PAST-FIC: What must be known (Kevin Entwhistle, Jack Sloper)
DATE/TIME: 15 September, 2006, evening
CHARACTERS: Kevin Entwhistle, Jack Sloper
PLACE: London
RATING: R
STATUS: Complete
Why is it that meetings about efficiency always run late? Jack hurried down the street, then up the stairs to his flat. I could swear those old witches knew I had plans this evening. They don't usually sit around and talk about their knitting while we're trying to rework the way we schedule hearings of the full Wizengamot. He opened the wards and dropped his bag on the side table as he went toward his bedroom, stripping out of his work clothes as he went - tie and trousers back into the wardrobe, shoes on the rack, everything else into the hamper - then went into the tiny bath and turned on the shower.
As he soaped up under the hot blast of water, Jack let himself relax a bit. Work was no more stressful than usual, really. It was just that he hadn't had much else to think about for the past year or two apart from work, except for the few pints here and there with his mates or a pick-up game of Quidditch once in a while, and he'd convinced himself that it was...enough. That it was a decent life with some laughs and fulfilling employment and an apparent goal to read every book in the history section of Flourish & Blotts. He rinsed his hair one last time and turned off the tap, toweled off, and went to open the wardrobe.
Jack pulled on a clean pair of jeans and considered his shirts. "Blue, green, or black?"
The mirror hummed a bit. "The sapphire blue, and the black jacket your sister gave you for Christmas."
Jack shrugged and pulled the shirt from its hanger. "You're the mirror. That jacket makes me afraid to eat, it's cut so close."
"It's French. Tamsyn's just trying to give you a bit of polish."
Jack slid the jacket on. "Dumbledore's beard, this is tight."
"Fitted," the mirror said. "It's called fitted. Brush down your hair - yes, just there - and I think one more button undone? Yes, like that."
"Good enough," Jack said, and closed the wardrobe door. He checked his pockets for wand and wallet, then Flooed to the Ministry and went out into Muggle London.
After a bit of walking, Jack arrived at the bar where he'd agreed to meet Kevin. He had been here a few times before, with some of the younger Wizengamot members who liked to socialise after hearings but felt odd talking over cases in Wizard pubs. It wasn't strictly a gay bar, but he knew that he and Kevin wouldn't be out of place. A glance at the clock on the wall showed that he was a few minutes early after all, so he took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink while he waited.
"This seat taken?"
Jack glanced to his right. A tall greying man gestured to the empty barstool. "No," Jack said, "all yours." He turned back to the bartender and paid for his drink as the man peered at the bottles along the back wall and ordered.
"Friend of mine recommended this place for a drink and some company." The man turned to face him. "You come 'round here often?"
"Not really," Jack said. He turned toward the entry and was relieved to see Kevin coming through the door. "Only to meet my friend." He waved at Kevin and slid off the stool. "Enjoy your evening, mate," he said.
Jack worked his way toward the table Kevin had claimed, noticing that Kevin's trousers and jumper were as fitted as the jacket he himself was wearing, and appreciating the result. He edged past a girl with a precariously-held martini glass and smiled at Kevin. "Good thing, catching a table. It's a mad crush in here. Get you something while I'm still up?"
"A pint of Guinness would be good," Kevin said, returning the smile. "I'll fight off the invaders." As if to illustrate, he frowned at the girl with the pink martini, who was watching them intently.
Jack grinned and turned back into the crowd, finding himself at the same spot along the bar. "Two Guinnesses, please," he said, fumbling for the proper money.
"I thought you'd left your drink here on purpose," the grey-haired man said. "I'm in town for a few days...."
Jack left a generous tip on the bar and picked up the pint glasses. "No, just lost the taste for gin and tonic. Enjoy your stay in London, then." He went back to the table, managing not to spill much on his hands, and dropped into his chair with a wry grin.
"Cheers," Kevin said, raising his glass. "Friend of yours, that bloke at the bar?"
"Likewise," Jack said, returning the toast and taking a long drink. "Rather not. Some random out-of-towner angling for an invitation."
"Ah. He was watching your arse rather intently as you came back here." Kevin shrugged. "So I glared, and he turned around. Sorry if I was out of line."
Jack laughed and took another sip, relaxing his shoulders as he did. "Not at all. Bloody cheek - did I leave my drink there on purpose - that sort of thing." He put his pint down and leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table as he smiled at Kevin. "This was a good idea. Thanks for suggesting it."
Kevin returned the smile. "I enjoyed talking to you at the Leaky the other night. Figured we had enough in common to give it another go."
"Yeah," Jack said. "That was an unexpectedly good ending to a very strange evening." He laughed. "I have to admit, I went home and pulled out a few books on John Dee. I'm still not sure whether his Divination skills were any good, but it's pretty clear that he was a hell of an Arithmancer."
"Does it matter if they were any good, if he was charged with treason simply for casting them?" Kevin's eyes flashed, and soon they were deep into an enjoyable argument about whether the first Queen Elizabeth had known Dee was a true wizard and whether the current Queen knew about her Wizarding subjects, and whether any existing Muggle laws were holdovers from anti-magic hysteria.
"All I know," Jack said after a while, leaning back in his chair and finishing his beer, "is that goblins were rebelling on all sides and they never got into the Muggle books. Is it that wizards were just that much worse at hiding, or that Muggles find it easier to ignore short pointy-eared creatures than to accept that magic is real?"
Kevin drained his pint and put it down. "Not just Muggles. Wizards can ignore the damndest things in front of them just as well, if they don't want to see." He looked at Jack. "You see it in court. 'Oh, Inquisitor, I didn't realize he was hurting anyone! I thought he was just fond of kids, that's all.'" He sighed and smiled at Jack. "Sorry. This is a date, right? Not a grousing session about work."
"No worries." Jack touched the back of Kevin's hand, then took it into his and squeezed lightly. "Something we're likely to see soon?"
"Not for a while, and it's only stolen objects, not anything more dire at the moment." Kevin squeezed back and gave Jack a genuine smile. "Got to get the evidence first."
"Yeah, that'd help." Jack grinned at Kevin, enjoying the small long-forgotten flutter in his stomach as Kevin held his hand and he felt their knees bump under the tiny table. "D'you want another drink, or would you like to go hunt up some supper or something?"
Before Kevin could answer, a slip of paper fluttered down between them. Jack looked up to see the grey-haired man leaving the bar, then back at Kevin, whose face had gone unreadable. Jack opened the folded paper with his free hand. "It's a telephone number." He rolled his eyes and held the paper over the small candle on their table, watching quietly as it caught and burned, then looked at Kevin again. "Clumsy and stupid, that was."
Kevin dropped Jack's hand and nodded as he stood. "It's getting close in here. Shall we go?"
Jack followed Kevin out the door, cursing the interloper quietly for changing the warm companionable mood of their date. Once on the pavement, Kevin turned left and then left again, into a tiny alley which held the bar's rubbish bins. For a moment, Jack wondered what Kevin was doing, until he felt himself being pushed back against the alley wall and the warm pressure of Kevin's mouth on his. A soft whimper escaped before he could control himself.
"All right there?" Kevin's voice was warm and shaded with amusement.
"It's been a while," Jack said quietly, and returned the kiss as Kevin pulled him closer.
Kevin nuzzled his cheek as he slipped a hand into the back pocket of Jack's jeans. "Hard to believe." He slid his thigh between Jack's, holding him in place against the alley wall, returning to kisses more thorough and deep.
Jack smiled against Kevin's mouth, then gasped as Kevin bit his jaw gently, teeth barely scraping against his skin. He slid his hands across Kevin's jumper, soft and warm under his hands, as they continued to trade kisses and touches. Jack shivered at some rougher and more intent than others, and found himself making small sounds that only spurred Kevin to repeat whatever had caused Jack's reaction.
After a bit, Kevin leaned back against Jack's arms and chuckled. "I was half afraid you were going to head off with that bloke."
"Give a boy some credit," Jack said lightly. "I don't go home with strangers."
"Would it bother you to know that I have?" Kevin's face was unreadable again.
"No," Jack said. "That it's not for me doesn't mean it's automatically bad. Just means it's not for me."
Some of the tension left Kevin's body, but he continued to lean back and watch Jack. "What about me? Am I a stranger?"
"No, but I'm not going home with you tonight," Jack said quietly, "no matter that I very much want to." He bit his lip for a moment, watching Kevin. "Is that a deal-breaker?"
Kevin shrugged. "I don't understand, Sloper. I want you. Sounds like you want me. So why wouldn't you, unless there's something you're not telling me?"
"Nothing I'm hiding." Jack let his head drop back against the wall for a moment, then looked at Kevin again. "A few years ago, right after the War when things were still unsettled, I did the club scene. Went home with a few blokes like that." He paused, then continued in a softer voice. "It wasn't that it was bad. Just that it wasn't - it didn't matter that it was me there. Could have been anyone and they'd have had the same experience. Does that make sense?"
Kevin nodded.
"So I stopped going out. Thought I'd focus on my mates, see if something sparked there, but that ended up making me even less likely to proposition a friend." Jack smiled tentatively. "I decided to wait until I was sure that it was me that was wanted, not just a decent arse and a willing disposition. Until I was sure that the other man knew me for who I am, in and out of bed."
"I know you, Jack Sloper." Kevin's voice was firm and low as he reached to smooth Jack's hair . His eyes gleamed just a bit in the light of a passing headlamp. "How long will it take you to realise that?"
Jack laughed, almost inadvertently. He caught Kevin's hand in his own and squeezed. "Not tonight. But not next year, either." He smiled, still shy. "I'm not into self-denial, Kevin. Just wary."
"I know." Kevin squeezed Jack's hand and stepped back. "Hungry? We could go find some food."
"I'd like that." Jack walked out of the alley with Kevin. "Thank you."
Kevin looked up at him quizzically, resting his hand on the small of Jack's back. "For what? For agreeing to your bizarre demand that I not get the immediate chance to show you what those bastards were doing wrong?" He smiled widely. "Believe me, Jack, I'm going to make the wait worthwhile."
Jack grinned back, a deep sense of relief washing away the foreboding of the past few minutes. "You realize that doesn't make it any easier."
"I do indeed," Kevin said, and led him down the street in search of supper.
CHARACTERS: Kevin Entwhistle, Jack Sloper
PLACE: London
RATING: R
STATUS: Complete
Why is it that meetings about efficiency always run late? Jack hurried down the street, then up the stairs to his flat. I could swear those old witches knew I had plans this evening. They don't usually sit around and talk about their knitting while we're trying to rework the way we schedule hearings of the full Wizengamot. He opened the wards and dropped his bag on the side table as he went toward his bedroom, stripping out of his work clothes as he went - tie and trousers back into the wardrobe, shoes on the rack, everything else into the hamper - then went into the tiny bath and turned on the shower.
As he soaped up under the hot blast of water, Jack let himself relax a bit. Work was no more stressful than usual, really. It was just that he hadn't had much else to think about for the past year or two apart from work, except for the few pints here and there with his mates or a pick-up game of Quidditch once in a while, and he'd convinced himself that it was...enough. That it was a decent life with some laughs and fulfilling employment and an apparent goal to read every book in the history section of Flourish & Blotts. He rinsed his hair one last time and turned off the tap, toweled off, and went to open the wardrobe.
Jack pulled on a clean pair of jeans and considered his shirts. "Blue, green, or black?"
The mirror hummed a bit. "The sapphire blue, and the black jacket your sister gave you for Christmas."
Jack shrugged and pulled the shirt from its hanger. "You're the mirror. That jacket makes me afraid to eat, it's cut so close."
"It's French. Tamsyn's just trying to give you a bit of polish."
Jack slid the jacket on. "Dumbledore's beard, this is tight."
"Fitted," the mirror said. "It's called fitted. Brush down your hair - yes, just there - and I think one more button undone? Yes, like that."
"Good enough," Jack said, and closed the wardrobe door. He checked his pockets for wand and wallet, then Flooed to the Ministry and went out into Muggle London.
After a bit of walking, Jack arrived at the bar where he'd agreed to meet Kevin. He had been here a few times before, with some of the younger Wizengamot members who liked to socialise after hearings but felt odd talking over cases in Wizard pubs. It wasn't strictly a gay bar, but he knew that he and Kevin wouldn't be out of place. A glance at the clock on the wall showed that he was a few minutes early after all, so he took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink while he waited.
"This seat taken?"
Jack glanced to his right. A tall greying man gestured to the empty barstool. "No," Jack said, "all yours." He turned back to the bartender and paid for his drink as the man peered at the bottles along the back wall and ordered.
"Friend of mine recommended this place for a drink and some company." The man turned to face him. "You come 'round here often?"
"Not really," Jack said. He turned toward the entry and was relieved to see Kevin coming through the door. "Only to meet my friend." He waved at Kevin and slid off the stool. "Enjoy your evening, mate," he said.
Jack worked his way toward the table Kevin had claimed, noticing that Kevin's trousers and jumper were as fitted as the jacket he himself was wearing, and appreciating the result. He edged past a girl with a precariously-held martini glass and smiled at Kevin. "Good thing, catching a table. It's a mad crush in here. Get you something while I'm still up?"
"A pint of Guinness would be good," Kevin said, returning the smile. "I'll fight off the invaders." As if to illustrate, he frowned at the girl with the pink martini, who was watching them intently.
Jack grinned and turned back into the crowd, finding himself at the same spot along the bar. "Two Guinnesses, please," he said, fumbling for the proper money.
"I thought you'd left your drink here on purpose," the grey-haired man said. "I'm in town for a few days...."
Jack left a generous tip on the bar and picked up the pint glasses. "No, just lost the taste for gin and tonic. Enjoy your stay in London, then." He went back to the table, managing not to spill much on his hands, and dropped into his chair with a wry grin.
"Cheers," Kevin said, raising his glass. "Friend of yours, that bloke at the bar?"
"Likewise," Jack said, returning the toast and taking a long drink. "Rather not. Some random out-of-towner angling for an invitation."
"Ah. He was watching your arse rather intently as you came back here." Kevin shrugged. "So I glared, and he turned around. Sorry if I was out of line."
Jack laughed and took another sip, relaxing his shoulders as he did. "Not at all. Bloody cheek - did I leave my drink there on purpose - that sort of thing." He put his pint down and leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table as he smiled at Kevin. "This was a good idea. Thanks for suggesting it."
Kevin returned the smile. "I enjoyed talking to you at the Leaky the other night. Figured we had enough in common to give it another go."
"Yeah," Jack said. "That was an unexpectedly good ending to a very strange evening." He laughed. "I have to admit, I went home and pulled out a few books on John Dee. I'm still not sure whether his Divination skills were any good, but it's pretty clear that he was a hell of an Arithmancer."
"Does it matter if they were any good, if he was charged with treason simply for casting them?" Kevin's eyes flashed, and soon they were deep into an enjoyable argument about whether the first Queen Elizabeth had known Dee was a true wizard and whether the current Queen knew about her Wizarding subjects, and whether any existing Muggle laws were holdovers from anti-magic hysteria.
"All I know," Jack said after a while, leaning back in his chair and finishing his beer, "is that goblins were rebelling on all sides and they never got into the Muggle books. Is it that wizards were just that much worse at hiding, or that Muggles find it easier to ignore short pointy-eared creatures than to accept that magic is real?"
Kevin drained his pint and put it down. "Not just Muggles. Wizards can ignore the damndest things in front of them just as well, if they don't want to see." He looked at Jack. "You see it in court. 'Oh, Inquisitor, I didn't realize he was hurting anyone! I thought he was just fond of kids, that's all.'" He sighed and smiled at Jack. "Sorry. This is a date, right? Not a grousing session about work."
"No worries." Jack touched the back of Kevin's hand, then took it into his and squeezed lightly. "Something we're likely to see soon?"
"Not for a while, and it's only stolen objects, not anything more dire at the moment." Kevin squeezed back and gave Jack a genuine smile. "Got to get the evidence first."
"Yeah, that'd help." Jack grinned at Kevin, enjoying the small long-forgotten flutter in his stomach as Kevin held his hand and he felt their knees bump under the tiny table. "D'you want another drink, or would you like to go hunt up some supper or something?"
Before Kevin could answer, a slip of paper fluttered down between them. Jack looked up to see the grey-haired man leaving the bar, then back at Kevin, whose face had gone unreadable. Jack opened the folded paper with his free hand. "It's a telephone number." He rolled his eyes and held the paper over the small candle on their table, watching quietly as it caught and burned, then looked at Kevin again. "Clumsy and stupid, that was."
Kevin dropped Jack's hand and nodded as he stood. "It's getting close in here. Shall we go?"
Jack followed Kevin out the door, cursing the interloper quietly for changing the warm companionable mood of their date. Once on the pavement, Kevin turned left and then left again, into a tiny alley which held the bar's rubbish bins. For a moment, Jack wondered what Kevin was doing, until he felt himself being pushed back against the alley wall and the warm pressure of Kevin's mouth on his. A soft whimper escaped before he could control himself.
"All right there?" Kevin's voice was warm and shaded with amusement.
"It's been a while," Jack said quietly, and returned the kiss as Kevin pulled him closer.
Kevin nuzzled his cheek as he slipped a hand into the back pocket of Jack's jeans. "Hard to believe." He slid his thigh between Jack's, holding him in place against the alley wall, returning to kisses more thorough and deep.
Jack smiled against Kevin's mouth, then gasped as Kevin bit his jaw gently, teeth barely scraping against his skin. He slid his hands across Kevin's jumper, soft and warm under his hands, as they continued to trade kisses and touches. Jack shivered at some rougher and more intent than others, and found himself making small sounds that only spurred Kevin to repeat whatever had caused Jack's reaction.
After a bit, Kevin leaned back against Jack's arms and chuckled. "I was half afraid you were going to head off with that bloke."
"Give a boy some credit," Jack said lightly. "I don't go home with strangers."
"Would it bother you to know that I have?" Kevin's face was unreadable again.
"No," Jack said. "That it's not for me doesn't mean it's automatically bad. Just means it's not for me."
Some of the tension left Kevin's body, but he continued to lean back and watch Jack. "What about me? Am I a stranger?"
"No, but I'm not going home with you tonight," Jack said quietly, "no matter that I very much want to." He bit his lip for a moment, watching Kevin. "Is that a deal-breaker?"
Kevin shrugged. "I don't understand, Sloper. I want you. Sounds like you want me. So why wouldn't you, unless there's something you're not telling me?"
"Nothing I'm hiding." Jack let his head drop back against the wall for a moment, then looked at Kevin again. "A few years ago, right after the War when things were still unsettled, I did the club scene. Went home with a few blokes like that." He paused, then continued in a softer voice. "It wasn't that it was bad. Just that it wasn't - it didn't matter that it was me there. Could have been anyone and they'd have had the same experience. Does that make sense?"
Kevin nodded.
"So I stopped going out. Thought I'd focus on my mates, see if something sparked there, but that ended up making me even less likely to proposition a friend." Jack smiled tentatively. "I decided to wait until I was sure that it was me that was wanted, not just a decent arse and a willing disposition. Until I was sure that the other man knew me for who I am, in and out of bed."
"I know you, Jack Sloper." Kevin's voice was firm and low as he reached to smooth Jack's hair . His eyes gleamed just a bit in the light of a passing headlamp. "How long will it take you to realise that?"
Jack laughed, almost inadvertently. He caught Kevin's hand in his own and squeezed. "Not tonight. But not next year, either." He smiled, still shy. "I'm not into self-denial, Kevin. Just wary."
"I know." Kevin squeezed Jack's hand and stepped back. "Hungry? We could go find some food."
"I'd like that." Jack walked out of the alley with Kevin. "Thank you."
Kevin looked up at him quizzically, resting his hand on the small of Jack's back. "For what? For agreeing to your bizarre demand that I not get the immediate chance to show you what those bastards were doing wrong?" He smiled widely. "Believe me, Jack, I'm going to make the wait worthwhile."
Jack grinned back, a deep sense of relief washing away the foreboding of the past few minutes. "You realize that doesn't make it any easier."
"I do indeed," Kevin said, and led him down the street in search of supper.