liquor liquor lips

“she will be.” at least he hoped that she would be. dorian was stubborn and protective and jacqueline, well, she fought well enough to survive he thought. she’d be okay. “they were headed to st. mungos last that i’ve heard…” alex hesitated before nodding his head, sighing once her attention had been adverted to the injury on his side. carefully, he pushed hid it with his hand, shrugging his shoulders as if he didn’t care. “it doesn’t matter…i’m right here and aside from that little paper cut i’m fine. whether i could have been killed or not, i don’t…” he paused, heart skipping a beat as the look in her eyes turned gentle. alex stuttered, lowering his gaze out of shyness uncharacteristic of him. “i…i guess i didn’t really give it a second thought. – i mean….dorian and rhys…they needed help too and i, uh-” he wasn’t going to mention that at the very hint of something being wrong at the ball he’d rushed into action, not waiting for anyone because he had to make sure she was okay. “-it just so happened that i saw you…who knows what you would have done–what would have happened if i’d been a little late.”

he was lying. a familiar surge of affection washed over her as she listened to him----alex didn’t usually do shy, and being the person to cause it made something flutter in her chest. but she took the bait----or at least appeared to. “dorian and rhys, right. come here.” tugging his hand lightly, she pulled him into the bathroom, digging through the cabinet until she found the potions she needed and some bandages (you didn’t grow up a carrow and not know how to tend to a few wounds). “it’ll sting for a second,” she murmured, before applying the antiseptic potion, fingers moving carefully around the cut as she then applied a healing balm. “do you know what i think, al? i think-----you----” she paused, heart thumping----she knew she was right----and swallowed, glancing up at him and holding his gaze before continuing, “you were there for me. you wanted to---make sure that i was safe. even if it meant you getting hurt, because----that’s what you do when you love someone, right?” there it was. for all the signs she’d missed, blinded by her own insecurity or fear, it was plain as day: alex ollivander LOVED her, enough to walk through a raging battle to get to her. “i know because that’s----that’s what i would do for you, if it had been you at that ball.” by now she’d finished bandaging his wound, fingers tracing lightly over her handiwork, “is that okay?”

it seemed like the charm would last forever ( not his intention but it came in handy in keeping her away from the battle ). alex felt like he’d walked through hell, seeing people fall around him while he charged forward towards val fairly unharmed. he’d found her clawing at quinn, struggling to get to her sister and he’d swept in and charmed her into a peaceful sleep. however, it seemed it was his turn to get clawed.

alex sighed, unsure how to calm her enough to just stay put but he at least had to try before they both had to go out in that mess. “val, she’s okay…dorian came with me to the ball and jacqueline got out okay.” he slid across the bed, taking her hand to lure her into a hug. “it’s been a few hours and the battle is likely over but it isn’t safe out. we can go see her tomorrow? promise me you’ll stay here with me until we can go together. – and your wand…i couldn’t find it.”

“dorian----?” she leaned into his embrace with no complaint, resting her head against his shoulder----she was still so tired for some reason. “but i----i saw her, alex, she’s not fine, i----” she pulled back, eyebrows raised in surprise, “you were there? you’re----wait, you’re hurt.” she bent slightly to examine the gash on his side with concern, then anger, “who hurt you?! and----what were you doing there in the first place, alex, you could’ve been KILLED, and i couldn’t----” cupping his cheek gently for a moment----not a word usually associated with valeria carrow, but alex ollivander could bring it out of her----she gave him a searching look, her gaze softening, “you got me out of there, didn’t you? is that why you were there? ....for me?”

”jac.” she bolted up from the bed, eyes wide as she ran a  hand through unkempt hair. “alex---where is-----the battle, jac----we have to GO!” she got to her feet, stumbling as the covers tangled around her legs, “my wand----alex, where’s my wand? why-----how did i even get here?” her voice wasn’t angry, not quite, but frantic-----what had happened?!

              quinn caught val’s wand hand, then wrapped an arm round her waist. “ stop, stop. ” he knew she was going to be looking for her siblings, that they were all in danger, but alex would never forgive him if he let her be hurt or worse. nor would quinn be able to forgive himself. if jacqueline carrow wasn’t in the thick of things, he’d have aided valeria to her side. but it was far too risky. quinn, larger in stature than val, used his might to tug her away from the onslaught, toward the sidelines. “ i’m sorry, val. i’m so sorry. it’s too dangerous. you’ll be killed. ”

the carrow family was well-known for their tendency to leave chaos in their wake; valeria herself was known for her explosive temper-----but all the tantrums quinn had ever witnessed was nothing compared to the shriek of rage she unleashed as he pulled her away. “I DON’T CARE!” she flung forward, clawing at his arm in an attempt to get him to release her. “let me GO, quinn!” she twisted her hand in his grasp, but succeeded only in dropping her wand to the floor, where it was promptly forgotten as she was pulled towards the exit. she couldn’t even  S E E  jacqueline now, and she howled in protest, “FUCK YOU, fuck you, quinn! let me go or i’ll fucking-------” words failed her and she let out another angry screech, legs kicking out from underneath her as she was pulled away.

panic crowded around her as curses started flying and screams filled the air. she hadn’t been able to find a single sibling since she had arrived but a glimpse of lloyd up a head made her move faster. her wand slashed through the air throwing curses at attackers but due to her focus on her brother she’d left herself unguarded. the curse hit like a train sending her to the ground as the pain spread ruthlessly leaving no nerve untouched but she pushed through it and slowly she got to her feet. a deadly curse whipped out to the person behind her but as she covered one side her other was open. another offending curse hurled towards her faster than she could block.

the wind rushed from her lungs as she hit the ground once again. white lace  blossomed red underneath her fingers as she forced herself to her feet. with a bright green jab of her wand she watched the person who had attacked fall limp to the floor. “lloyd…” jacqueline desperately scanned the crowd hoping to find her siblings perfectly fine but they were no where in sight. however, with her guard down once again, a wand pressed against her neck a spell already burning at her skin as her wand flew into someone else’s possession. “if you’re going to kill me,” she grabbed at the hand twisting sharply until something cracked, before sending her elbow to their throat. “ you should have done it already. ”

valeria froze at the sound of the first scream, twisting in quinn’s arms-----too distracted to notice the way he stepped in front of her protectively-----and her mind cleared, suddenly sober as it registered that people were fighting----curses being flung back and forth and people----overwhelmingly her friends-----were dropping to the ground. “what the fu----” she broke free of quinn’s hold, wand out as she searched frantically for the faces she hadn’t seen all night but knew were there----her siblings. she struggled through the crowd, hoping with each scream that it would be unrecognizable to her, anyone, anyone but sera or tis, icarus or lloyd or------”jac.” she breathed, eyes catching a familiar flash of blonde hair. “JAC!!” she tried to call out over the noise, but the crowd-----something----seemed to be tugging her back, “no----” eyes flashed with rage as she saw the spells sent at her sister, replaced by a cold sense of dread as she saw her fall to the ground, prompting her to scream out a curse aimed at one of her sister’s attackers, spinning around as she finally realized it wasn’t the crowd pulling her away from her sister-----keeping her from helping-----but someone, “let GO of me!”

             galen’s mood improved significantly upon realising her line buddy was the ever amusing valeria carrow. “ if it isn’t the wicked witch of the west, valeria, my arch-nemesis. no, i did not shower. i haven’t shaved my legs in months. and these jeans — i haven’t washed them once in the three years i’ve owned them. so, what’s the synopsis for tonight’s episode of keeping up with the carrows ?? is it ‘ val sets another possession belonging to someone who said no to her on fire’ ?? ”

val’s lips quirked upward into a satisfied grin at the nickname, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she gave the other girl a second once-over, “i see----trying to become a WEREWOLF without the bite, then? you’re on your way.” at the mention of the infamous bed-burning incident (which really, valeria didn’t think deserved so much attention----its not like she’d lit a person on fire or anything), she shrugged, “no plans for arson yet, but those shoes you’re wearing might need to be sacrificed before zach lays eyes on them and has an aneurysm.” 

              “… is this the line to pee or get a fucking drink already ?? i need both anyways. guess we’re line buddies now, ” she declared and gave them an unenthusiastic celebratory shove on the shoulder. “ yay !! ”

“for fuck’s sake, galen-----it’s the line for the bar, but i doubt they’ll serve you looking like a weird sisters’ rejected groupie. did you even shower today? the house elves are dressed better than you are.”

Brighid stepped to the side, her eyes wide. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stand in your way. I was just trying to admire the wrackspurts.”

“newsflash?----nobody gives two fucks about whatever imaginary creature that is, and here on planet earth, we don’t stand in the middle of a sidewalk like a fucking inferius----just a little hint.”

“Ah, did you say Hog’s Head? I thought you said ’get head’, hence… Anyway, why the fuck, Val, would I contaminate myself with that piece of shit joint when I have a chain of top echelon? Thought you were joking, damn. But, if you wanna get a drink with your favourite sibling, then let’s get out of this cretin-fest.” 

“f u n n y. good to see they didn’t strip you of your sense of humor while you were away. i was going for convenience, actually, and i thought i’d have plans later, but fine----let’s go, then. you owe me a couple drinks, anyway, i’d say.”

            quinn narrowly shifted the child that stood in valeria’s warpath aside. “ woah, woah, ” he said, approaching her with two cotton candy sticks. he held one out for her. “ put a smile on your dial, v. someone, ” he paused to execute a cough under his breath that sounded suspiciously like the name ‘ alex, ’ “ could be falling in love with it. ”

val eyed the offered cotton candy with an unhappy pout, but took it anyway, stuffing a piece into her mouth as he spoke. snarling in response, she shook her head, “no----he’s too busy falling in love with shiloh fucking elezovic.” turning to the child quinn had moved out of her path----and his very offended mother, val shrugged, “if you don’t want your kid to hear a fucking curse word, keep him at home.”

Icarus had purposely gotten into his sister’s path, eager to know why she was stomping around on a rampage. He considered monopolizing on her apparent anger, scoffing a bit at her, clearly amused. “Who pissed in your beer? Do share so that we can both bash their face in.”

while val would normally be more than willing to turn whoever had hurt her over to one of her older brothers, alex was different. and icarus was far too likely to follow through on his threat for val to let him anywhere near her---whatever alex was. “nothing-----this entire thing is just a waste of time----childish, BORING.”

sera feigned actually giving it a thought, but quickly gave a dramatic shake of her head. “hmm — NAH .” linking arms with her sister, she rerouted them towards the hogshead. stepping in, sera locked eyes with the bartender. “do your worst.”

there was a short list of people who could stop one of valeria’s outbursts in their tracks and live to tell the tale---sera, thankfully, was near the top of that list. letting her sister guide her, she remained silent until the bartender began fixing their drinks. “why did i ever think coming to this stupid carnival was a good idea?”

“Valeria…” Lloyd didn’t bother finishing. In fact, it was pretty impossible after hearing her sister’s voice. He dismissed the girl before continuing. “Being trapped with the Bianca Greengrasses of the world as my only options for two years, I’d say this is understandable.” 

“first off---gross, you’re my older brother, i like to pretend you’re celibate. second, you were supposed to meet me at the hog’s head twenty minutes ago. did you forget how to tell time while you were away?”

“ should i start storming off like you do then? “ alex furrowed his brows, taking a step away from her and threatened another. “ you’re right, though. i do bait you and i expect a different reaction every time and yet you’re always angry – you always give up on me. tell me one time that you’ve actually stayed? of course, i like to see you jealous it at least means you think i’m something to lose but in the end you its always the same.” he felt embarrassed to be complaining about something as silly as his own hurt feelings. perhaps he was selfish in wanting her to want him first. “ how can this be something when you run away all of the time? i’m the one that’s always waiting for you to come back…since when have you thought of me, huh? why would i commit to someone who im not even sure will stay with me – through thick and thin? ”

val’s arms folded over her torso almost defensively, taking in alex’s rant with her eyes fixed firmly on the ground, trying to process what he was saying. ‘since when have you thought of me’----had she really been that self-absorbed? it wasn’t surprisingly, exactly----she was incredibly selfish----but alex.... she craved his attention and affection, it was true, but the moments she liked the most between them were the ones where they were both happy. she cared about him and---maybe in her effort to keep herself safe, she’d done too good of a job and he hadn’t been able to tell. “wait---wait, alex, stop.” her hand circled around his wrist and she took a step forward, lessening the distance between them, “i---i didn’t----okay, i leave, i run away, i know but it’s just... i’m---” she let out a strained huff, “---if i stay i---you’ll see how much i want... you, and that’s----it’s HARD. but i don’t----i don’t give up. i come back. i always come back. and even when i’m gone i’m not doing-----i’m waiting too, okay? until i can come back.” val knew she wasn’t the most emotionally intelligent of her siblings----jac held that title by a mile at least----but this was important, she knew, and while she was scared of revealing too much, she was equally scared of not saying enough to keep him from giving up on her, “---i didn’t realize----i thought you knew how much i----how i... feel about you.”

“ and what if i do push you? what’s going to happen then? ” he retorted, still standing firm in his place. he was curious though. she had her insecurities about him but he also had his own about her – though she didn’t seem to care to figure them out. “ you like me that much that you give me none of your trust? despite me being faithful to you for this long when we aren’t a ‘thing’. i’ve been doing this since hogwarts and yet you still get this mad– is it because you aren’t getting what you want how you want it? i understand how to make you angry but i don’t get why you do…” he didn’t care if they were in the middle of a crowd laughing and adorning costumes. he didn’t care if this was technically their first date – he wanted an answer and he’d get it.

where alex stood his ground, val hesitated; because this was not how things usually went. he did something to piss her off, she exploded; he let her storm away and some time later they both moved past it. it was exhausting, sometimes, and not what she wanted but it was SAFE. it worked, and it kept them in each other’s lives----it kept alex with her in some way----rather than whatever might happen if----if he pushed her like he was now. “i----” she floundered, for a moment, panicking and simultaneously wondering how she could ever answer him----how she could ever explain how she felt, “i d----you----you try to make me mad! you----you’re always baiting me and----it works because you could, you could do whatever you wanted with whoever and i couldn’t----do anything about it but be the---someone who wasn’t enough to keep your attention even though i---” she shook her head, one hand reaching up to smooth back her hair while the other covered her mouth for a moment, before continuing, “i get mad because you do THIS-----you----say something about being faithful and then say we’re nothing in the next breath and it’s----confusing and” and painful, “---a----and so i get mad!”

“ make me. “ he replied arms crossed over his chest, ready to take whatever she wanted to throw at him. “ –do you really like me this much? or are you going to get over me real fast if i did ask you out? “

“don’t push me, alex.” she warned, but her threat was an empty one; valeria might yell or curse or burn his things, but she wouldn’t hurt him. “fuck yo---what?” she’d been ready for a fight, ready to hide the embarrassment and hurt she felt with anger as usual, but his words left her feeling strangely off balance, a mixture of confusion, wariness, and a traitorous bit of hope flitting across her face as she replied slowly, “i----what if i said yes? that i DO---like you,” valeria kept her gaze firmly away from his, heart beating rapidly, “that much?”