Stefan Nott

While he’d spent many years of his life avoiding the family habit of drinking on weeknights. It was an invariable part of being a Lestrange: leave school, drown your liver, and then let it die with the rest of you by the time you’re thirty. After he’d started working with the Wizengamot, Rab’s resolve in this regard had quickly diminished, and he, too, had taken to a trip to the bar here or there after work. This day in particular had simply begged for him to stop for just a second at the place just by the ministry, where he was surprised to see an old family friend. 

“Stefan!” he said, sliding easily into the stool next to him, “Merlin, I’ve missed - is that blood? You know, I never took you for the murdering type, but I should tell you it’s a serious amateur move to go out in public with evidence on your shirt.”

Stefan was glad to see Rabastan as he made his way towards him. He was someone whose company he enjoyed and him being his best friend’s brother meant he cared for the younger boy more than most people he knew. He rolled his eyes at the other’s words, albeit playfully when he took a seat near him. “Thanks, Rab, next time when I murder someone I will keep that in mind.” he deadpanned before a laugh left his lips. “What are you doing here?” he asked, this was not exactly his kind of week night.

There was something satisfying about the way Stefan had reacted to her words. Years of pining after him in silence, of wishing he’d open up his eyes and see her the way she saw him. And he had. They’d wasted so much time that they could have had together. And now? They had this, whatever it was. Both loving one another, but not being able to make it official. Not when Hiram elected Boris the Boring to be her fiance. It wasn’t that she cared much for her father’s approval, but even being away from him, she knew that if he cause for it, he’d take the things she loved most away from her, or take her away from them. Stefan still only knew half of the truth and she wondered if he could love her if he knew. At least she had this time with him.

“Well, if you can’t preform adequately, I’m not going to fake it.” Her face was straight, but there was a sparkle of amusement in her eyes. Tugging ever so gently on her lips. Getting him riled up was one of her favorite past times. But then his hand found her thigh and his other moved to her hair. His lips were on her neck. A desperate sound rose in her throat, passing quietly through her lips. It was just loud enough for him to hear it and only him. She curled her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer as a shiver ran up her spine. “I don’t know if I can make it that far.” Dolena murmured, because no one set her ablaze like he did. If anyone else had challenged her like that, they’d have been using their own hand that night. But Stefan was different. He’d always been different. Her free hand gripped his shoulder, lips eagerly meeting his own as she readjusted from her spot on the bar stool and climbed onto his lap. He was her oxygen and she’d been underwater for days. The brunette was necessary for her survival. Her teeth caught his bottom lip between them and she pulled away slowly, eyes opening to look at him, even though she couldn’t remember shutting them. “If you don’t take me home now, this bar is going to get a hell of a show.”

“If you are trying to rile me up into making you come right here to prove a point, it just might happen.” he hummed before he let his hand slip under her skirt, tracing the bare skin of her thigh. He smirked against her skin at the sounds that left her lips -- knowing that she was moaning for him only turned him on more as always. Stefan had always been possessive of her, as long as he could remember. Even when they hadn’t been together, even when he had pretended with every fiber of his being that she was nothing more than a friend, he had hated every person who ever dared to touch her, or even laid eyes on her. And it had only become that much worse when he had finally put his denial aside and had given in to his feelings for her. In his eyes, she belonged to him, and he wanted more than anything for everyone to know that, for it to be official in every way there should be. But there were too many barriers and he hated that they couldn't belong to each other -- not really.

But as he had his lips pressed against hers desperately, and she kissed him back with the same passion, it felt like she belonged to him and only him. Just as he had always belonged to her. He laughed a little at her words -- he felt no different from how she did, he did not possess the patience to wait either. He was ready to take her right then and there, audience be damned. “See, now that is what I like to hear.” he murmured against her lips, deepening the kiss for a few moments, before he forced himself to pull away from her. He considered teasing her, saying that he could wait simply to rile her up but his need for her was far too much, he could barely thing straight any longer. Besides joking with her was not what he wanted now. He wanted her. He threw some money on the counter, not bothering to count how much it was, it was probably far more than he owed anyway. He grasped her by her hand and dragged her out of the bar, into the mostly deserted alleys, pushing her against a wall. “Fuck.” he muttered, his lips on hers again and his hands roaming all over her body before he could stop himself. He soon let both his hands wrap around her, pulling her close to him and he apparated with her right into his home. “Is this better?” he murmured as he pulled back to look at her, his breathing ragged as his gaze fell back to her lips again.

“Yet.” She agreed with a smirk. It was still a possibility. It was always a possibility. Dolena’s smirk only grew as her blue eyes observed the way he reacted to her. It was positively intoxicating, the way he responded. Had she known earlier in their lives that he’d want to take their friendship to the level that they had grown to enjoy now, she’d have indulged herself in this brand control earlier. Basked in the closeness that she’d experience again when she went home with him that night. The witch reached out with her free hand to stroke his cheek, “Are you sure? I don’t want you slacking off. Then it just isn’t worth it for me.” That was a lie and one she was certain they both recognized as such. Any time they were intimate, it was breathtakingly right for her. Not just the physicality of it, but emotional side as well. Damn his work schedule and her own for taking up their time together. Even if they did live next door to one another. “Well, I would have to miss seeing Boris in order to do that.” She sighed, giving a faux look of disappointment. “Which means I might not have a reason to stab myself in the ears to drown out his voice.” Not only would she piss her betrothed off, again, but she’d make her father angry as well. Dolena took great satisfaction in doing so, as his ability to punish her anymore was nearly non-existent. “But for you, I guess I’d be willing to make such a painful sacrifice.”

Stefan has spent a long time pretending as if he did not have any feelings for Dolena. Or at least he had tried his hardest to hide how he felt. He had always assumed he was terrible at it but it seemed he had quite succeeded in the earlier years. Once the floodgates had finally opened though, it had been impossible for him to hide how much he really wanted her. Not that he tried to hide it. There was entirely no point in doing so anymore, at least for now -- and he hoped that the time won't come when he would have to shut himself back up again and act like he could be just friends with her. Because truth of the matter was that he couldn’t. Not now, not ever -- he never had been able to, not without losing his damn mind.

“Not worth it?” His brows rose as the other teased him about slacking off, and while he could see the obvious jest behind the words, he couldn't help what he did next -- his reaction was pretty much a reflex, a dire need to make her take her words back, especially when she spoke of her fiance who's name he would prefer never to have to hear again in the next hundred years. "Such a huge sacrifice." he scoffed as he leaned into her, the fingers of one hand resting on her thigh and the other tangling in her hair, making her tilt her head slightly as his lips went to find her neck. He began to press soft kisses, his teeth grazing against her skin. As always, the moment he touched her, he only became hungrier for more -- he didn't think he'd ever have enough of her. "You don't have to go with me if you don't want me, Doll." he murmured, daring her to refuse him. As much as the woman affected him in ways he couldn't fully comprehend, he knew it was just the same with her. His hand swept up her thigh and his lips left a trail of kisses on her skin, moving up to devour her lips. It was after all, what he had wanted to since the moment he had set eyes on her that evening. 

Narcissa was hanging out near the interaction when she heard a familiar voice.The girl wasn’t fond of blood but since she knew the person it didn’t matter to her .”You heard the man chop chop .” She turns to the person “ Lovely to see you again Stefan”

A smile lit up on his lips when his eyes fell on the younger blonde, it had been quite a while since he has last seen her. “Likewise.” he responded before he took his wand out and with a flick, cleared the blood on his sleeve. “You would believe me if I said this was a work related incident, wouldn’t you?”

With Mulciber’s perception, he had arrived just int he nick of the time when the bartender mentioned the blood. Part of him feels a broody annoyance that there wasn’t blood on his hands currently. However, it was only a matter of time when he inflicted pain on others. “Make that two drinks.” The baritone voice carried with a permanent aggressive gruff. Nicolai moved beside Stefan with a smirk, and muttered, “Can you believe this guy? Acting like blood is a fucking rarity around here?” Fingers traced his chin as he popped his jaw, and when his hand fell the mischievous grin across his face illuminated.

Stefan had not expected company for the evening, not the kind to be talking with at the least, but Nicolai was someone he could make an exception for. He shook his head exasperatedly at the other’s words -- the bartender was dimwitted and wasted his time, certainly qualified as someone Stefan could take his anger out on, had he been in the mood to do so. “Regretting not grabbing a bottle at Diagon Alley and drinking alone at home. Atleast I wouldn’t have to deal wit the likes of this.” he told the other dryly. “What brings you here?” he asked the younger boy, he almost always had reasons to be at a bar than simply to get himself drunk.

   the corners of rubied lips curled upwards ever so slightly as bella turned her head to face the other at the bar next to her, ‘ aww — can you really blame him for asking ? it’s a scary world out there right now.  ’ she finished off the last sip of her bottle and signaled for another. her parents would probably have a heart attack if they saw her in a place like this, but with each day she found herself caring less and less about upholding her perfect daughter image. ‘ anyone in this room could be dangerous, and you’d never know it . ’

He glanced at the brunette on hearing her speak, having not had noticed who it was till then, and shrugged his shoulders. “He’d know not to ask, if he didn’t want to make the world scary in here.” Stefan said with a pointed look at the bartender, who hurried away to get them their drinks. “They could be -- luckily, I am more than capable of taking care of myself.” A sigh left his lips as he turned to face her, it had been a long time since he had seen her last. “Didn’t expect to be seeing you here tonight.” he mused, wondering if she had a reason to be out here tonight.

Having just departed from a considerably prolonged court hearing, Rodolphus could not have been any less eager to leave the Ministry. Making his way through the empty atrium, he promptly apparated to his long-awaited destination, a pub he frequented with some regularity, particularly after days like the one that just concluded. Immediately setting out to find his intended company, Rod happened upon Stefan at the conclusion of his exchange with the bartender. Wasting no time in approaching them, he offered an amused grin towards the other party as he settled into the nearby chair. “Two glasses of Blishen’s, neat, and do be quick about it,” he said, his tone both charming and commanding, slipping a bill towards the barkeep to ensure the promptness of his request and the scarceness of their presence following their departure. “Making friends as usual, I see?”

Stefan smiled when his eyes fell on Rod his eyes rolling skyward as he tilted his head towards the bartender, shaking his head in mild annoyance. He was glad for the bartender to finally decide that it was about time he did the job he was getting paid for. “I’d say I wouldn’t make friends with someone as dimwitted as him, but then it wouldn’t be the first time.” he said with a smirk playing on his lips. “You look like you had a long day.” he noted, before he grinned slyly. “Did you miss me too much?”

Dolena nodded her head, smiling as his laugh filled her ears. Very little could penetrate her heart anymore, but that sound always did. “Hmm, I don’t remember killing anyone this week.” She teased, lifting her glass and swirling the contents. Stefan’s job suited him, always trying to take care of others. That’s how he’d been for as long as she’d know him. Maybe that’s why it was so important, in her mind, for her to take care of him. Despite him being the most important person in her world, she struggled to ask him for help. Not that she asked anyone else, either. All the same, his busy schedule did make it a little more challenging for her to spend time with him. But many nights, one would crawl into the other’s bed. Of course, the man she was betrothed to didn’t know this. To be honest, she was tempted to keep him over one night, just so he could see Stefan come in, unannounced. Surely, that would ruin the looming nuptials. And the man insisted on spending time with her and keeping an eye on her. She had stormed off from more than one dinner, furious at the audacity of him. Guess who’d be stood up this weekend? It certainly wasn’t Stefan. “Well,” She lowered her voice seductively, moving her lips just millimetres from his ear, “I can either keep you up all night, or wake you up and have my way with you.” Dolly moved her head away, shrugging. “I thought I’d let you get some sleep first.”

“Yet.” he said with a teasing smile on his lips. The grip on his glass tightened a tad as the other leaned into him and whispered in his ear. He didn't know if he loved or hated the effect the woman had on him. He could get him to do anything for her with just a blink of an eye -- it was how it always had been with Dolena. He turned to face her slowly, his eyes falling on her lips, being going up to meet her gaze. “I am not tired just yet, you can keep me up all night if you wanted.” he murmured, leaning into her when she moved away. With his busy schedule what he had missed most was being able to spend as much time as he wanted with Dolena, but it seemed like it was needed especially after she had gotten betrothed. He had resorted to taking more shifts, keeping himself busy so that he did not go around murdering the man she was betrothed to and loathed more than anyone else. She had made her disdain for him clear to Stefan and yet, he wondered if perhaps at some point he would lose her because of him. “Go home with me, it feels like a eternity since I last spent time with you.”