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He chuckled, a low throaty sound, and when he spoke again his voice was gravelly. "Rosier, that wouldn't help me sleep." He pointed out, "Quite honestly, that might keep me up another few hours." Alex noticed the blush crossing his friends cheeks, even brighter than his own, and he rolled his eyes and kicked him hard in the leg. "Fuckin' bird." 

He blinked once, twice, thrice at his friend, feigning absolute innocence and dodging responsibility. "I have no idea what you're on about."  With his next comment, Alex shrugged and gave a slight nod of his head. He had built up such an immunity over the years that it was difficult to get him well and truly wasted - but how many drinks had he just had? One... Two... Five? Seven? The numbers swam around in his mind, colliding and crashing into one another and becoming a muddled mess that he couldn't even begin to sort through. He rose to fill his glass again and his leg quivered, making him very nearly stumble into a glass cabinet. He just about managed to sloppily top off his glass before sitting down heavily again and sipping away at the amber liquid. There was no longer a slight buzz - now pure electricity ran through him, a steady thrum of life that he could find doing nothing else but drinking. For a few hours, he could well and truly live. 

Eyes greedily taking in the sight of Evan draped across the couch just for him, all for him, a scratchy laugh forced its way from his throat into the open air.  "What can I say? I know what I like, and I know how to get it." His voice had dropped lower than he would have imagined possible, far deeper than they had started the evening. And whether that was the drink or the lust coursing through his blood, or a mix of the two? It certainly worked, judging by the lilt to Evan's voice as he spoke. Alex settled himself over the other boy, crowding him completely, chests pressed together and breath mingling. One hand dug into Evan's shoulder, fingers curling into soft flesh while his other knotted in his hair, pulling his head back roughly to give him access to the full plane of his neck. Mouth and tongue and teeth slid over porcelain skin, marking it with bruises blooming like poppies. 

Boys in Three Pieces Dream of Grandstanding and Bravado || Alex and Evan || {flashback}

[sealed-with-a-smirk]

"I will never bow down  to another man, even when everyone's sayin' I've sinned - I will never repent"

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He held up two hands in mock surrender, "Alright, alright. I may have underestimated you." Alex crinkled his nose, "Yeah, right. Whiskey makes one's day a hell of a lot better too, and it doesn't scream at you at two in the morning." He widened his eyes and pouted, "Aw, are you gonna kick me out? I don't exactly have anyone to give flowers to, see. I don't think Evan'd appreciate them." His pout turned into a smirk as he imagined the other boy's face at being handed a bouquet of flowers - he'd do it, but he'd probably be punched in the face.

"You speak as though I’d let them.." Ariadne rolled her eyes, rather irritated by the male’s words. She wasn’t stupid, after all, she knew when she was being used. "They’re also incredibly sweet, fun to look after, and have a way of making an otherwise bad day seem rather okay." Shrugging her shoulders, the brunette couldn’t help but roll her eyes again at Alex’s words, her amusement clear. "Don’t knock my customer service, dear, for you have to actually buy something to be considered a customer."

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He scoffed at the 'adorable' part, "you're far too nice at times - might want to watch out, there, someone might take advantage."  Alex shoved a hand through his hair, irritated by her smirk, "why do people even like them so much? They poop, they cry, they eat all your food." he muttered under his breath. Alex pouted and leaned forward, resting on the counter between them.  "What, I can't drop in for chit-chat and pleasantries? Talk about shitty customer service, Greengrass."

"No, not regularly." Ariadne rolled her eyes, pulling a face at the child and grinning when he giggled. "But the shop was empty and this little guy’s adorable, so what’s the harm?" Shooting the male a pointed look, Ari dared her ex-housemate to disagree with her, her amusement clear as he tried to explain himself. "Well then look away." Smirking, the brunette moved back behind the counter, still rocking the baby on her hip. "What do you want, Mulciber?"

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Relief flickered briefly in his eyes, though he couldn't quite say why. "What, do you babysit for your customers regularly?" He remarked snidely, and at her next words he drew himself up to full height, "I'm not afraid of a child, thank you very much. I'm just not fond of them. Or listening to them. Or looking at them."

"Mine? Of course not!" Ari gave a soft laugh, one hand moving to rub the baby’s back as she attempted to soothe the child best she could. "One of my customers wanted to pop out for a moment, so I told her I’d look after him until she got back." Smirking, the brunette arched an eyebrow. "Don’t tell me you’re scared of an innocent child, Mulciber?"

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"Um... It's, uh, it's not yours, yeah?" He gave the child an almost wary glance, "Why is it crying?"

"I shall be with you in two seconds!"

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"Oh yeah?" He couldn't help the smirk that slid across his lips at her expression of distaste. "Not quite, princess, I like cake and heart-to-hearts as much as anyone else. Why, what do you perceive to be my idea of fun?"

And so summer draws to an end...

… It was fun while it lasted, I guess.

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He gave Remus an odd look, "What, your life doesn't hold normality during holidays? I'd rather remain here, in the real world, than away from it in the castle like some child in a playpen."

And so summer draws to an end...

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He sighed softly and shook his head, almost patronisingly. "Hogwarts isn't 'out of harm's way', love - it's just jumping back into the depths of the Wizarding World."

And so summer draws to an end...

… It was fun while it lasted, I guess.

[sealed-with-a-smirk]

It ain't over yet, Nott. You've still got time for your sick little hobbies.

And so summer draws to an end...

Not enough blood for my liking.

[sealed-with-a-smirk]

And so summer draws to an end...

... It was fun while it lasted, I guess.

[sealed-with-a-smirk]

The Kinks - Alcohol

Oh demon alcohol, Sad memories I cannot recall, Who thought I would say, Damn it all and blow it all, Oh demon alcohol, Memories I cannot recall, Who thought I would fall a slave to demon alcohol.

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Alex crooked a dark brow at her, "oh, so you've gone all cold on me again? Cheers, love, glad to know you get tired of me so quickly." He snapped, taking another gulp of his drink. While Evan and Joseph were positively beaming rays of happiness after drinking too much, Mulciber was rarely a pleasant drinker. Sure, there were days when he got that lovely lightheaded feeling after one too many whiskeys, but generally drink drew out the bitterness within, and while he intended it to drown out his thoughts it often makes them louder, makes them scrape away at his sanity slowly and carefully - and yet he's kept downing them, kept letting the amber liquid slide down his throat and worsen his mood second by second. Maybe he was a masochist, and maybe he was just stupid. Mulciber was probably both.  And now, sitting before this naive, pretentious little girl who had apparently grown bored of him already, he was not nearly drunk, but he'd certainly drank enough to become snarky and irritable.

After her little speech, he waited a while before speaking again. Her words made the air thick and uncomfortable. They were a warning shot, a defence, a last attempt at shoving him away and he found it difficult to comprehend why she cared so much about being so proper.  "Apologies for wanting you to live a little..." He said slowly, tasting the words carefully, gauging his tone and his speech. She was too easy to push away and not easy enough to get to open up. "... And my apologies for insulting you, though I hardly see how I managed that. There's a vast difference between telling you what to do and giving you advice on how to enjoy yourself..." And then, with a slight slip of the tongue, he couldn't help himself from remarking; "It's not polite to scorn advice, you know, even though he made it clear that you're a pretentious prude who's ever so above me."  Another sip of his drink, and he wasn't sure why he was even trying anymore. Was it possible to take someone out of their comfort zone so dramatically? His expression was less amused then before, even a little bit weary. He shrugged, mussing his hair with one hand absently, "Flirting is fun, that's why - you should try it some time."

Alex ran his tongue over his lower lip, wetting them slightly before he spoke again. Whiskey wasn't exactly the most hydrating of beverages. "I'm not good at protecting anyone other than myself. I'm not half bad on the offensive side, but defending a person... I wasn't exactly surrounded by that sort of emotion, Greengrass, I don't have paternal instinct." And if he did, then it was a long time ago that he still had it, back before screams tasted like honey, back when he was able to sleep.

Whiskey and Wine at an Ungodly Time - Alex Mulciber & Ariadne Greengrass

"I’m sure." Her tone suggested she was bored, mainly because she was, the fingertip of her pointer finger gingerly trailing around the rim of her glass before she raised it to her lips once more. At his words, she grew quiet, her jaw clenching as for a moment she remained silent, unsure of how to reply without further proving his point. Still, she couldn’t sit in silence for too long; it made her appear weak, useless. "I hardly see how it is up to you to decide whether or not I need 'loosening' up. I behave like a respectable pureblooded lady because that is what I am, if my doing so displeases you then I apologise profoundly, though I struggle to see how my behaviour affects you at all. You are not my fiance, nor are you a relation of any sort. You could walk away right now and be no worse off, therefore you have no dictation over how I should or will behave. Clear?” Her eyes narrowed inexplicably so, and then Ariadne was finishing her second drink and waving the bartender over for another, in no mood to remain sober any longer. Once it was down in front of her she took a much larger gulp than she had before, before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and trying to hide her surprise at Alex’s next words. “Flirting with me? Why on earth would you bother to do such a thing?”

Ariadne had no problems with her family and the ideals they possessed; never had done. As a child she was laden with affection when her parents were around, and showered in gifts to make up for the times they were not. She never wanted for anything, never even had to ask. That wasn’t to say she was spoilt, she simply had parents who wanted her to be happy - or at least that’s what she believes. Her mother only criticises her appearance and life choices so that Ariadne can continue to be perfect, she only puts her down and humiliates her in front of her parent’s friends so that the brunette can learn from her mistakes and become better as a person, as a woman. “Really. You’d be surprised how much you change when you have a whole other life to look after and protect from harm; my father was the same, or at least, that’s what he tells me.”

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"Everyone has their hobbies, but I doubt that's the sort of thing you should proclaim to the world - you were never one for subtlety, were you?" Alex rolled his eyes, amused.

"There needs to be far more violence in my life. It’s seriously lacking."

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He narrowed his eyes, "Why so cold, sweetheart? It's called a joke, take it as one."

"Why? Why do you care so much about one pointless little day? Congratulations for existing, you obviously need to be showered with gifts for /existing/."

"Terrible, terrible. You should be severely punished, obviously. Publicly beaten." His words were dry, and he was blatantly not serious.

"Birthdays aren’t particularly important, anyway. Not like they matter."

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"I can arrange that, if you wish." The smirk was evident in his voice.

"I wish that I could wake up with amnesia."

"And forget about the stupid little things."

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His brow knitted together in an irritated scowl, "I was concerned enough to realise that you wouldn't help if I didn't act over-dramatically." He corrected Rabastan. "Desperate times, desperate measures, alright? I'm dropping the subject."

He crinkled his nose slightly in distaste, "Yeah, yeah, I know, they've got me for a fair bit. Most of 'em aren't charges that they bothered to investigate, just reports that were filed. Only ever been caught in the act of something one or two times, and they weren't for violence, they were for underage drinking." Alex rolled his eyes at Rabastan, "You make it out like I'm going around murdering people in cold blood - it's not like I'm doing anything particularly terrible here. Just having a bit of fun. Besides, you overestimate your colleagues far too much."

He lounged back in his chair, again. He was beginning to grow confident that Rabastan had plans to help him out, for reasons unknown, and so when the other man spoke again Alex crooked a brow, surprised. "Excuse me? Punishment? I already told you, mate, I don't have access to the sort of money to pay off fines and I have no intention of being incarcerated." His words were sharper, harsher. So much for him beginning to like Rabastan...

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures - Alex Mulciber and Rabastan Lestrange

Mulciber’s indignation at being called terrified amused Rab, especially as he reacted exactly how Rab expected him too. “Sure, sure. You were just mildly concerned enough to give me desperate ‘help me’ eyes across the atrium.”

"They have you for-" he looked at the pile and flicked through a few before he couldn’t be bothered to count. "I’m not even going to count how many small charges they have you for. That’s more than enough to raise suspicion and get them to want to monitor you. Someone who gets caught constantly for violence is bound to be doing worse behind the scenes, even an idiot could see that." 

Rabastan was trying to think of the best way to get Mulciber out of this without raising suspicion, especially as it’d fall on him now he took over. Then again, the Auror was useless enough that he could probably pin it all on him if anyone did notice anything. “Alright. The usual punishment will do then.”