prodigalscamander

–

Zoe felt the hairs stands up on the back of her neck as she felt his lips against hers. Not matter what, Sawyer always tasted like fresh mint and she always felt herself shiver as his hands expertly knew her body, placing perfectly in the small of her back. Everything about their embraces reminded her why she was a smitten schoolgirl all those years ago, why she found herself wanting to bump into him in the stone corridors and the way butterflies fluttered in her stomach whenever he smiled at her. The way her cheeks would blush when he sat in front of her in potions class and the irresistible urge to hold his hand on their first walk around the black lake. Despite years of marriage, she still felt the same rush of emotions overwhelm her. 

Pausing she found her lips move slightly, waiting for his to clash back against them and a pout formed when nothing came back to meet them. Abruptly, the pout was taken away replaced with a smirk. The childish side of Sawyer was something she was glad never faded as they grew older together, he remained youthful and cheeky, which she was grateful for. Although sometimes she found herself wishing maturity would take the driving seat a little more often with him.

“I will tell anyone that wants to hear it, darling,” she smiled, running her hands through his short hair.

“I will happily flaunt my wedding ring and tell everyone how amazing my husband is,” she paused, squeezing his shoulder blade. “Now did you sort desert?”

‘Husband’. Sawyer still wasn’t used to being called that. He loved the role, but for some reason it made him feel well...old. Just the thought of he and Zoe being elderly, wrinkled, sipping tea in silence over the morning paper, sent chills down his spine. A part of him knew that’s why he waited so long to get a ‘proper’ job. Running the streets of Diagon Alley and pouring pints of booze to tired old drunks, helped to preserved some of his wild youth. Those days were over now that he’d become a working stiff. 

“Yeah, and tell them to spend all of their husband’s money in my shop. Took ages to get my cosmetics perfected. Especially the stuff that makes 40 year old women, look 20!”

Sawyer smirks and rubs his nose against hers, pulling her closer to him so that there was no space between them. He places a gentle kiss on Zoe’s cheek before dotting more down the side of her neck. 

“Ahh...silly me. Here I was thinking you’d satisfy my sweet tooth this evening.” He lingers a bit on her collarbone, smirking, and knowing damn well he’d picked up some treacle tart on the way home.

- Zoe shook her head subtly at his words. “That’s not true,” she protested. Sawyer was the opposite of Zoe in so many ways and he was always actively planning schemes to make money that took up a lot of time. Despite all of this she couldn’t contemplate life without him; he made it exciting and thrilling rather than mundane. He was everything she was scared to be. 

Her eyes fell upon the crinkled document. The one thing that she wished for him to achieve was laying in front of her, she flattened it out on the table scanning the words. “It’s going to need a frame!” The kiss took her by surprise and she found herself longing to have his lips against hers again. 

Rising from her chair, she crossed the space between them and wrapped her arms round his abdomen. “I love you Sawyer Scamander and everything you do amazes me.”

-

His goofy dancing was abruptly cut by Zoe’s tender embrace. He found it amazing that, after all of these years, he could still melt in her arms. This was home. There was no one he felt safer around; vulnerable but feeling like he could do anything with her by his side. 

“Everything, huh?”

Sawyer places his hands on Zoe’s cheeks and squeezes them together, before belching loudly and sneaking in another kiss on her pouty lips. “I love you too, Zoe Scamander. Couldn’t have done it without you.” He chuckles and rests his head in the crook of her neck. If it weren’t for this woman’s support, patience and love, there’s not telling where he’d be. While he’d always been intelligent and creative, Sawyer lacked ambition. Zoe gave him the extra nudge he needed to get off his arse. 

“Now you can officially tell all your girlfriends that your husband is the hottest new business owner in town.”

Zoe’s eyebrows crinkled as she watched Ruse and Sawyer’s little speech. It had never occurred to her that Sawyer felt as if he was the reason the passion had been lacking in their marriage. She tilted her head to one side and studied his face trying to string a sentence together. She had always admired his face. His strong jawline, the arch of his cupids bow, and the stubborn bit of stubble that framed it beautifully. She moved her eyes up to his eyebrows which she adored as they expressed his personality and his emotion, right now they were furrowed and showing concern. She swallowed hard realizing she hadn’t spoken for a while. “I think we are both to blame for what has happened.”

She delicately raised her foot towards his thigh as she spoke, caressing down towards his ankle before raising again. “I was caught up in work and didn’t have the energy nor the time to give our marriage what it needs to thrive,” she paused trying to think of a way to express what she felt. “I’ve been feeling very guilty these past few months, as I missed you but didn’t know how to communicate and then I saw you were busy which led to overthinking and I assumed you had thrown yourself into work because I was.”  

Sawyer scoffs. To think that Zoe felt at fault for being Zoe was absurd to him. He was the one who’d been wasting time trying to make a name for himself - getting in trouble with the law while doing so. “Ehh. If I’m being honest, you’ve put up with my antics for far too long. 

“It’s about time I’ve made it up to you.” Sawyer digs through his pockets and presents her with the official notification of his shop certified by the Diagon Alley Committee, wrinkled but still stamped, “Scamander’s Enlightened Elixers”. He places a small kiss on her lips and does an offbeat celebratory dance. 

Zoe hummed as memories of their honeymoon started to play in her head. The scenery they saw and the food they tasted was heavenly, but her fondest memories were how the spent their evenings alone in the various hotel rooms they graced. The taste of the wine against her tongue, transported her back into one particular hotel room sprawled across satin sheets and the smell of the lavender in vases that stood around the room. “I remember those nights,” she stifled. 

She raised an eyebrow at him as he recounted with accuracy the promise to love her stinky toes, which was in reference to the proposal were he vowed to massage her feet after every long day. “I vow to laugh at all your jokes and pretend you amuse me highly,” she squeezed his hand with a grin. 

Zoe takes the note with a laugh, fingering the creases that symbolized how long the note had survived through its time in many pockets. “I smelled delightful compared to you,” she mused, stroking her bare foot against his calf. It was nice change of pace to be sat across from him at the table, reminiscing about the past.  

Sawyer chuckles as his wife’s foot massages his calf, exposed from the year old slacks he’d purchased and overgrown.

“Careful now, or we’ll make a wee Scamander tonight.” He continues to eat his pasta and talks with his mouthful.

The warmth and loving nature of Sawyer, wasn’t wasted on Zoe and she knew that she was lucky to be able to call him her husband. She cherished everything he did and tonight was one of the typical highlights of their marriage. 

A blush tints her cheeks as she watches her favourite pasta float onto the table. It was always impressed her that he knew everything she liked and disliked to the tiniest details- the bread was from the bakery round the corner that had recently opened and the wine was the one they discovered on their honeymoon while travelling through France.

Sitting down opposite him she reaches across the table and squeezes his hand tightly. “I don’t want to talk about the manic children,” she smiled taking a sip of her wine. “I want to enjoy the company of the best husband ever.”

The normal pang of hunger after a long day hit her to remind her that once again she had skipped on lunch. Picking up her fork she takes a mouthful and closes her eyes as she enjoys the creamy carbonara.

Sawyer takes a seat, proud of himself for preparing an evening that seemed to have instantly pleased his wife. He takes a sip of wine and winks at her. “You remember this one, of course?, the beverage I was sure would birth our first born.” He chuckles as he takes his first mouthful of pasta that he was supremely confident to say turned out...well. He massages a thumb over his wife’s hand and chuckles.

“And that’s not it...I want to repeat the promise I made to you on the best day of my life. I vow to cherish you, honor you, and accept your stinky toes. Zoe Scamander, I promise to love you now, forever and always.”

Sawyer reaches in his pocket and reveals a letter from him that he wrote to her during their Ravenclaw years that he never gave her:

Hey Zoe,

I kinda like you. Even though you smell...

Hogsmeade this weekend...you in?

- Scamander

Zoe had had a long day at work but she was grateful that it was the weekend and she had some time off. As she opened the door, she saw the warm glow being cast around the flat by the flickering candles. A smile picked up the corners of her mouth as she closed the door gently behind her.  Sawyer and her had hit a rough patch where life had become mundane and repetitive. Week after week was the same hectic schedule with work and she had expected to be having dinner alone like most nights. So seeing Sawyer stood in his best blue shirt with a smile plastered on his face, was a welcome relief. 

Placing her bag down in the hallway, she kicks of her shoes as she walks towards her husband. “Good evening,” she grins, draping her arms on his shoulders and placing a kiss on his cheek. She picks up the scent of the freshly baked pumpkin pie and raises onto her tip toes, peering over his shoulder into the kitchen.  “Is that a pumpkin pie I can smell?”

Seeing Zoe after a long day, even after all these years, still got Sawyer excited. He still felt like that new kid at Hogwarts, infatuated by the prettiest girl he’d ever seen standing in the Ravenclaw common room.

Sawyer presses a kiss on his wife’s neck as he holds her close. “How was your day, my love?” Ruse lays on his back on the couch, seemingly attempting to be part of the “show”. 

“Yeah, well my best try at one”. Sawyer waves his wand, sending a large bowl of pasta, bread, wine, and pumpkin pie to the dinner table. He kisses her softly on the lips before stepping to the the table and pouring her a large glass of white wine. 

“Sit, tell me about how fucked your day was.” Sawyer chuckles as he takes a seat and begins to pour his own glass.

Sawyer had become a ‘routine man’. Someone lame he’d never envisioned himself becoming: It was biscuit mornings, work, and leftover nights. He couldn’t even remember the last time he and his wife were intimate. His old life consisted of late nights, hustling and scheming. 

He waves his wand and lights about 100 candles positioned on every inch of their small flat. He’d even cooked a nice dinner in an attempt to avoid being your ‘every day man’ and reignite the spark that he and Zoe once had. 

“Fuck” He burns his hand taking out a pumpkin pie from the oven. Ruse scurries away, the curious Niffler burns his tongue trying to steal a bite. Sawyer’s mission: surprise his wife, who thought he was still at the shop, with a homemade dinner and a romantic Friday night. 

“We got this bud.” Sawyer winks at Ruse as he plates pasta and pours champagne. He’s straightening his blue buttoned down shirt when he hears the key to their door turning. Zoe was home...

Zoe: Pizza sounds good. Can you order me a Margarita? Pretttty pleassseee 🥰

Zoe: Yeah, you may need scissors this time its fairly matted in there!

Zoe: Ah that sucks my love, did they at least buy something else though?

Sawyer: Of course, I've already memorized your order, sweetie.

Sawyer: Can't wait to mess with that bird's nest =D

Zoe: Hey you, I'm still stuck at work so I guess take-out?

Zoe: How was your day?

Zoe: Mine can be summed up by- Playdough stuck in hair.

Sawyer: Pizza? 😁

Sawyer: Can't wait to see that. That's what...the third time this month?