You & Me Gotta Whole Lotta History - 1 Jan 1972 - Kabs

[Fabian Prewett]

New Years Eve was one of the most fantastic nights to to be out around the muggles, celebrating with their parties and alcohol. He’d long ago acquired a hat covered in glitter, and the buzz from the drinks they’d been sharing since they got to the party had him feeling amazing. Auror training had been going well, and a night out to celebrate wasn’t anything they didn’t deserve. Besides, his company for this evening was absolutely dazzling, Getting out on their own had done wonders for his friendship with Kyra, the two of them actually getting to spend quality time together. Is that what we are calling it these days? Could do something about your feelings. They’d never been anything official for long, at least not in the way their best friends were.

But it was a minute until midnight, and he’d pulled her away from the loud crowd cheered and drinks began being passed around. Away from the prying eyes of their friends who were still trying to get the two of them to be more than what they were. They’d always been just fine with what they had, and there wasn’t any reason to change that. But he couldn’t help but pull her close, grinning down at her as everyone around them began to count.

”10, 9, 8,”

She’d be good for you, keep you out of your head.

”7, 6, 5,”

Is it about her safety or your fear?

”4, 3, 2,”

You can’t avoid your feelings forever.

”1, Happy New Year!”

His lips were on hers, a smile behind his kiss as he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close as the crowd around them drank and cheered to ring in the new year.

[Kyra Thatcher]

”10, 9, 8,” 

He'd be good for you, keep you from getting lost down a rabbit hole.

”7, 6, 5,” 

Just because Phoebe and Ed are desperate for this, doesn't mean you can't want it too.

”4, 3, 2,” 

Bottling emotions can kill you.

”1, Happy New Year!”

An explosion of celebrations crashed through her ears as Fabian pulled her in for what certainly was a New Year's Eve kiss to remember. Warding away bad luck, or did you just want an excuse? Kyra wondered - of the pair of them - as her smiling lips met his. She pressed against him, wandering arms knocking off his glittery hat while ensuring that he was going nowhere anytime soon, and deepened the kiss as confetti showered down from the floor above. What was the point in acting shy when they'd played out this song and dance so many times before? If they were going to kiss, they were going to kiss.

Even if they were at a bandmate's house, and the girls were definitely going to question her sneaking away with her "mysterious" date.

"So tell me, Fabian Prewett," she said breathily after pulling away with a smirk, "got any New Year's resolutions?" The blonde bent to pick up his hat, "dusting" it off before reaching up to place it back on his hair. "You'll be in favor to the gods if you follow through, you know," she teased as incentive to get him to open up just a little; the student may've been tipsy, but that didn't mean she'd forgotten where all of these superstitions came from, or that it was easier to have simple fun with this particular bloke than it was to get him talking about personal matters! Don't push him too much, Kyra warned herself, swaying along to the record blasting through the little house as she shot him a smile. But she couldn't contain her natural curiosity all the time - it extended to those she was close to, along with those she was intrigued by. In Fabian's instance...checking both boxes meant she'd have to check her tongue, or hope he'd had enough to drink that her asking wouldn't put him off.

[Fabian Prewett]

This would be a New Years kiss to remember, his mind fuzzy as he let himself stay in the moment, just this once. He didn’t his training tonight, didn’t need a sharp mind in a crowded muggle house where magic was made with alcohol and music. It was odd to feel the safest in a room full of people that were the most hated by his kind, but so far the hatred hadn’t spilled over too much into the magic-less world. Besides with two more years of training, it would be ages before he’d be out doing the job. He could live in the moments like this, where only the two of them seemed to exist.

He shot her a grin as she replaced the hat on his head, laughing at her next words. Well if he wanted to find favor with the gods, he supposed he needed to come up with some sort of resolution. “My New Years resolution, he said slowly as he swayed with her, “is to ask you on a proper date. And we know I need the gods favor so what do you say? We can do whatever you want.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

Oh but she did love to get this bloke laughing. Since his graduation and entry into copper training, Fabian had had this serious edge to him that could be difficult to shake. They all had their preoccupations, of course, but Kyra wondered how much participating in this training was going to change him. Seeing changes in Ed - the goofy bloke sometimes now so uncharacteristically down in the dumps - through her own eyes and Phoebe's was strange, but could they expect the men to not let the work have an impact on them? It was damn serious, what they were working towards; Britain's populace had no lack of issues, and before too long Ed and the twins could be called in at a moment's notice to restore peace. She couldn't yet imagine them using copper voices - surely that was something they'd have to practice in front of the mirror to perfection before they were let into the field - let alone actually getting involved in disputes...

Christ, she'd taught this one how to drive not half a year ago! And now he was going to be chasing down bad guys in a car of his own? He'd absolutely needed to take an official driver's exam before they'd let him into the academy, but still - it was simply unreal!

Focus, Kiki.

Because Fabs wasn't just laughing.

He was still smiling as he looked down at her, joining her in what could loosely be termed as "dancing" to The Doors, but he was turning something over in that mind of his. Kyra met his eye, a slow smile spreading across her face, as he spoke. 

Pheebs is going to just die.

How many years was it now that their friends had tried pushing them to be something "real"? Four? Five? The inebriated young woman couldn't properly recall, but the point was - Phoebe was going to make more of a deal out of this than she was, and she felt that the same went true for Ed and Fabian. Did they put you up to this? She hoped not, she hoped that this was just him wanting to build something up from their foundation, and didn't want this present happiness marred by suggesting that Phoebe and Ed had had influence...

"Whatever I want?" she asked, smirking flirtatiously as she laid her hands on his chest, coming closer as she continued secretively. "You know that means we're going to Loch Ness. With no complaints from you the whole way there and back." Kyra let out a laugh, only half serious about her proposal; it was an unrealistic real first date, seeing as a one-way drive was ten full hours, but she couldn't resist the tease. For some reason only the gods knew, Fabian and Gideon and Edgar had shut down her road trip request again and again with their silly excuses. Was it really so much to ask to go somewhere so lovely, and with so much history and myth? And the potential of Nessie? What was wrong with wanting to see something so beautiful, proof that there was more to the world than one saw everyday?

[Fabian Prewett]

Keeping up with the muggle world since graduating school had taught him a few things. The first was how heavily muggles relied on their vehicles to get them places, and it had been absolutely absurd that he’d never learned to drive up until last summer. At least, that’s what he had been told. Fabian could admit there was some fun being behind the wheel of a car, but a majority of the fun was based on who was in the passenger seat.

Except there had been a whole different side of muggle life to adjust to, and he had Imogen Bones to thank for much of the knowledge she’d imparted upon them towards the end of their seventh year. Needed some sort of cover for their Auror training, and it was simple to send his second mother an owl to get updates on things he should be keeping up with. Edgar was his other source of information most times - since moving in with Phoebe he’d picked up on plenty of things that helped them blend.

But this side? There were plenty of reasons not to date a muggle, her safety being at the top of that list. But Edgar and Phoebe were so happy, and Kyra would most certainly be open to magic if things ever did go that far between them…

He grinned as she leaned in close, his hopes shattered only moments later. C’mon love, Loch Ness? She’d mentioned it before, but it wasn’t exactly a short distance. Especially in a car, of all things. Not to mention Nessie, the very real magical creature that lived there. It wasn’t a place muggles needed to be, or trouble he needed to be getting in to. “What about a trip to Edinburgh? Same country, just as cold.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

While she was teasing, mostly, about going to Scotland for their first date, Kyra didn’t miss the tinge of really? in his eye and the slight droop of his grin. And when he suggested Edinburgh, she began to laugh. "You’re actually impossible," she said though it, loosely wrapping her arms around Fabian's middle as she grinned up at him. Swaying along closely with him to The Doors, she continued, "Come off it - the only reason to go all that way is to see Nessie." She rose up, a bit of a hazardous affair in her borrowed-from-sister's-closet dress and heels, to pop a quick kiss on his lips. Thankfully, her partner had grown even sturdier in these last months of training. "Just fooling, relax. Liz and Pheebs and I can trek up on a long weekend. We can do something fun here, you and me. I’ll get to thinking." It went without saying that their prior get-togethers weren't exactly "dates." She knew they could talk each other's ear off anywhere, and have a good time doing anything, so...labeling a night as a "date" wouldn't change things much, right? It's one date. Don't worry about the after until it's done.

Because the bloke in her arms was the one who'd first shown her that expecting "more" wasn't a given. She'd learned at fifteen to call them what they were - they were summertime loves, and nothing more significant than that. It'd made sense then, seeing as he was off at boarding school, and she honestly still didn't know how Phoebe and Ed made their long-distance relationship work. And it'd given her space to date around during the school year, to be let down by more than a few who just wanted to spend "time" with her after word got out about some should've-been-private summertime loving. To learn to be happy on her own or with her girls, to not need attention and devotion from one guy. Once she'd realized the fun that could be had with detachment, well...she hadn't really been tempted into anything resembling a relationship. With investment and expectations came more opportunities to be let down, right? But Fabian...dammit, Prewett. She could generally separate feelings even when it came to him, often enough that their on-and-off hadn't felt like heartbreak at the end of summers. But it was harder at times like these. Waist deep in the drink, all dressed up, him asking what she'd wanted to hear from him on some level, even if she kept it under wraps for years...One date. See how it goes. If it felt worth it to take down the defensive walls then, open herself up...

This wasn't some random bloke asking her on a date. It couldn't be treated as such, it didn't feel like that. As much as she wanted to tell herself that it was just one date, there was more to it than that. It was admitting that there was something between them that they were - possibly - ready to act on and acknowledge. It was a trial, but not a private one, because Gid and Ed and Pheebs and Liz would be with them every step of the way... "Proper date. Us." Got to too much thinking. The song had changed to something more uptempo, but in her distraction, Kyra didn't alter theirs as she found his eye again. Worry seeped into her voice as she went on, though she tried to cover it up with her usual confidence. "You really want that? I won't tell if you change your mind, it's fine - "

[Fabian Prewett]

He wasn’t trying to be impossible, but that wasn’t something he could tell her. I can’t take you there because there’s a magical creature living there that muggles aren’t supposed to so and also I’m a wizard. She would love it, he knew that. But taking her there would be a breach of clause 73 in the International Statute of Secrecy, and as a worker in the Ministry he didn’t need to be breaking rules. Rules that were there for the protection of witches and wizards, after muggles had started slaughtering them ages ago.

He was glad that she was only teasing, and made a mental note to let Edgar know that they’d have to interrupt these plans. While the magic around the area should deter muggles away, it wasn’t worth risking it. If the girls found “Nessie”, the Ministry would get involved. And that was the last way he wanted any of the muggles he surrounded himself with to find out about magic.

It wasn’t as if Fabian didn’t want Kyra to know. The girl had conspiracy theories for days, and would lose it to know that magic was real. But telling her wasn’t something he could just do, not unless their relationship went further than this one date. And wasn’t protecting people he cared about the entire reason he had decided to become an Auror anyway? Kyra had always been his girl, his summer love, his favorite person to pass the time with. They could do this, be more official. This wasn’t summers during school anymore, and the idea of coming home to someone besides his twin brother wasn’t a bad one.

It seemed they had both been lost in thoughts, and he chuckled as she pulled him from his own mind. A proper date, that’s what they would do. “Hey,” he cut her off, stopping his movement that barely passed for dancing. “I want us to be more than a good time. I know that’s asking a lot, seeing as I was a right git at fifteen. But I just… I think we could do it.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

The people you love care for, the people you know almost as well as you know yourself, they can change you with nothing more than a look or a word. Worry started to float away at his interjection, and that upfront acknowledgement and speaking his truth...Fabian wasn't playing around. Not any more. You know you want all of that too, Kiki. A proper date. A proper shot at this. If he's in... If he was in, it would be safer for her to be, right? Both of themselves putting hearts and friendships on the line? It was an odd feeling, relief and thrill all in one, and she moved in closer as a blush rose on her pale cheeks.

"Bloody well right, you were. Would it’ve killed you to write back?" Chuckling at past mishaps and learning experiences, Kyra gave a happy sigh and looked up at him. "Okay. I'm in. Proper date, you and me. Tell me, did they teach you how to ice skate at that fancy school of yours?" While the Thames ran through Barking and would be a remarkably convenient place to learn, there hadn't been significant freezes in the last ten years. The little offshoots and lakes that dotted her hometown, though, worked well enough to provide ample wintertime memories. While mainly these were of Edgar trying to show off his "prowess" in front of one of the other neighborhood girls, she fondly remembered pulling her little brothers along with Liz, helping them keep their feet and, when that proved impossible, showing them that picking themselves back up again was important too. Taking Fabian out onto the ice would surely be a riot - and cozying up by a fire someplace afterwards, mulled wine in hand...that could do quite nicely. 

[Fabian Prewett]

When she smiled at him like that, so happy and carefree, he thought of the summer that he’d first admitted to himself he liked the girl. Eddie had been so caught up in Phoebe, spending so much time with the pretty girl down the road that he and Kyra had gotten to know each other. But it’d been a summer too late, hadn’t it? Oh, he’d liked her when they were fifteen, thought she was the bee knees. Had a friendly competition with Gideon that had grown into a very real crush on the girl, but not one he’d thought was worth pursuing when he’d gone back to school. But the summer after? When Edgar and Phoebe had survived all the months apart and were practically inseparable, the summer of being sixteen. That’s when he got to know Kyra for who she was, more than just Phoebe’s best friend. It was the summer he’d invited himself over to hers for dinner, wanting to get to know these brother’s she talked about and the big sister that was less than impressed with him. It was the summer of their own quiet moments, getting to know secrets and stealing kisses when no one was paying them mind.

But even then, summer had ended and he’d gone back to school, and he’d seen her on holidays when he’d gone to visit the Bones but they had two different lives. It was summer that always brought them back, to an almost something but never really an anything. That was their thing, wasn’t it? Flirting and fun, but never a relationship. His last year of school had been the most effort, with occasional letters exchanged between the two of them, and the summer that had just past was full of good memories for all of them. But then in fall, they’d both still been here, seeing each other often at weekly (when it was possible) dinners with Phoebe and Edgar. And then it was hey, want to grab a drink Friday after class? There’s a party this weekend, you should come. Let’s catch a movie, if you’re free. “Probably not,” he said with a grin to her question, because fifteen year old him could have written back just fine - if he hadn’t been so dumb then.

“I’ll have you know,” he laughed as he tucked a stray lock of her hair out of her face, “That my fancy school had a lake that would freeze over every winter, so yes, I do.” They’d taught themselves how really, determined to learn the how to glide carefully across the ice. There was nothing more interesting than a snowball fight on ice skates, although magic certainly helped with that game. “Although, I wouldn’t say I’m great at it. Dinner and ice skating then?”

[Kyra Thatcher]

You can do this, you both can. If you don't believe that people can change, learn from the past, from mistakes...why bother trying to evolve?

    He wouldn't want to try this if he didn't mean it. If not for your sake, for his own - Phoebe'd skin him alive if he wasn't being earnest.

How much longer were you going to delay bringing this up, anyway?

Since their graduations and various jaunts into adulthood, one noticeable difference was that, while the leaves changed, their summer...hadn't ended. Because summer was seeing the Bones' and Prewetts' whenever possible, going on joyrides in Liz's car, crashing on Phoebe and Ed's couch and floor after shows when they were too tired, plastered, or plainly unable to admit they didn't want to be alone, to bother finding a way to their own beds. Summer was them, and Kyra didn't mind feeling like summer in the snow. Nearly as giddy inside as she'd been after their first kiss, absolutely as warm as then as Fabian tucked back her loose long hair, telling her that he was an idiot as a teenager and that he could ice skate. The blonde grinned up at him, laughing at that fancy little boarding school tucked away in the Scottish countryside allowing skating over football, and patted his chest, lingering. A proper date. "Dinner and ice skating, then," she affirmed, grin morphing into a smirk as she turned it all over in her boozy mind. "You know, you're not gonna know what hit you, Fabian Prewett. Never seen me glammed up for a real date."

Liz would let her raid her closet, right? Even if her sister hadn't really been fond of the back-and-forth of them in the past, she'd be willing to give Fabian another chance like she was, wouldn't she? You'll have to see her, soon. Phoebe too. Pheebs would know just how far back this plan went, too; Eddie couldn't resist spilling secrets to his girlfriend, they'd know within moments how long Fabs had been planning to try something again. They'll be on board, bloody matchmakers, she thought fondly. Kyra shook her hair out of her face and reached around him to grab the glasses they'd put down for their New Year's kiss, handing him one of the unmarked cups, not quite sure if it'd originally been his but not really worrying.

"Here's to us, babe," she declared, clinking her cup with his and in the moment realizing that it was not as feather-light of a touch as she'd meant it to be. Kyra couldn't help her laugh as the drinks splattered over them, even though she knew she'd have some explaining to do if she stained Liz's dress. "F*ck, sorry - good omens, all," she said through it, downing what was left in her cup before grabbing his hand and pulling him down the hall. "Loo's down there, get us cleaned up, eh?"