude," he teased back. He liked the way she fit against him. Her skin was warm and soft and she was wrapped around him in the most perfect way. "Maybe we don't have to leave it," he yawned a bit. "We can sleep in tomorrow. Maybe past noon, if you're not busy," he teased. "I will, I promise. Goodnight."

Anastasia smiled fondly at him. He made her heart flutter. “So sorry,” she teased. She nodded a bit, nuzzling into him more. “Maybe,” she agreed. “For you I think I can make time,” she said playfully. “Goodnight,” she whispered, falling asleep with ease.

[anastasiahumphreys]

a walk through the park | anolai

nik and ana talk a walk and swing. lots of flirting.

Nikolai had been a bit busy with the bar since he'd decided to give Dominic a bit extra time off even after he was released from Mungo's. He just thought it was a better idea all around to not shove him right back into work. But, he'd forgotten that he'd promised another bartender some time off and so he found himself covering extra shifts. He didn't mind so much except that he hadn't really been able to see Anastasia and had to resort to using the ridiculously complicated phone that Dom had set up for him. He'd invited her to drop by the bar, thinking seeing her even for a brief few moments here and there was better than nothing. If she came, that is.

Anastasia had noticed Nikolai hadn't had much of a chance to talk with her too much. They talked a bit over the phone, but he seemed oddly against using it too much. She was cool with it, though. She had to appreciate someone who would rather live in the now than spend their days glued to their phones. Given his lack of communication, she wasn't at all surprised when he told her he had been busy and invited her to the bar. She got all dressed up and headed down, pushing the door open. She found him at the bar immediately and went over to sit down. "Fancy seeing you here," she grinned.

Nikolai felt bad that he hadn't been able to see Anastasia much. It was hard enough trying to work the phone to even speak to her but he had to if he wanted to keep things going between them. When he heard her voice, he turned, grinning at her. "I was hoping I'd see you tonight," he said, leaning on the bar. "Sorry to have been so hard to get a hold of. I may have given too many people time off at the same time and I didn't want to ask Dom to come back to work before he was ready," he admitted. "So I'm really glad you could make it in tonight. You look incredible, by the way. Should have led with that," he grinned.

Anastasia smiled when he said he was hoping to see her. "You and everyone else here," she teased. She shook her head and waved a hand nonchalantly. "It's no trouble. I knew you'd get back to me when you had a chance. Is Dom feeling better?" she asked curiously. She let out a laugh and nodded, raising an eyebrow for a moment. "Mm, you should have. But I'll forgive you," she teased. "You look very dashing," she added. "Are you working all night? If you are, you should get me a drink, bartender," she said with a sweet smile, batting her lashes at him.

Nikolai laughed at that, shaking his head. "You're not wrong," he teased back. He thought it was nice that she didn't seem to be too bothered by him being so distant lately. He really hadn't meant for it to happen. "He is. He's out of the hospital. I just felt bad asking him to come back right off the bat. Thought I'd give him a few days," he shrugged a bit. "Very thoughtful of you to forgive me," he grinned. "Thank you. I'm not working all night, hopefully, but I will gladly get you a drink. What would you like? Juice box?" he teased, getting one and placing it on the bar.

Anastasia chuckled a bit, pleased that he humored her. She nodded along when he spoke about his brother. She was glad to hear he was feeling better. She wasn't entirely clear on what had happened, but she knew being in the hospital sucked. "That's good! Kind of you to give him some time, though. What a nice boss you are," she grinned. She shrugged casually. "I do my best," she teased. She nodded, glad to hear she'd get some time with him later. "Do you have to ask?" she teased. "Also a shot of tequila," she added.

Nikolai let out a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, it's more of a he's my older brother kind of a thing, but we'll go with nice boss," he teased. "He deserved some time off anyway." He smirked at her a bit, pushing the juice box closer. "Shot of tequila? Interesting," he grinned. He poured it for her and gave her everything necessary. "Have at it, love. I'll be right back," he grinned. He helped a few more people out before returning to her. "What have you been up to lately? Anything interesting?"

Anastasia scrunched up half her face. "Same thing," she said playfully. "It was nice of you regardless," she added, a bit less playful. She opened the juice box, taking a drink as she waited for him to get the tequila. "Oh yeah? A shot of tequila can be good," she teased. She took the shot while he was gone, going back to sipping at her juice box. "Mm, nothing particularly interesting. Just the same as usual. Oh, though I have started training my cat to shake."

Nikolai laughed at that. It definitely was not the same thing but he'd go with it since she was so damn cute. "Well, I try. If I'm nice, the employees are happy and if they're happy, they're nice and if they're nice, the customer is happy and so on and so forth," he grinned. "It was just an unexpected choice, though, I suppose I should expect that with you," he laughed. He nodded slightly as she spoke before laughing again. "Sorry, what? You're teaching her to shake?"

Anastasia nodded along. She was pretty sure it was like that with most jobs. "More money for you," she said, rubbing her fingers together. She laughed a little and shrugged. "It's a good choice," she teased. She sipped on her juice, laughing at his confusion. "You know, shake paws. Like you would with a dog," she added. "I watched a YouTube video, and this guy made it looks so easy. It was so cute, too. I was like alright, alright, Gin can do it if they can."

Nikolai grinned when she got it. "Exactly. More money means, well, I can hire more help or give out more vacations. Maybe even take a vacation, who knows?" he teased. "It is a good choice." He laughed when she explained, shaking his head. "No, I mean, I get that. I just... I don't think cats share that kind of temperament that dogs do. Shaking paws seems beneath them," he laughed, leaning on the bar. "Did she do it?"

Anastasia raised an eyebrow when he suggested taking a vacation himself. "Woah, you leaving the bar for more than a few days?" she teased. She figured he'd have to take a vacation one day. She laughed when he said it seemed beneath them. "I can't argue with you there. She definitely isn't wild about me touching her paws ever," she laughed. "Not yet, but we're making progress. She nipped at my hand the first time, and now she just pulls her paw back."

Nikolai laughed a bit. "I know. I think I'd start to have withdrawals," he teased. "I reckon the whole place would start to fall apart without me," he added with a grin. He shook his head as she went on, amused that she was still trying to convince her cat to do something like that. "She's going to end up batting you in the face with her paw," he teased. "I've had that happen plenty of times."

Anastasia chuckled and nodded, taking a sip from her juice. "It'd be hard to get your fix when it's fallen all apart. You'd have to build it up from rubble," she teased. She smiled at how amused he was by her adventures. "I probably will, in fact, get batted in the face. And I will have it coming. But one day you're going to see me ask for her paw and she's gonna give it to me. Just you wait," she said playfully.

Nikolai leaned a bit closer to her over the bar. "Exactly. What would I do with myself? I'd be an annoying mess. You wouldn't even want to hang out with me," he teased. He shook his head, letting out a laugh. "You are something else, Anastasia. You're going to have battle scars from this adventure," he teased. "Yeah, sure. If you say so," he laughed. "Or maybe I'll come over and you'll ask for it and I'll see her bat you in the face."

Anastasia laughed when he suggested she wouldn't hang out with him. "Oh yeah. What's a man without his bar?" she teased. She shrugged casually, smiling still. "Maybe. But it'll be worth it," she grinned. She laughed, shaking her head. "Have a little more faith in me, Nikolai," she teased. She took a drink from her juice box, finishing it and shaking it to make sure it was empty. "It's all gone. Sad. I'll just take a glass of wine now," she smiled.

Nikolai made a face. "I'm afraid he's absolutely nothing at all," he said solemnly before letting out a chuckle. He rolled his eyes with a laugh. "Will it, though? One party trick is worth all the battle wounds from it?" he teased. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry. You can definitely do this," he grinned. He watched her shake the juice box, smiling fondly. "You know, I have more juice boxes," he laughed, even as he reached for a wine glass. "What kind of wine would you like, love?"

Anastasia snorted a little, shaking her head. He was hilarious. Few people could keep up with her like he could. "What a pity," she teased. She nodded seriously. "Uh huh. I have it all planned out. Don't you worry," she teased. "And I already have a real party trick. I'll have to show you sometime," she smirked. She rolled her eyes playfully. "Thanks, now," she teased, pretending to sound exasperated. She shook her head. "Juice boxes only come in packages of like eight. If I drink them all right now, I won't have any next time," she grinned. "Whatever rosé you have on hand."

Nikolai chuckled quietly. "Lucky for me, the bar is still standing. And you're sitting in front of me," he grinned. He laughed again, shaking his head. "I'm sure you do," he teased back. "Oh, do you now? What is it? I bet it isn't better than mine," he smirked back. He raised an eyebrow slightly, giving her an incredulous look. "Do you really think that I just ordered an eight pack of juice boxes? I run a bar. We can't just order things in that size," he laughed, shaking his head. He poured a glass of rosé for her, picking the one that he knew Simone favored. He had a feeling that if she liked it, Ana would. "Here you go. Tell me if you like it."

Anastasia wiped her forehead and sighed. "I'm relieved," she grinned. She nodded, leaning forward a bit. "I can do magic," she grinned, nodding a little. "I'll show you sometime. Don't worry," she smiled. She laughed and shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know! You didn't have any until I asked for them," she laughed. "Who else here orders juice boxes, hm?" she teased. She nodded, picking the glass up and taking a small sip. She hummed quietly and nodded. "Mm, very good."

Nikolai stopped for a moment, looking at her. His heart hammered against his chest. "You can--what?" he asked, trying to play it cool. He wasn't sure what she was playing at, mentioning magic so casually in a muggle bar. Had he been wrong all this time? "I had to order a case of them!" he laughed. "No one orders them but you. No one else even knows about them," he teased. He nodded when she said she liked the wine. "I thought you might like that one. It's the one Simone orders."

Anastasia laughed a little at his reaction. He was so surprised, it was amusing. "Would you like me to show you? I need someone's help," she told him. She raised an eyebrow and let out a small laugh. "Why did you order so many?" she asked. "Especially if you didn't tell people!" she added, laughing more. She had to admit, she liked being the only reason he had them, but she thought it was funny. "Simone is one of your friends, yes?" she asked, making sure she remembered right.

Nikolai didn't know how he was supposed to respond to that. Did he say yes? They were surrounded by muggles. He still was confused as to if she was one or not. "I. I suppose, if you want to," he said. He managed a shrug. "I didn't know how big the case was when I ordered it. And you're the one who told me I couldn't give them to anyone but you," he reminded her. "She is. She's the doctor," he nodded. "One of the French twins."

Anastasia nodded a bit, standing up and finding someone who looked nice. She talked to them for a moment, smiling when they agreed to help her. "Okay, I'm going to go over there and close my eyes, and you're going to pick an item in the room by telling my new friend Alana. Then, I'm going to come back, and I'm going to tell you what you picked," she grinned. She stepped aside, closing her eyes and waiting for Alana to come tap on her shoulder.

Nikolai had absolutely no idea what was going on. What kind of magic was that? He was beyond confused and his head was starting to ache a bit. He wished Dom was here to explain things. "Uh. Alright," he said. He glanced around a bit, trying to think of something. He wasn't sure that this Alana wouldn't just tell Ana what he'd picked but that didn't make sense either. "I guess... that guy's hat," he decided, nodding to someone down the bar.

Anastasia turned back when Alana tapped her shoulder. She walked over, waiting as Alana started talking about things. "Did Nikolai pick this barstool?" Alana asked. Ana shook her head, "No." Alana pointed to the glass holding someone's shot. "Did he pick that girl's shot glass?" Ana shook her head. "Did he pick that guy's hat?" she asked. Ana smiled and nodded. "Yes. Yes he did," she said.

Nikolai narrowed his eyes a bit when the two women returned and continued on with this magic. He had absolutely no idea what was going on. What kind of spell could this be? Was she trying to say she read minds? He had absolutely no idea. Once she said yes to the hat, he leaned against the bar, frowning slightly. "Right. What exactly is going on? How did you do that?" he asked.

Anastasia smiled widely at Nikolai. He was so amusing. She walked over and leaned on the bar, taking a sip of her wine. "A magician never reveals her secret, silly," she grinned. "It's just a silly game. My brother does it with kids. They think it's hilariously fascinating. A lot less frowning from them than I'm getting from you right now," she said with a smile.

Nikolai wished he could just go and ask Dominic what any of this meant. He'd have the answers and he wouldn't be all cryptic with them. "I'm just a bit confused, is all," he admitted. "It's a very fancy party trick, I promise, love," he said, smiling at her. "Ah, so your brother knows magic too?" he asked conversationally. He didn't really think any of this was magic but then again, he was really, very confused.

Anastasia wondered if no one had ever shown him a magic trick. "That's the point," she laughed a little. She nodded, but shrugged a shoulder, sitting back in her spot. She thanked Alana who was sitting a few seats down. "I mean, not really. It's not really magic, you know. You do know that, right?" she said, smiling a little. "It's just like, a trick of the mind," she explained.

Nikolai laughed a little bit, nodding slightly. "Right," he said. He poured a drink for the Alana girl, giving her a refill of the one she had on the house. "I know it's not really magic," he laughed. He was pretty sure that was no spell and she clearly wasn't a legilimens. If she was then everything about this would be a lot easier. "If you say so, love. I still think my party trick is better," he teased, trying to change the subject.

Anastasia let out a small breath she didn't realize she'd been holding in. He'd had such an odd reaction, she was pretty sure he thought she was, in fact, performing real magic. "Oh, okay, good," she laughed. She shook her head a bit, shaking it off, and took a sip of her wine. "Oh yeah? What's your party trick, hot shot?" she teased, taking another drink from her wine.

Nikolai shook his head, letting out a chuckle. "I know you don't know real magic," he teased her. He was pretty sure she didn't, at least. He shrugged a bit, a smile touching his lips. "I'd show you but unfortunately, this isn't a party and I'm on the clock. You'll just have to wait and see," he told her, the smile turning into a grin. "Maybe next time."

Anastasia nearly added that magic, of course, wasn't real, but she didn't think it was necessary. She let out a laugh when he said she'd have to wait, scoffing a little. "And to think I have up my trick for nothing," she teased. She took a drink from her wine, setting it down again. "When do you get off the clock again? Not for the party trick."

Nikolai shrugged slightly, his grin turning into a smirk. "Well, you know, you should have thought about that before trying to show off," he teased. "Silly Ana," he grinned. He looked at the watch he kept on his wrist, checking the time. "Not too long from now. About half an hour, actually," he told her. "Why? Did you have something in mind that you wanted to do?" he asked.

Anastasia snapped her fingers, letting out a disappointed sigh. "Damn. My loss," she teased. She watched as he looked at his watch, nodding a little. "Oh, that's good," she smiled. She shrugged a shoulder, shaking her head a little. "Nothing in particular. Although, there is a park nearby that I really like. I know it's late and parks are for kids, but you're never too old to swing."

Nikolai chuckled at her. "You'll get to see it eventually. Just stick around enough and I'll show off all of my tricks," he teased. He nodded a bit, pouring a drink for the person next to her. "Oh? The park?" he grinned. "The park is not just for kids. Who told you that load of rubbish?" he laughed. "I'd love to go to the park with you," he said with another smile. "Can I top off your wine for you?" he offered, reaching for the bottle.

Anastasia didn't actually have any intentions of going anywhere. She really liked Nikolai, and she thought they had good chemistry. Plus he was cute as fuck. "I'll hold you to that," she said with a smirk. She laughed when he said it was rubbish, shrugging. "My dad says the playground isn't really intended for adults, and I should be walking around if I'm going to the park," she said, mocking his voice. "Good. We can swing together," she grinned. "Please," she said, holding the glass out for him.

Nikolai wondered if there would come a day where he could show her real magic. He was still confused by everything she'd said about magic, honestly, but if she was just a clueless muggle, he wanted to see her reaction to an actual spell. He hoped that she'd handle it well, honestly. He let out a laugh when she imitated her father's voice. "Well, lucky for us, your dad isn't here. Besides, if the playground equipment wasn't intended for adults, why did they build it big enough for us to comfortably use it?" he asked with a grin. He topped off her glass and then put the bottle back. "I'm glad you said swing together instead of just asking me to push you," he teased.

Anastasia grinned. She liked his way of thinking. She liked it a lot. "You have a point," she grinned. "I can't wait," she said honestly. She took a drink from her glass, swirling it around a bit before putting it down. "I'm a big girl, I can pump my legs like everyone else," she teased. "What fun would it be if you were just pushing me?" she said with a laugh.

Nikolai grinned right back at her. "I usually do," he teased. "It'll be a fun time. I actually haven't be on the swings in quite a while," he admitted. He checked his watch, making a thoughtful sound. "I would assume you can with legs like yours," he teased with a chuckle. "I don't know. Some people just like to be pushed on the swing," he shrugged. "I'm going to just end my shift now. I think the others can do without me," he decided. "Let's go swing, love."

Anastasia rolled her eyes playfully at him. She thought for a moment and shrugged. "I haven't in a while either, though sometime tells me I've been on swings more recently than you," she teased. She just suspected he was far too busy, honestly. She smirked a little and nodded. "You'd be amazed at the things I can do with these legs," she admitted. She made a face and shook her head. That wasn't fun. She grinned, perking up a bit when he said he was going to leave. She finished off her glass, setting it down and standing up. "Let's go!"

Nikolai let out a laugh. "I can guarantee that you've been on the swings more recently than me," he chuckled. "I can't even remember when I was last on them," he admitted after a moment with another little grin. He shook his head fondly. "I don't doubt that at all," he smirked. He chuckled at how she'd perked up and walked around the bar to meet her. "Come on, love," he said, offering her a hand.

Anastasia laughed and shrugged a shoulder. "I'm not at all surprised," she grinned. She was an adventurous person, and she likely had more spare time than him. "Shame. At least now you'll be able to say when you last were," she said. She smirked a bit, but didn't say anything else. He'd see one day. She reached out and took his hand, pulling him towards the door. "You're good with walking, yes?"

Nikolai shook his head with a smile. He really enjoyed being around her. She was refreshing and interesting and she made him laugh. He couldn't wait to introduce her to his friends. "That's very true. And my memory of going will always have you in it," he grinned. He smiled when she took his hand. "Of course I am. It's cheaper than calling a cab," he teased as he squeezed her hand.

Anastasia smirked a bit and nodded, glancing over at him. "Exactly. And any memory with me in it is a good one," she teased. She laughed, shaking her head. As if she was gonna make him pay for a cab ride. She was content walking, though, so it wasn't a big deal. She swung his hand with hers a little as they walked, not rushing or strolling. "When does your brother get back to work then?"

Nikolai grinned at that. Of course it would be. "You're very right about that," he chuckled. "I think even a memory of a bad night would made good just if you were involved," he smirked. He thought for a minute about the question. He hadn't given Dominic an exact date but he'd probably ask him to come back in a few days. "Not sure. I'm gonna go to his place tomorrow and see how he's doing and if he looks good then I'll ask him to come back in a day or two."

Anastasia shrugged a shoulder casually. "I do have a tendency to lighten dark moods," she said with a grin. He was a good brother, she thought. It was nice. She had a great relationship with her brother, and it really meant a lot to her that he had a solid relationship with his siblings. "That's so kind of you. I'm sure he's going to like having you there, especially if he needs you to make food for him or something," she grinned.

Nikolai laughed quietly. "You certainly do," he teased. He shrugged a bit, thinking. He didn't think it was that kind of him to go check on Dom. They had their differences just like any siblings but that didn't mean he didn't love him. "I think he'll enjoy it. I'm not so sure I'll have to make him food but you know, that's a good idea. I know he got tired of the hospital food after a while," he laughed.

Anastasia gave him a look, shaking her head. "You're telling me you're gonna go to your injured brother's apartment and not cook him something while you're there? Maybe you're not as kind as I thought," she teased. "I would at least bring cookies or something," she said, shrugging shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be content just to have your company, honestly," she said with a genuine grin.

Nikolai laughed a little bit. "I'm going to cook! Or I'll bring him food from the bar. We'll see. I will feed my idiot brother," he chuckled. "He'll appreciate the gesture.' He thought for a moment before nodding. "I can bring cookies too. I'll stop by mum's bakery and get his favorites." He smiled down at her, finding that sweet. "He would be. He's a good man. He'd be alright with just hanging out I'm sure."

Anastasia made a face and moved her head back and forth, sort of mocking him playfully. "Mm, sure, now that I called you out you're gonna," she said, shaking her head. "Oh bar food, that's delicious and homemade," she teased. She laughed and nodded. "I'm sure he will appreciate it," she said honestly. "Oh, see now you sound sweet," she teased. She nodded. She wasn't at all surprised that he'd be alright with just hanging out. "I mean, he's your brother. I'm not surprised he's a good man."

Nikolai grinned with a shrug. "Hey now. I'm still doing it," he teased. "That's what counts." He let out a chuckle. "You know, I did come up with the recipes for all of the bar food," he chuckled. "It's essentially homemade in that sense." He thought it'd be nice to do a few things for Dominic. After all, he had been helping him a lot with Anastasia things. "I'm not trying to sound sweet," he teased. He smiled a bit, pleased at how she thought. "He's a better man than me, that's for sure. Don't tell him I said that."

Anastasia smiled, trying to hold it in a bit. "Sure. He'll never know that you were gonna scoot out on him without feeding him," she teased. She tilted her head a bit, genuinely impressed. "Oh really? That's pretty cool, actually. Really interesting. But it still doesn't count for your brother," she teased. She nudged him their hands. "Well you do, so tough," she teased. She laughed a little, shrugging a shoulder. "I believe you," she teased. "I won't tell, though."

Nikolai laughed at that. "I wasn't planning on doing that! I just said I wasn't sure he'd ask me to. I'm a nice guy," he laughed again. "I did. I pride myself on the food of the bar. I'm a very good cook. My mother taught me," he said with a smile. "Fine, fine. I'll take the food from the bar and cook it at his place. Better?" he asked, shaking his head. "I'm not sweet," he laughed. "Come off it. Hey, there's the park."

Anastasia believed him. She just liked giving him a hard time. "I have no doubts about you being a nice guy. It's the other part I'm not so sure about," she teased. She thought that was pretty cool. He had quite a nice menu, and to know he came up with it all was intriguing. "Color me impressed," she said playfully. "Your food has been good from what I've tried," she grinned. She laughed and nodded. "Yes, better," she agreed. She shrugged, smirking at him. "I don't know. You've been pretty damn sweet when I've kissed you. Practically dripping with sugar," she teased. She laughed, nudging him before running to the swings.

Nikolai chuckled to himself. "Oh, I'm sure. Now you're just backtracking so you don't hurt my feelings. I know exactly what you're doing and I must say, I'm not please," he teased. His smile widened when she said she was impressed and he shrugged it off a bit, though he was quite proud. "Well, my mum taught me how to cook," he explained. "So, it's all because of her." He laughed loudly and shook his head. "I think you're confusing me with another bartender. There's nothing sweet about me, love." He chuckled again, following her to the swings.

Anastasia laughed loudly at that and shook her head. "Did I not just tell you you were sweet? And you think I don't think you're a nice guy? You're ridiculous, Nikolai," she laughed. She grinned a little bit, giving him a look. "You're just a nice, sweet, momma's boy, huh?" she teased. "Your mum must be quite talented," she added. She rolled her eyes playfully. "Seeing as you're the only bartender I've been kissing, I'd have to say I do not have you confused for anyone," she teased.

Nikolai shook his head with a grin. "Maybe I am but I made you laugh, didn't I? I quite like the sound of that," he winked. He shrugged a bit and laughed it off. "I'm the youngest and the favorite, so yes, I might be a bit of a momma's boy," he teased. "But my siblings were off to school first and so she spoiled me. And she taught me to cook. I can't bake like her, though," he admitted. He chuckled a bit, walking around the swing after she sat in it and giving her a little push.

Anastasia smiled a bit, biting the inside of her lip. "Excuses, excuses," she teased. "Momma's boys are the best. And so are the youngest," she grinned. She had been too much of a handful to be the favorite, she was pretty sure, but she was fine with that. "Which is why we need to go to her bakery," she grinned. She turned a bit to look at him when he pushed her. "Hey, knock it off. Get on the swing next to me," she said, reaching out and grabbing the chain and letting it go again.

Nikolai chuckled quietly. "If you say so," he teased. "It's much better to be the youngest. You get away with a lot more. I did, at least," he laughed. He'd been a bit of trouble growing up, he was certain of it. "We'll go to the bakery, I promise," he laughed. "I think you're more excited to meet my mum than you are to hang out with me," he teased. He rolled his eyes when she stopped him and stepped back. "Look what chivalry does. Rejection is what I get," he teased. He walked around and sat down in the other swing, moving it gently. He focused a bit on her swing, making it move a bit easier. "So much for being nice," he chuckled.

Anastasia had to admit she'd gotten away with quite a bit of troublemaking herself. Something told her that she got away with things for different reasons than Nik had though. "I get away with everything," she teased. She looked forward to going to the bakery. "No, I'm more excited to eat her sweets than I am to hang out with you," she teased. "I told you I wasn't going to make you push me, and I wasn't kidding. Swing with me," she said playfully, smiling over at him. She frowned a little as her swing continued to move as if he was pushing her a little, glancing over at him. He was definitely sitting and swinging. She moved her legs a bit more, glancing behind her subtly. It must be in her head, she decided. She shook her head, turning to smile at him. "Aren't you having fun?"

Nikolai laughed at that, shaking his head. "Somehow I don't doubt that at all. You seem the type, which I like, because I'm the same way," he grinned. He really found her fascinating and he wanted to spend more time with her. She was like no one he'd ever known. "Oh, of course. Sweets over me. Though, didn't you tell me I was sweet as well?" he teased. He chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "I just thought I'd give you a bit of a push to get you started. That way, maybe you'd be able to swing as high as me," he grinned. He started swinging a bit more when he noticed how easily her swing was moving. That was only a bit of magic, he thought, so he didn't think it was really breaking the law all that much. "I am. This is nice. A bit nostalgic."

Anastasia smirked a little, nodding a bit. "We'll get away with things together, how about that?" she teased. She thought that over, laughing a little. "I did say that, didn't I? I guess I'll just have to take the both of you, then, hm?" she grinned over at him. She laughed and shook her head, pumping her legs faster. "Like I need your push. My legs are incredible, remember?" she teased. She reached a leg out and kicked the pole next to her gently, bumping into Nikolai as they continued swinging. "It is nostalgic. I'm having lots of fun," she admitted.

Nikolai thought that sounded like an adventure to him. He figured they could get up to all sorts of trouble. He couldn't wait. "I like the sound of that," he grinned. He chuckled quietly. "I guess you will. Such a burden, isn't it?" he teased, kicking his legs a bit harder. He shrugged slightly. "They are pretty incredible," he agreed. "But I still bet I could swing higher. And jump farther off, if we were to try it," he teased. He grinned when she bumped into him, kicking the pole to do the same to her. "I am too. I really missed swinging, I've just realized," he laughed.

Anastasia grinned and nodded. "I like the sound of it, too," she agreed. They could have a lot of fun together, she was pretty sure. She let out an exaggerated sigh and nodded. "Such a burden," she agreed. She scoffed, laughing afterward. "I can swing higher and jump farther than you," she said, kicking her heels off as she pumped her legs so she wouldn't fall when she jumped. She kept swinging, really putting a lot of effort into it, but laughed when he bumped into her. "Swinging is a lot of fun. Who wouldn't miss it?" she teased.

Nikolai smiled to himself when she agreed. He couldn't wait to see where this thing could go. He let out a laugh at her sigh. "How will you ever put up with me?" he teased. He shook his head a bit and chuckled. "We'll see about that. I'm pretty sure I have a good chance at beating you," he told her with a grin. He wasn't entirely confident about it but he would do his best. He laughed when he saw how hard she was working at swinging, shaking his head. "Boring people, most likely. I could think of a few," he chuckled.

Anastasia shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I have no idea!" she said exasperated, but let out a laugh she hadn't been able to hold on. She made a face, shaking her head again. "You fucking wish," she teased. She grinned when he laughed, pumping her legs still. "Let me know when you're ready to jump," she said. She shrugged a shoulder. "I don't talk to boring people," she teased, her voice playful.

Nikolai liked the way her laugh sounded when she'd been trying to suppress it. She just kept getting cuter and cuter by the minute. "I hope you figure something out," he teased. He rolled his eyes playfully, considering using magic to give himself a little extra boost. He decided against it, in the end. "Let me get a little more momentum," he chuckled, kicking harder. "I know a handful of them." He waited a moment before nodding. "On three, we jump. One, two... three!" he chanted, launching himself off the swing.

Anastasia laughed again and nodded. She nodded, still swinging to make sure she didn't lose momentum while he caught up. "Shame on you. You're better than knowing boring people," she teased. She nodded, getting lined up with him. When he shouted three, she jumped, landing carefully and standing up straight after a moment. "Ha! I told you I could go farther than you," she grinned, turning around and doing a little dance. She walked over to him, he wasn't really all that much behind her, and put both hands on her face, kissing him hard on the lips. "You did a good job, though," she said playfully.

Nikolai landed just a bit short of her after the jump. He stumbled slightly, nearly losing his footing but luckily caught himself before he embarrassed himself by tumbling. He let out an exaggerated sigh and hung his head for the briefest of moments but looked up in time to see her doing a dance. He chuckled to himself but then she was in front of him and kissing him and the sounded faded easily. When she pulled back, he smiled, brushing a thumb across her cheek. "I tried my best, that's what counts," he teased, kissing her again.

Anastasia smiled fondly when he laughed, the fondness spreading over her face when he brushed his thumb against her skin. "Definitely what counts," she agreed, leaning in and kissing him back. She moved her hand to the back of his neck, pulling him in a bit and kissing him harder. She bit his bottom lip softly, pulling away slowly. "Hm, yes. I was right. Incredibly sugary sweet," she smiled.

Nikolai noticed the way her features had softened and he rubbed his thumb over her skin again. "I'm glad that you agree," he smiled. He kissed her again, softly at first. But then she was kissing him harder and he was returning it. He was a little bit surprised when she pulled away and hummed thoughtfully, blinking once. And then he laughed. "Still stuck on that are we?" he teased, kissing her again.

Anastasia felt all warm and soft inside. She found that he made her feel both warm and soft, and full of electricity and fire. She loved it. "Of course," she mumbled. She smiled at the sound of his hum, nudging him gently but holding him close still. "Only until you admit you're sweet as pie," she grinned, kissing him back. She liked kissing him. She pulled away from him slowly, going to the playground and the slide. "I can't believe you're spending you're free time with me at the park. I love it."

Nikolai chuckled a little and shook his head. "I will never admit to that," he told her. "I am not that sweet. I still think you're confused," he teased. He kissed her a few more times, softly, before letting her pull away from him. He glanced back at the swings, noticing hers was still moving a bit too much and he slowed it down and followed her. "What can't you believe about it? I'm a fun person," he teased. "You should know that by now."

Anastasia rolled her eyes playfully, reaching out and patting his cheek. "You're the sweetest. And for some reason you feel the need to deny your sweetness, which makes you all the cuter," she said with a grin. She shrugged a shoulder as she climbed up, getting situation at the top of the slide. "It's just so ridiculous. It just seems too hilarious and childish. Which is why I love it so much," she said with a laugh. "Oh, I know you're fun. Don't worry."

Nikolai narrowed his eyes slight but he let out a chuckle despite himself. He shook his head. "You are ridiculous. You're the sweet one here. Full of compliments," he teased her. He followed behind her, watching her climb up the slide. He walked to the end of it, waiting for her to come down so he could kiss her again. "I enjoy doing childish things from time to time," he teased. "You can ask anyone that knows me." He smiled up at her, shaking his head fondly. "Come on down, love."

Anastasia shrugged a bit at that. She didn't think she was ridiculous or particularly sweet. He was ridiculously sweet though. "You're silly, just copying my compliments," she teased. "That doesn't get to count," she added, laughing a little. She nodded, smiling down at him. "I'll take your word this time," she teased. She thought that made sense. He seemed the fun type, honestly. And fun people did childish things from time to time. She pushed forward a bit, sliding down. "My legs are too long for this," she laughed, reaching the bottom rather quick.

Nikolai rolled his eyes a bit. "I wouldn't have to copy your compliments if you didn't keep giving me ones meant for you," he teased. "If you say so," he chuckled. He watched her come down the slide and laughed, leaning down to press his lips against hers when she reached the bottom. He straightened back up with a grin and grabbed her hands, pulling her to her feet. "Maybe so, but you look pretty damn cute," he told her, kissing her again. "Let's look around a bit more. Maybe they have monkey bars. They'll probably be too low for you but I bet I can cross them," he teased.

Anastasia snorted at that, shaking her head. She shoved him gently. "Stop it, ass," she said playfully. "Stop trying to give me your compliments," she laughed. She leaned in, kissing him back, and smiling when she pulled back. "Mm, thank you," she grinned, standing up with his help and kissing him back. She nodded, walking with him around the playground. "You're maybe an inch or two shorter than me," she laughed. "We'll see."

Nikolai laughed when she shoved him, catching her hands. "That's not very nice, Anastasia," he chastised playfully before letting go. "I'm not very original. You'll have to deal with that," he joked. He smiled at her as they walked, shrugging a bit. "I like that you're taller than me. It means you can reach for things for me," he teased, nudging her side. "Ah! There they are," he grinned, jogging over to them. He jumped up, catching onto them and started his way across. "These were always my favorite."

Anastasia laughed a bit when Nikolai caught her hands. "See, I'm not very nice," she teased, nudging him gently when he left go. "Stop trying to give me compliments!" she laughed. She laughed a bit, shaking her head, but she was glad he didn't have some kind of masculinity issue with their height difference. "I guess if you ask nicely I can manage that," she teased. She ran after him, grabbing onto the bar even though her feet were still on the ground. "I used to hang upside on them. Actually, I probably still can."

Nikolai grinned when she laughed. A moment later, he was joining in. "You got me there," he teased her back. "Fine! No more compliments for you! Ever!" he joked, his tone heavy with faux exasperation. "I'll just start calling you names," he teased. "I'll ask you very nicely. I'll say, 'Ana, darling, can you grab me that jar off the top shelf?' And you'll say 'oh, of course Nik, my love' and we'll live happily ever after," he teased. He dropped down at the end of the monkey bars, landing softly on his feet. "Go for it. I'd love to see that," he teased.

Anastasia smirked and winked at him. "Aha, you admit I'm right," she grinned. She laughed a little and shook her head. "I definitely can't do that. I thrive off of people saying sweet things to me. Just no more compliments right now," she teased. She smiled fondly at his story, laughing quietly. "I guess if you're gonna call me darling," she trailed off, grinning over at him. She watched him finish the monkey bars, applauding when he reached the end. "I'm sure you would," she teased. She grabbed one of the bars, lifting her body up with her arms and getting her legs around the bar. Once she was secure, she let go, letting her torso hang. "Ta-da."

Nikolai rolled his eyes playfully. "You're a very difficult woman, Anastasia," he teased. He shook his head in fondness and amusement. "If you say so," he teased. "I'll compliment you later. Or tomorrow," he winked. She made him smile. He felt like whenever he was around her he was surrounded by pure joy. She just gave off so much happiness, it was almost too much. "I'll call you darling if you like it." He walked back under the monkey bars as she started to flip herself upside down. His eyebrows went up a bit and he smirked slightly. "Very impressive. Sexy, too," he grinned playfully. "I don't think I could do that."

Anastasia reached over and patted his cheek lightly. "That makes me all the more worth it in the end," she grinned. She nodded a bit. She needed people to like her. She just also needed people to listen to her. "Later probably works," she said playfully. She quite liked him calling her darling, actually. She was rather convinced that she'd do anything he asked, though, regardless of if he called her darling or not. Not that she'd let him know just yet. "I do like it," she smiled. She smirked at his smirk. "Thanks. I'm actually surprised I can still do it as easily as before," she said with a small laugh. "You maybe would surprise yourself," she said honestly. "Okay, my blood is rushing to my head now, so I'm gonna flip back," she said, reaching up and grabbing the bar, moving back to her feet carefully.

Nikolai thought she was awfully cute telling him she needed the compliments to return later on. He thought it was even cuter that she thrived off of sweet things from others. Maybe he just thought she was precious. He wasn't sure. "I'll compliment you when you least expect it," he teased. He smiled to himself and nodded once, making a note to call her darling at every opportunity. "I'm not surprised at all," he admitted. "I'm starting to think there's nothing you can't do," he told her. He laughed as she flipped back upright and then clapped politely. "Very impressive. Consider me hooked on you, darling."

Anastasia grinned and winked at him. "Perfect," she said, the smile still on her lips. Boy, she really liked him. She liked him a lot. Once she was on her feet again, she laughed a little. "You're not entirely wrong," she teased. She was pretty sure she could do anything she set her mind to, honestly. She bowed a little when he clapped. She smiled when he called her darling and said he was hooked on her, leaning in and kissing him again. She pulled back a little, laughing against his lips softly. "I like you an awful lot, Nik," she smiled, kissing him again before pulling back.

Nikolai looked her over with a sense of wonder. She was incredibly stunning, not only in looks but in personality too. Everything about her just drew him in. "I can say with completely certainty that I have never met anyone like you before," he told her, even as she teased him. He smiled softly when she leaned in and kissed him, moving his hands to her hips to pull her closer. "Do you?" he asked with a grin when she pulled away. "Guess what, darling. I like you an awful lot too," he whispered, kissing her a bit harder.

Anastasia smiled ever so slightly as he said she was unlike anyone he'd ever met. She moved her hair behind her and smirked a little. "I am one of a kind," she said playfully. She liked how highly he thought of her. She leaned into his touch, smiling a little. "Mm, I do," she said honestly. She smiled again when he both said he liked her and called her darling. Oh, she was getting in way too deep with this one. She moved her hands to his face, kissing him back fervor.

Nikolai didn't doubt that for a moment. He had met a lot of people in his life, both magical and muggle, and none had been remotely like her. She was like a rare gem, one people would never let go of once they had. "You are. You're like magic," he grinned. He held her a bit closer to him when she leaned. He was so gone for her. He nipped at her lip, flicking his tongue out to meet her skin. One of his hands slid from her hip to her lower back, holding her close.

Anastasia thought he was pretty good at the whole compliments when you least expect it thing. He was doing a good job. She loved it. He was so kind and fun and interesting. She just really enjoyed him. She kissed him back, moving one hand to the back of his neck. She let out a small whimper against his lips. Her tongue flicked out against his, breathing him in slightly.

Nikolai hadn't been expecting to hear a whimper but when he did, his hands tightened around her. The sound was beautiful, just as beautiful as she was. He let his tongue move against her, his fingers splaying out against her back as he pressed her body against his. He wished they weren't at the park and were instead somewhere more private but he figured this was for the best. He bit her lip again, tugging it lightly between his teeth before flicking his tongue against it.

Anastasia liked the feel of his hands on her body, his squeeze causing her to press her hips into him a bit. The taste of his lips, the feeling of his hand on her back, his warmth radiating through her. It was all sort of overwhelming and in the best possible way. She kissed him harder, her hand moving through his hair, tugging on the strands lightly. She pulled away after a moment, kissing his face for a moment, catching her breath. "You're intoxicating," she spoke against his skin. She pulled away from reluctantly, taking his hand instead. "Let's walk more."

Nikolai liked it an awful lot when she tugged on his hair. It sent waves through him. She was somehow managing to pull him apart at the seams in the best possible way. He sighed out a breath when she broke the kiss to press her lips to his face. "Fitting, since I sell alcohol," he joked, his breath a little heavy from the kissing. He let her go from his arms and linked their fingers. "Walking sounds lovely," he agreed with a smile. "We should definitely come back to this park," he decided.

Anastasia let out a small, airy laugh at his bad joke. She pushed him lightly, shaking her head. "That was terrible," she teased. She took his hand happily, letting her fingers move with his easily. "I'd like to come back. I like this park. It's probably warmer during the day, but I think we'd get looks for hogging the swings during the day," she said lightly.

Nikolai grinned at the sound of her laugh. "It made you laugh which was the point," he teased, squeezing her hand. He walked along with her, tugging her slightly closer to him. "I'm sure it is. The children definitely wouldn't like us though," he laughed. "Are you cold?" he asked after a moment, slowing his walk down as he waited for an answer. He could give her his jacket and do a spell on himself.

Anastasia rolled her eyes fondly at him. He was ridiculous and she loved it. "Good job," she teased back. She moved so her arm was more intertwined with his, holding him close. "They'd boo at us," she laughed quietly. She shrugged a shoulder. "Only a little," she said honestly. It wasn't terribly cold out, but it was a bit chilly. She slowed down a bit when he did. "If you want to give me your jacket, I won't say no," she said playfully.

Nikolai smirked a bit. "I'm very proud of myself," he teased. He smiled as she adjusted, finding her to be rather cute. "Ha. I've had that experience before. I'm not a fan of being booed at. So rude. The swings aren't just for children," he chuckled. He stopped walking when she answered, letting go of her so he could shrug his coat off. "What kind of date would I bet if I didn't give you my coat?" he asked playfully, wrapping it around her shoulders. "I think it adds to your whole look."

Anastasia squeezed his hand gently. "As you should be," she teased back. She grinned a bit. She was pretty sure he hadn't had that experience any time recently, but she loved his sense of humor. "Exactly. They should make a park for adults and then we can swing without harassment," she laughed quietly. She let go of his hand, slipping into his coat easily. "One that wouldn't be getting a third date," she teased. "Kidding," she added. She spun around in his coat, posing for him. "Oh yeah? I quite like it myself," she grinned, reaching for his hand again.

Nikolai thought that actually would be rather smart. A park for adults. They'd never have to feel guilty about swinging when a child was waiting for a turn. "You know, that'd be a really great idea," he admitted. "I can think of a lot of people that would enjoy something like that." He laughed, rolling his eyes slightly. "Oh, well, luckily I know my manners. It's more important to keep you warm," he grinned. He cast a warming charm on himself, not at all bothered by the weather. "Gorgeous," he grinned. He held her hand tightly as they started to walk.

Anastasia thought that sounded great, too. She wasn't sure how it would work, though. It'd probably get some odd looks, really. "It'd be a blast. I would go," she said honestly. "I think plenty of people would. Why should all the fun be for children? Their lives are already easier," she laughed. She smiled a little at him, the smile a slight smirk. "Luckily," she teased. She took his hand, holding it tightly as they walked. "Thank you."

Nikolai hummed thoughtfully. He wished he could invent something like that but he figured most adults would need a bigger draw than just a park with no children. "Maybe we could put some swings in the bar," he joked, letting out a chuckle. "They do have rather easy lives," he agreed. He looked around as they walked. "You're welcome," he smiled. "Where would you like to go next, darling?"

Anastasia laughed loudly at that idea. She could picture the drunk patrons swinging to their heart's desire. It didn't seem like a good idea. "You should," she laughed again. She didn't know where she wanted to go, really. She was just enjoying his company. "I don't have anywhere in mind. I'm happy enough to just hold your hand and walk in the night a bit longer. Do you have anywhere you'd like to go?"

Nikolai had a feeling he might end up in a lot of trouble if he installed swings. Someone could fall and get seriously hurt. But... if Ana asked him to, he might consider it for real. "Maybe. We'll see," he chuckled. He smiled at her answer and nodded slightly. "I'm happy to do the same, actually. I can't think of anywhere I'd like to be. I just want to spend some more time with you," he promised, giving her hand a squeeze.

Anastasia didn't think it would happen, but she liked the way he pretended it was an actual option. He was cute. "Mm, how perfect is that, then?" she said with a slight smirk. She held his hand, walking slowly with him. "Tell me more about your siblings," she said softly, swinging their arms a bit as they walked. She was interested in knowing everything about him that he would tell her.

Nikolai grinned at her, shaking his head just a bit. "Not as perfect as you," he teased, giving her hand a playful squeeze. He let out a thoughtful hum at her question. "My siblings," he repeated. "I think they're a loss less cool than I am but I suppose that's subjective," he joked. "What do you want to know about them? Or, rather, who would you like to hear about first?" he amended with a smile.

Anastasia leaned into him a bit as they walked before straightening out. "You're right about that," she smiled. She laughed a bit at his colorful description. "Well, they already sound rather boring then," she teased. She hummed quietly for a moment, thinking it over. "Whichever you want to talk about first," she said honestly. "I want to know about both of them, ultimately."

Nikolai laughed rather loudly when she called them boring. She had a killer sense of humor, in his opinion. "They are. Terribly boring. Not worth any of your precious time," he teased. He thought as he walked, trying to figure out what to mention first. "Well," he began. "Dom is much more academic than Rosie and I. He's much smarter. He knows a lot more than I do about a lot of things,"" he chuckled. "He's the oldest, I probably mentioned that. Four years older than me, two older than Rosie. You know he works at the bar with me."

Anastasia let out a laugh, smiling widely at him. "Screw em both then," she teased. She grew more serious as he started talking about them, nodding along. "Sounds like a big brother," she said playfully. "Do you two get along well? I reckon you must if he works at your bar with you, but I don't think you've actually said," she asked curiously. She wanted to know everything about him.

Nikolai grinned at the sound of her laugh. Adorable. "Screw em," he agreed with a chuckle. He nodded slightly. "That's what he is," he smiled. "He fits a lot of the characteristics of a typical big brother, I think. Smart, a bit pretentious," he joked. "We do. I like to mess with him and he likes to mess with me but that's just family," he smiled. "We do get along rather well. He's been quite helpful lately. He's always very nice, too, which can sometimes get annoying but mostly is refreshing," he admitted with a shrug.

Anastasia smiled from ear to ear when he agreed with her. He was so easygoing and fun. She loved it. "Sounds kind of like my brother," she admitted, laughing a bit. "I don't think they can help but be smart and pretentious," she teased. She nodded, listening as he described their relationship. They sounded close, which was nice. "That's lovely, that you get along. Good that he's nice, even if it's a tad annoying," she said honestly.

Nikolai thought that was kind of cute. They had the same opinions of their brothers. He liked it. Maybe, he realized, he just liked her and everything that she said. He wouldn't doubt it, honestly. "They probably can't. They're smart and pretentious and we're younger and fun and maybe a bit annoying," he laughed. "But ultimately, we're our parents' favorites," he grinned. He nodded. "We do. He's easy to get along with. I don't think anyone dislikes Dom," he admitted. Plenty of people disliked him but he was okay with it. "Rosie isn't pretentious, though."

Anastasia laughed when he called them annoying. "I'm definitely annoying," she agreed, smiling at him. She really was glad they were close. "Even though he's pretentious?" she asked with a small smile. She nodded a little. "What's she like?" she asked curiously. She wondered if they would like her. Siblings were always tricky to win over, and she was admittedly a bit annoying. She hoped so, though.

Nikolai laughed with her. "Oh, trust me. I am as well. I'm really irritating when I find out a secret, too, but that doesn't stop them from telling me them," he grinned. "His pretentiousness is outweighed by how friendly and kind he is. People were quite bummed when he wasn't working because of his injury," he admitted. He titled his head to the side a bit. "She's a bit like you in a fearless kind of way. She's hardworking and dedicated."

Anastasia nudged him gently as they walked. "I don't find you irritating," she promised. "Siblings," she said lightly, shaking her head. She thought that made sense. He sounded like a wonderful guy. "Were they? How cute is that. I, personally, would have been happy to see you, but that's cute," she said honestly. She raised an eyebrow. She wouldn't have guessed his sister was similar to her at all, though she didn't know why. "She sounds great."

Nikolai smiled, tugging her closer. "I'm glad. You will. Eventually," he grinned. He nodded a bit. "Siblings," he repeated. He shook his head fondly. "Yes, but you haven't met Dominic yet. He's tall and polite and has a different kind of charm than I do," he laughed. "But I'm glad you'd be happy to see me." He nodded a bit. Maybe Rosie wasn't a lot like Ana but he could see some similarities. "She is. She helped out with the bar when I was first opening it, just as Dom does now."

Anastasia shook her head, smiling over at him. "I don't think so," she said honestly. She made a face at that. "If I had wanted to date someone who was tall and polite and had a different kind of charm, then I would be dating someone my dad knows," she said honestly. "You're far more interesting," she added. She didn't know that Dom wasn't, but she didn't think she'd be easily swayed. "Aw, how sweet. Your siblings really care about you," she said with a smile.

Nikolai shrugged a bit. He was pretty certain he'd end up annoying her at some point but he liked the faith in him that she had. He let out a laugh. "That's good to hear, even if you haven't met Dominic," he grinned. "I'm glad you're dating me, though," he added, bumping her with their hands. "They're good people, even if we argue a bit here and there. I wouldn't have the bar if it weren't for them. They really were fantastic when it came to helping me."

Anastasia hoped he didn't actually think she'd go to Dominic once she met him. She liked him. She liked how charming and cute and funny he was. She liked that he made her laugh. She liked how gorgeous he was. She just liked him. "Me, too," she smiled at him. She let out a small laugh. "I don't think you could keep your official Little Brother status if you didn't argue a bit here and there," she teased. She nodded, nudging him slightly with their hands, too. "That's amazing of them. You guys sound like you have a great relationship."

Nikolai thought things were going very well for them. He wanted things to get even better, though. He wanted this to last. He wanted to be able to tell her about magic. He was getting far too ahead of himself, he realized. "I don't think I could either," he agreed with a laugh. "But they're good people. I think you'll really like them," he said with a smile. He let out a quiet chuckle. "We do. We always have. I look forward to you meeting them," he smiled, squeezing her hand.

Anastasia thought they all sounded lovely, honestly. "I'm sure that I will. I don't see why on earth I wouldn't," she admitted. "You guys sound great. I look forward to meeting them, too," she said honestly, squeezing his hand back. "My brother is a good bit older than me. He's a little more by the books. He follows all the rules, the social norms. He's a bit protective and bossy. But he's great. He's so fun and interesting. Plus, he's a dancer, too, which is fun."

Nikolai really couldn't wait to introduce her to them. He wanted her to meet the whole group, honestly, but he'd settle for introducing her to them one at a time. Dominic first, he thought. His brother liked muggles more than anything else and on top of that, he knew everything about them. "I'll introduce you sometime when you come to the bar," he told her with a smile. He nodded a bit, thinking that sounded like an older brother. "He sounds great. What's the age difference between you? I don't think you ever told me that," he admitted.

Anastasia thought that sounded like fun. She could sit and drink and hang out with Nik and meet his siblings. She looked forward to it. "Can't wait," she grinned. She nodded. He was pretty great. She loved him loads. "He's seven years older than me. A real adult," she laughed a little. "We weren't terribly close for a while, but when I got a little bit older we got closer, and now we're like best friends," she said honestly. "Except when he gets all big brother-y."

Nikolai hadn't expected such an age difference honestly. He'd always thought Nik was ridiculously older than him. He wondered what it was like to grow up with someone who was seven years her senior. "He is a real adult. He's Wren's age," he laughed. "I can understand not being close back then," he admitted. "It's nice that since you've grown up you've been able to become so close," he smiled. "Ah, big brother-y. I know that well," he grinned. "I like that the two of you are so close."

Anastasia nodded a little and raised her eyebrows. "It's wild," she admitted, laughing a little. She nodded. It was nice. When she was a kid, she couldn't have ever imagined being friends with her teenage brother, but once she became a teenager herself it had become a little easier. He was a bit more serious than her, but in general, they got along pretty well. "It is," she smiled. "What a pain," she teased. "I like that you and your siblings are close. Good sign of character, I think," she grinned.

Nikolai smiled a bit because he agreed. It was wild. They led completely different lives because of the difference and yet they'd found a way to come together as friends once Ana had grown up. He liked the story of it. "I'm happy for you. You'd be really missing out on a lot if you weren't close to him. Big brothers are something else," he teased. He let out a quiet laugh and shook his head fondly. "Looks like we're both good people then," he teased. "We have close ties to our families."

Anastasia agreed with that wholeheartedly. She was so happy to have him. Siblings were so fun. Her relationship with him was unlike any relationship she had with anyone else. "I feel the same way," she laughed. She nodded and grinned. "Exactly! Excellent people," she teased. "It helps that our family doesn't suck, but you know," she added with a small laugh. She swung their hands a bit, holding him close after a moment. "I should probably go home soon."

Nikolai laughed a bit. She was so precious and he had a feeling that she knew it. He thought that made her even cuter, honestly, but he thought that might be just because he fancied her so damn much. "You're right. That does help an awful lot," he teased. "I can't imagine being born into a sucky family. It sounds exhausting," he laughed. "I mean, I get annoyed with my siblings occasionally but I'd do anything for them and I know they'd do the same for me." He nodded slightly. "Yeah, it is getting late."

Anastasia made a face. She couldn't either. While her parents weren't always the best, her brother was incredible, and her parents tried. She couldn't imagine it any other way. "Mm, it'd be awful. I don't think I'd be able to stand them," she said with a small smile. "I understand. My mum isn't the most affectionate she could be, and my dad is always busy, but I know they care about me," she said, smiling softly. She wasn't really ready to part ways with him, but she figured they'd have to eventually.

Nikolai listened to her as she spoke. He hadn't expected that and he felt a bit sorry for her. He always felt bad when he heard about parents that weren't very close to their children. "I'm sorry." He squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you can tell they care. I can't imagine not feeling like mine did. I don't think I'd be where I am today if it weren't for them," he admitted. "Do you want me to walk you home again or should I get you a cab?" he asked, looking over at her again.

Anastasia looked over at him and smiled when he apologized. "Oh, it's not a big deal. Don't be sorry," she said honestly. It had been rougher when she was younger, but she'd gotten used to it. "I'm glad they were exactly the way they were then, because you're lovely," she smiled. She looked up, catching the name of a street. "You should probably get me a cab," she admitted. "And you can kiss me goodnight, too, while you're at it," she grinned.

Nikolai nodded slightly but he still felt badly about it. He thought everyone deserved two kind, loving parents like he'd had. He couldn't imagine growing up any other way. He was lucky, especially being the youngest and having two older siblings looking out for him. "If you say so," he smiled. "Well, thank you. I'll pass the compliment onto them. I'll tell my mum when I see her tomorrow," he teased. He looked up when she did and nodded a bit. "I can do that. I can kiss you, as well," he smiled. He looked around a bit, spotting a taxi. He waved it over and then turned to her. "Goodnight, Anastasia," he said softly, a fond smile on his lips. He leaned in for a kiss, keeping it gentle.

Anastasia squeezed his hand tightly and nudged him gently. "You better actually tell her, because I mean it," she said seriously, though the smile on her lips showed she wasn't all too serious. She was kind of far from her place, and she didn't think it would do them any good to walk all the way there. She smiled a little. "Good," she said softly. When the taxi started to pull over, she turned her attention to Nikolai. She hated this part. She leaned in, kissing him back just as soft. "Goodnight, Nikolai. I can't wait to see you again," she promised. She leaned in, kissing his lips softly, and pulled away to get into her taxi.

Nikolai smiled at her, letting out a quiet chuckle. "I promise I'll tell her. Cross my heart and all that," he insisted. He had every intention of telling his mother about the compliment but he wouldn't go too far into detail about the girl who'd given it. Not yet, at least. He had to talk to Dominic first. He moved his hands to her hips when she leaned in, giving her a gentle squeeze. He sighed a bit when she pulled away but smiled all the same. "It'll be soon, I promise," he smiled. He kissed her once more and stepped back to watch her get in. "Get home safe."

[anastasiahumphreys]

dotashwood:

Dot considered that, taking another sip of her drink. It wasn’t really a relationship or anything but it was new and exciting and Ana was right. “You have a point,” she smiled. “Oh, so soon? Alright. Have a good night then, Anastasia. It was lovely to meet you. I’ll tell Nik you stopped by,” she grinned.

Ana smirked a little and nodded. “I usually do,” she said with a wink. She nodded. She had been doing things before, and she still had things to do, and since Nik wasn’t here she had no reason to not leave again, even if she was enjoying her conversation with Dot. “You as well! I’ll see you around, I’m sure,” she smiled. “Thank you,” she added, standing up to leave. 

[anastasiahumphreys]

dotashwood:

“You’re welcome,” Dot grinned. She liked this girl. It seemed like she was the perfect match for Nik. Granted, she’d only spoken to her for a short amount of time but she had a lot of fire and spice to her. Dot could appreciate it. “Hm… He’s more of a something old that turned into a something new.” She hadn’t told anyone about Wren yet but she figured it couldn’t hurt. 

Ana shrugged. Didn’t matter what you called it, it was something new, even if it hadn’t always been. “Call it what you want, but an exhilarating new relationship is still exhilarating and new even if you’ve known the person for a while,” she said honestly. She finished her glass off and set it down. “It was nice talking to you. I have to head out, though,” she said with a smile. 

[anastasiahumphreys]

dotashwood:

Dot had to agree. Exhilarating was the perfect word to use. Wren came to mind and she thought that was the perfect adjective for this new side of their friendship. Funny how that worked. “I’m happy for the two of you,” she grinned. “You know, a few days ago, I would have said yes. But I’m enjoying myself just fine,” she smiled slowly, taking another sip of her drink. 

Anastasia hadn’t really talked much about Nik with anyone. She’d mentioned him to a friend and to her brother, but she hadn’t said much before. She hadn’t talked about him like this. “Thanks,” she grinned. She raised an eyebrow a bit and smiled. “Looks like you have something new and exhilarating, too, huh?” she said teasingly, taking another drink. 

[anastasiahumphreys]

dotashwood:

“I kind of did,” she laughed, even if she’d only briefly known him in school. They’d become much closer after. “And I can completely confirm that he has always been a bit of a shit. He was quite the annoying kid,” she teased. “But he’s a good one.” She smiled when Ana insisted, nodding a bit. She’d still tease Nik about the girl, though. “That’s good. New can be the best,” she grinned. “I’m excited for you. Ah, to be young and flirtatious,” she teased, sipping her drink.

That was really wild. Ana hadn’t known many people for that long. “I’m sure he was,” she laughed. She knew he was good. She didn’t need to be told that, but she was glad his friend thought so, too. “Yeah, new things can be kind of exhilarating,” she agreed. She took a sip of her drink, letting out a small laugh. “Yeah, young and flirtatious. Miss the good ole days, gramma?” she teased lightly.

[anastasiahumphreys]

dotashwood:

“Oh, around a decade. Somewhere in that range. I couldn’t pinpoint the day I met him but it was through his older siblings. I met Dominic first, well,” she paused. “I didn’t actually speak to him much so their sister Rosie but,” she waved a hand, “technicalities.” She didn’t think it was very important. “Good. I’m glad he’s treating you well or I’d have to give him a talking to,” she teased. “So, it’s still new then? That’s exciting!”

When Dot said a decade, Ana’s eyebrows went up. “Wow. That’s quite a while. So you’ve sort of seen him grow up right before your eyes, huh?” she said with a slight grin. “Has he always been a bit of a shit then?” she asked playfully. She laughed and shook her head. “No need for that,” she insisted. It was exciting. But she wouldn’t still be talking to him if it wasn’t. “It is new. It’s exciting and fun. I like hanging out with him.”

[anastasiahumphreys]

dotashwood:

Dot grinned in delight. “He is, in fact. I’ve known him a very long time,” she smiled. “He’s a sweet boy, but he is a boy and they just don’t appreciate clothes the way us girls do,” she winked. “Oh, this is fantastic! Are you seeing him? Is he treating you well?” she teased, handing the girl her drink once it was made.

“Oh yeah? How long?” she asked with a smile, raising an eyebrow a bit in interest. Ana laughed and nodded. “You’re definitely right about that,” she agreed. Even her brother, who was rather fashionable, was a bit clueless and unappreciative at times. “I suppose so. We haven’t really called it anything. He’s treating me wonderfully,” she laughed, taking a sip of her drink. 

[anastasiahumphreys]

dotashwood:

For a moment, Dot thought about dragging Rosie along to the shop with her and perhaps Simone. Maybe they’d make a day out of it. If they could all get the time off work. Her face brightened considerably the the mention of one of the bartenders. “Oh?” she inquired, leaning closer with a coy grin. “And would said bartender happen to be named Nikolai? Because I saw you talking to him in that fabulous coat.”

Ana smirked a little when she mentioned Nikolai. “That is in fact his name. I’m guessing Nik is one of your friends who isn’t working today, then?” she said with a grin. “He’s a fun time,” she said honestly. “He didn’t appreciate my coat like you do, though,” she added with a laugh.

[anastasiahumphreys]

dotashwood:

Dot decided to make it a point to stop into the store. She needed those shoes. And she needed to see what else they had to sell. “I’m definitely going. I’m going to spend the entire day there,” she laughed. “What are you having then?” she asked before ordering it for her. “Are you meeting someone? Please say no. I’m afraid neither of my friends are working and no one else has been remotely interesting tonight,” she laughed. 

A small laugh escaped her lips. “You’ll have a lot of fun,” she promised. “A dirty martini,” she decided after a moment. She laughed a bit and shrugged. “Sort of? I mean, he didn’t know I was coming. I was gonna surprise one of the bartenders, figured we’d chat, but he doesn’t seem to be here, so no, I’m not,” she said with a grin.