Potions & Charms

Sleeping

They both struggled to adapt to being in the castle again. 

Avi spent most of his time in the dungeons again, either teaching or working on side projects which involved not only potions for St. Mungo's but for Madame Pomfrey as well, and even though he could probably brew them with his eyes closed he found himself struggling to focus. He caught himself thinking of Scott almost constantly and longed for a break on the couch with him, nibbling on some kind of cookie or even pastry while he was tucked against his boyfriend's side. 

Shortly after nine pm on what had been a long Friday the Potion Master let out a sigh and corked the last vial. He washed his hands thoroughly and then, after untying his hair, slipped out of his rooms to make his way upstairs. Avi was looking forward to spending some time with his boyfriend, especially since they hadn't really seen each other all week. Sure, Scott had stopped by in the evening, but Avi had been too tired for anything except an early bedtime. They had snuggled up in bed, with him already half asleep on his side while Scott had scooted closer to spoon him. 

"Hey" Avi just mumbled and squeezed past Scott who had opened the door after a few moments. "Tired. Sleep?" He stopped when he saw Kirstie and Mitch sitting on the couch, holding a glass of wine while Kirstie was giggling softly. "No sleep..." A sigh came over his lips but he forced himself to smile when Kirstie spotted him. 

"Avi! Hi! C'mere, let's get you some wine!" She was about to reach for the bottle standing on the coffee table when Avi shook his head. 

"No, thank you. No wine." Dealing with both Mitch and Kirstie after the day felt too much but since he didn't want to be rude he turned back to Scott. "Do you want to come downstairs when you're done here?" 

The baritone frowned and shook his head. "Sit with us for a bit? They'll leave soon. Kirstie is tipsy and Mitch wanted to leave anyway, in like ten minutes or so." He looked at his boyfriend, then leaned forward and pecked his lips to greet him properly. "Please?"

Avriel thought for a moment before he gave in and agreed with a short nod. He allowed Scott to take the heavy yet warm cloak off his shoulders - he needed something to keep him warm in the dungeons - and then the man wrapped his hand around Avi's to guide him to the couch. While Mitch and Kirstie were on the couch the two men sat down on the floor covered in furs close of the fireplace. 

"Comfy?" Scott asked quietly while he held Avi with his back against his chest and smiled when the wizard placed the back of his head against Scott's shoulder. 

Avi tried. He had tried so hard not to fall asleep, but just five minutes later he was out. The warmth of the fire, Scott's gentle embrace and the soft chatter had lulled him to a deep slumber and it didn't seem as if he would wake up anytime soon. 

Mitch and Kirstie showed themselves out half an hour later - not after having another glass of wine - and Scott decided against waking the smaller man. He carried him to the bedroom and then, without disturbing him, changed his clothes to a pair of matching pajamas the baritone had ready for him whenever he decided to spend the night in one of the towers instead of the dungeons. 

The Potion Master let out a breathy grunt when he felt the soft blanket up to his cheek and he turned on his back to get comfortable in the mountain of pillows and blankets Scott preferred to keep in bed. 

The evening ended like many others since they had returned, with Avi asleep already while the baritone slid under the covers to spoon him until the morning sun peeked over the mountains and into the bedroom. 

The morning however wasn't rushed at all. Avi woke up first, as always, but it was Saturday and they both didn't have to be anywhere that day. He had planned to send the potions off which would involve a trip to the Owlery as he would never use his personal owl for deliveries, but otherwise he didn't have anything to do. The man turned around and couldn't help but feel a smile tugging on his lips when he saw Scott. 

He was on his back with his head on the mattress and his lips parted as he snored lightly and touched Avi's shoulder with the back of his fingers. 

Avriel spent the next ten minutes in bed before he decided to make himself a cup of tea. He left the bedroom quietly and shut the door behind him before he made his way over to the small kitchen. Right when he was on the tip of his toes to reach for a mug he noticed the small elf sitting on one of the chairs at the dining table. 

"Winky, good morning" Avriel mumbled softly and then looked at the plates. The two big ones were covered in a full English Breakfast while smaller ones had French Toast, Blueberry muffins and Croissants. "That looks amazing." 

"Good Morning, Sir!" she squeaked and slid off the chair. "Winky is happy to see Sir back home!" The elf bowed in front of him and then froze when she noticed the socks Avi was wearing. "Sir!"

"Yeah! Thank you so much, Winky. They are so comfortable." He wiggled his toes and couldn't stop laughing while the small house elf stood there and didn't know what to say. "I really appreciate them. How was your Christmas?"

Scott chuckled when he entered the large living room just ten minutes later and found his boyfriend sitting at the table with silverware in his hands while he chatted with Winky sitting on the opposite side of the table.