Charlie Tooker

Charlie Tooker || 19 || Squib || Waitress

[charlietooker]

oliryan​:

Oliver knew he’d been talking to Connor too long but he hadn’t realized anyone noticed. And maybe Charlie hadn’t noticed but the way she said ‘oh’ when she saw Connor made Oliver feel panicked. What the hell did that mean? Did she know something? How did she know something if she did? The fact that she was offering to come back did not help the feeling that she knew something. SHIT SHIT SHIT He was so dead. He couldn’t do this. But before he could flee Connor was fleeing and Oliver could only just be stuck there. “There was nothing to interrupt,” he interjected quickly. Not even paying attention to whatever else she’d said. “I was just dropping off a bottle of wine. That was all.” He sounded defensive, which he hated. There was no reason to sound like that. Nothing happened. He’d just been talking. There was nothing wrong with that. There was but surely she didn’t know. Except it felt like she did. “I should go find Cene,” he said, ready to flee both the kitchen and the party. This was a disaster. Just the thought that someone knew made him feel sick. She couldn’t know, though. There was nothing to know. There was but he hadn’t done anything. He had but surely she hadn’t seen it. Fuck! Did all the Tookers know? He needed to leave. Not just the kitchen or the party but maybe the whole fucking country. All he wanted was to play quidditch and be left alone. Why was that so impossible?Oliver couldn’t deal with talking to Charlie, or even looking at her right now when he thought she knew. it was worse then when he was worried she was gonna ask him about why he wanted a fake girlfriend. But she was a smart bird of course she’d known why he wanted a fake girlfriend. He’d given himself away agreeing to Cene’s plan. He was so fucked. Oliver just needed to leave.

This was terrible. Connor had fled and Oliver was looking at her like she was some kind of trapped animal, clearly trying to escape, his voice defensive in a way that only made Charlie more certain she’d definitely been interrupting something. Which was all the more reason this whole fake-dating thing needed to end, as far as she was concerned. “Okay, sure,” she said in response to his assertion he’d just been there dropping off wine, because while she didn’t believe him she also wasn’t about to try to have a conversation he very clearly did not want to have, and neither did she. Charlie just wanted this whole mess over with. So she stopped him before he could flee the kitchen. “Hey, wait—” Charlie said before he could run away, as much as she sort of wanted to let him. Only she couldn’t help thinking that just saying what she’d come here to say would be better for both of them in the long run. Once she was finished Oliver could just avoid her forever, which was clearly what he wanted, and at this point Charlie wouldn’t really mind it either. When she’d agreed to Cene’s plan—that he’d said Oliver also agreed to—she’d figured she was signing up for some dinners and casual conversation with one of her cousin’s mates, not to being treated like she carried some sort of highly infectious disease Oliver was terrified he’d catch just by looking at her. “All I wanted to say was, obviously this arrangement isn’t working for either of us. So—I’m calling it off, okay?” She said, because it was a decision at this point, not a question. Still, her expression softened a moment later. “I’m not going to tell anyone anything,” she added, her voice a bit more gentle. Clearly this bloke was going through something, and it seemed similar enough to whatever Cene might have gone through before Josh that she felt bad for him, even if he’d been sort of miserable to deal with. “Just—if anyone asks, we’ll call it a mutual breakup, alright? Amicable?” She added, because it needed to be said and also maybe to let him think that’s what she meant when she said she wouldn’t tell anyone anything, like she was still just talking about the fake dating thing and not the fact that she was quite certain he and Cene had more than just being beaters in common.

[charlietooker]

connorbrownbakes​:

oliryan​:

Talking about bread felt safe even if he felt slightly awkward speaking French in front of Connor. It seemed show-offy. Probably thanks to Lucius Malfoy speaking French to try to sound superior and more cultured then the other blokes. But he was not trying to show off now and he hoped Connor wouldn’t think he was. Except maybe that would have been better. He was confusing himself again. And noticing that wistful tinge in Connor’s voice way too much. Definitely did not need to be thinking about how much Connor would like France, not just Paris —everyone liked Paris— but the small wizard villages tucked away in the French countryside that rarely saw a lot of visitors. Like the places his mum’s family lived. Maybe Connor would meet some French bird who’d take him around to those sorts of places. “Yeah, they’re pretty serious about their breads.” He supposed pastries too. Oliver nodded at Connor’s words. Though he tried not to think how spot on Connor’s words were for another reason. Their house had never seemed like home for his mum. Maybe because it was a very English house aside from her room which was very French. The change of subject was good despite the fact that Oliver would have liked to just not talk at all. He smiled at Connor’s words. “You could always just get a pet that didn’t require a lot of space,” he suggested. A suggestion that was completely unwarranted and he wished immediately he hadn’t said anything.

“Bread is serious business!” Connor answered Oliver with a grin. Clearly even more serious than he’d realized, at least in France, which just made him want to go there even more. To think—a whole separate bakery just for bread, and another one just for all the other baked goods. Thankfully the subject changed before he could say anything too dorky about that. Instead he said something dorky about wanting a pet. Despite himself he grinned at Oliver’s suggestion. “Yeah, I thought about getting a cat maybe, but they can be so finicky and I watch my niece a lot and she’s still the age where she’d definitely yank a cat by the tail without realizing she shouldn’t, but maybe in a couple years,” he said with a chuckle. Before he could say anything else, though, someone else popped their head into the kitchen.

This thing with Oliver had gone on long enough. When she’d agreed to help Cene’s friend out, she’d figured he’d at least be appreciative that she was taking the hit of being branded as the girl dating all of Puddlemere. Instead he acted like she was the one dragging him out on to dinners, and like he’d rather be getting his teeth pulled out than eating a freaking meal with her. Honestly! The movie night had been the last straw. Not because she cared that Oliver had clearly been more interested in Dora’s housemate—which was a very entertaining turn of events—but because she cared that her family didn’t think she was a completely desperate loser for dating some bloke who couldn’t even pretend to be indifferent towards her. She’d already filled Tommy in on Cene’s little scheme—which actually made a lot more sense as something Cene would even do now that she and Dora had figured out why Oliver needed a fake girlfriend—but this just couldn’t go on anymore. It wasn’t worth it. Clearly wasn’t even saving Oliver any level of anxiety. And now it was contributing to Charlie’s, because if being at a small get-together with her ex wasn’t bad enough, now she was stuck here with her ex and her fake boyfriend who played for the same quidditch team. Why had she even agreed to this? Stupid Cene with his stupid puppy dog eyes who never asked for anything weird before. This was the last time she was doing any date-related favors. Or any date-related anything, as far as she was concerned. Clearly she just needed to be single for a while. Which meant dumping her fake boyfriend. Oliver would probably prefer it if she just did it over owl, but that felt cold. So she’d planned to wait until next time he was at quidditch, pull him aside and just get it over with, but that was before she’d ended up at a party with him and Sturgis in way too small a space for her to even want to pretend to be the girlfriend he had zero interest in. It hadn’t taken her too long to get over Sturgis—he was a weird bloke, as it turned out, and they definitely weren’t meant to be—but she hated the idea of looking like she wasn’t over him by hanging around with some other quidditch player who clearly wasn’t interested in her at all. Talk about pathetic. So she’d gone looking for Oliver as soon as she got to the party, spotting him in the kitchen talking to someone she couldn’t see from where she stood. Thank Merlin. She made a beeline for him, poking her head in. “Oliver, we really need to talk about —oh.” Her eyes widened and she fell silent as she realized who else was in the room. Connor. Who was now staring at her with a horrified look that Charlie tried not to take personally. Really he should feel bad for being all handsy with someone he thought Charlie was dating. Only Oliver did such a bad job of acting like he was dating her, she almost couldn’t blame Connor. Either way, she definitely hadn’t meant to interrupt—whatever this was. “I’m so sorry, I can come ba–” But Charlie couldn’t even get the offer out before Connor was interjecting and practically fleeing like she’d caught him—well, maybe like she’d caught him flirting with her boyfriend. Still, she’d be more amused by that if Connor and Oliver both didn’t look so freaked out. What a disaster. “Sorry….” She said with a grimace after Connor left. “I didn’t meant to, er, interrupt anything. I just don’t think this arrangement is working anymore.” 

Charlie was here. Charlie was here and she’d come looking for Oliver because she needed to talk to him and if that didn’t sound like a girlfriend thing, well—Connor felt like he was going to be sick. Of course Oliver was dating Charlie. What was Connor even doing? Oliver was straight. Maybe Charlie was here to talk to him about their breakup, but they’d definitely dated. Oliver was straight and Connor was an idiot and probably a jerk too and now Charlie was looking at him like she’d caught him in something which maybe she had and fuck, it was time to go. “No, it’s fine, I’ve gotta get these out to the party,” he blurted out quickly, not meeting her eyes and not looking anywhere near Oliver as he grabbed the trays of desserts that had been finished since Oliver came in but Connor had been enjoying talking to him too much like a loser to remember to take them out. He waved his wand, vanishing the mess in the kitchen, and then pushed his way past Charlie out the door. “Kitchen’s all yours,” he muttered without making eye contact before he went to set the desserts out in the living room. As soon as he put them down he made a beeline for the front door, his only thought to get the fuck out of there. Once he was outside Connor considered just disapparating, but he needed to get the dishes the desserts were on after the party. That he’d said he’d attend. So instead of leaving completely, he ducked around to the side of the house and leaned up against the wall, trying to calm himself down. He was such a loser. And a jerk. What was he even thinking, getting his hopes up about Oliver? Oliver was straight! He had a girlfriend! Charlie was probably still his girlfriend, and the movie stuff had been nothing but Connor being weird and Oliver being scared and —fuck, Connor felt that same anxious feeling crawling all over him that he used to feel at Hogwarts when Slughorn talked to him about his future in potions-making after Dale had died and Jacob had given up something he actually wanted. Fortunately he knew how to deal with that feeling now, and even luckier for him he had a joint in his pocket. Connor fished it out, putting it to his lips and lighting it with his wand. A few drags, and then maybe he could make it through the party.

[charlietooker]

doratooker​:

“I certainly don’t see why anyone would date one of this girls.” Dora figured she knew why but just wanting to have sex with someone  seemed like a bad reason to her. “He really has never seemed egotistical. Shy if anything. I bet he’s never been on a date.” Dora felt bad for him now. Except he hadn’t actually tried with Charlie. Sure it was a fake date but if he’d been trying to figure out dating the key would have been putting some effort into it. Speaking of effort, Dora laughed at Charlie’s addition to her suggestion of them switching places. “Oh my gosh, he probably wouldn’t would he? That’s so sad. But I almost want to do it,” she added through her laughter. “Merlin knows he doesn’t seem to realize which one of us he’s giving dessert to.” They’d yet to figure that one out. Instead Oliver’s weird reaction to fake dating Charlie just seemed to make his bringing them dessert even more confusing since he was clearly not attempting to flirt. Oliver seemed determined to remain confusing instead of them getting to know him better like most of Cene’s friends.

“I do,” Charlie said, though she wrinkled her nose because she knew what Dora meant by what she’d said as well; dating a girl like that just to sleep with her seemed like a stupid and gross idea. Charlie frowned at the next thing Dora said. She felt sort of bad thinking that might have been his first date. Only she’d actually done her best to be a pleasant fake-date and he hadn’t tried at all, so it didn’t really seem like he’d wanted practice or anything like that. So what was it, then? She laughed at the next thing Dora said. “He doesn’t! That’s the other part that doesn’t make sense, right? It’s like he’s terrified of us but he keeps bringing us the desserts, seemed like a giveaway he fancied one or both of us. But he wasn’t like...that kind of nervous on the date. Like bloke who fancies a bird and doesn’t know how to talk to her nervous. He just seemed like he didn’t want to be there at all. Maybe he won’t want to go on another fake date.” Charlie could hope.

[charlietooker]

doratooker​:

Dora laughed once again at her sister’s reaction, shrugging her shoulders slightly. She couldn’t get over how weird the whole experience had been. Not that they’d thought any differently as she’d helped Charlie get ready but this was even worse. “Maybe he needs to be reminded that you are, geez,” she agreed shaking her head.  Such a weird bloke. “Has he been on dates with other girls do you think? I’m just wondering what dating one of those birds who only wants a quidditch player for his gold must be like now.” Seemed awful enough  before tonight but maybe it was worse.  She’d always sort of pictured it like Cene’s ex but with far less secret emotional abuse and lying about being a shallow, awful person. Maybe she wasn’t that far off. She nodded at what Charlie was saying. “Maybe it was just to scare off the gold diggers.” Seemed unlikely but she really couldn’t figure out what the point was. Dora laughed, completely amused at Charlie’s comment. “You should! Show him what being on a date with him is like.” Unlike Sturgis, Oliver might not like dating himself. “Shame I can’t hide in the loo and we could just switch off so you’re not stuck the entire time chatting to a wooden bloke. Doubt he’d notice.” Dora did not want to date a quidditch player, not even fake dating, especially not Oliver after Charlie’s description, but she did feel bad for Charlie having to deal with the weirdo on her own.

Charlie laughed and nodded her agreement that Oliver definitely needed to be reminded she was doing him a favor, though she frowned slightly at the next thing Dora said. “I’m not sure. I mean, from the way he was acting I’d guess he’d never been on a date before. But maybe if that’s the kind of girls he’s used to showing interested that could explain why. He never seemed that egotistical,” she added thoughtfully. He’d always seemed shy, maybe a bit stand-offish but he’d clearly warmed up to Cene and Cene wouldn’t be as good of friends with the bloke if he was some ego-freak like certain other quidditch players. “Maybe he’s just paranoid?”  Of course, they’d thought Cene was just paranoid about that kind of bird... Before Charlie could get too far with that train of thought she was laughing at Dora’s agreement with her suggestion she be as bad a date as Oliver was, and her added suggestion. “Oh, that’d be brilliant! He wouldn’t notice at all. Maybe we can switch off the dates, you could ask him all the same questions I did and I bet he wouldn’t even notice that either. But I wouldn’t want to do that to you,” Charlie added with a snicker.

[charlietooker]

doratooker​:

Dora rolled her eyes at what Cene had told her. “Seriously? Clearly you can be trusted to be in on whatever the big secret is. Or maybe it’s a little secret,” she couldn’t help adding with a snicker. There had to be something up if he needed a fake date and was super secretive and super sensitive about it. She didn’t think it was what she’d implied but after how weird he was to Charlie, Dora felt justified in making fun of him a little. Only to Charlie. She shook her head again over the whole conversation thing. Dora felt bad for Charlie for such an awful night but at the same time couldn’t help laughing at her description of him in front of the cameras. “That’s so weird. Did he think if he held your hand too long you’d get attached? Or maybe if you had an actual conversation like normal people that you’d fall in love with him. Clearly he’s got a dazzling personality,” she added with a teasing grin. “Maybe he’s gotten hit with one too many bludgers. I know it doesn’t seem to have done Cene any permeant damage but maybe he’s just lucky. Talking about his siblings, if he has any, isn’t even that personal. Let aloen discussing his job!” What a weird bloke! “Are you going out with him again?”  

“Dora!” Charlie let out a delighted squeal of laughter at her sister’s joke. Maybe that was mean but it was unlikely that was true and honestly if he was going to be that weird and not tell Charlie why she was fake dating him he had to know these were the kinds of conclusions she and Dora might come to. Charlie would keep his secret safe, but not from her twin. And Dora would keep it safe from everyone else, too. She snickered at Dora’s addition about the cameras, glad she also thought it was weird. “I don’t know what kinds of girls he’s used to dealing with but honestly just being hot isn’t enough to make a girl who isn’t just after your gold want to date you, especially not a girl who isn’t even trying to date you in the first place! I was doing him a favor!” That was the craziest part to Charlie. The date had not even been her idea, and she hadn’t loved the idea of dating her ex’s teammate. It was a favor to Cene. She sighed and shrugged at Dora’s question. “I dunno. I don’t really want to, but I don’t think Cene would have asked me to do this in the first place if there wasn’t actually a good reason for it.” Other than Oliver just being hopeless on a date, apparently. “But if I do go out with him I’m going to have to be straightforward with him. Or maybe I’ll just act like I’m terrified he’ll fall for me the whole time, see what he does with that,” she couldn’t help adding with a snicker. 

[charlietooker]

doratooker​:

At least Charlie hadn’t had to deal with that on top of the whole Cene asking her to fake date one of his mates weirdness. Dora listened and munched on her popcorn. Her face registering her surprise at her sister’s words. She chuckled at Charlie’s comment about not being the one who asked for the fake date. Her nose scrunched up as Charlie told her some of the issues of the date. “Did he not even have the courtesy of telling you why he needed a fake date?” The least he could do if he was going to not even want to be on the date at all. “He really is a weird bloke, kind of takes all the fun of him being hot away.” Shame, not that Dora wanted to date a friend of Cene’s. Especially not after the whole Charlie dating Sturgis stuff, another weird bloke. “You’d think he’d be all in for talking quidditch, that’s all I ever heard him talk about. It’s not like you don’t know what you’re talking about when it comes to quidditch so there’s no excuse there.” How did you have dinner with someone and not at least attempt to find conversation? “That sounds awful. What did he do when all the cameras were on you?” Dora would see for herself when they all came out but she was curious to know if he at least made an attempt at any point in the date. There had to be some point of all of this.

“No, he didn’t!” Charlie shook her head. “And Cene told me not to ask because Oliver is sensitive about it or something but you’d think he could have told me if he’s trusting me to fake date him and not tell anyone it’s fake.” The whole thing was just weird. “It sure would have made my job easier. I mean it’s like he thought I was going to try to date him for real or something just because I didn’t want to sit and eat dinner in silence.” Charlie sighed. “At least the food was good.” She snickered at her twin’s comment about the weird taking away from his being hot. “It does, it’s really a shame.” She nodded her agreement as Dora kept talking and rolled her eyes when she asked about the cameras. “Well he suddenly got awfully happy to be having dinner with me. Wanted to hold my hand. I mean he wasn’t actually happy about it, but he was trying a lot harder for the cameras than he was when it was just us. And then he let go of my hand like it was on fire as soon as they were finished! I mean, I didn’t want to keep holding his hand, but still. If we were going to have a fake date dinner together he could have at least tried to have a conversation with me. About quidditch, of all things, it’s not like I was asking if he has siblings or anything remotely personal!”

[charlietooker]

doratooker​:

“In the kitchen, hang on,” Dora called out before finishing up the snack she was making. “Really?”  She found that hard to believe after all how could you get much weirder than going on a fake date arranged by your cousin with a teammate of your ex’s? Thankfully she was about to find out. Dora came into the living room with a bowl of popcorn and chocolate, ready to hear the details. “Perfect timing, now I don’t have to try and find a movie to entertain me while I snack,” she teased offering the bowl to her twin as she settled beside her on the couch. “So tell, how is it possible that date was even weirder than we thought because I’m finding that hard to believe. He didn’t try something like he thought it was a real date, did he?” Oliver had always been a mystery. A hot mystery, but also odd. More odd than hot really. Like how he’d always show up at the office with random desserts before getting flustered and bolting. The weirdo dessert thing was the only reason she thought he could have tried to make it a real date. And also the only thing she could think of to make it weirder than they knew it was going to be.

Charlie greeted her twin with a smile, plucking a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl and munching them as Dora spoke. “He definitely didn’t think it was a real date,” Charlie answered emphatically. A small part of her had wondered about that what with all the times he showed up in their office and awkwardly offered them desserts, but she also felt like it wouldn’t be like Cene to set her up on a pretend fake-date. He’d be more likely to just tell her his mate fancied her rather than set her up like that. Though she hadn’t expected Cene to ask her to fake date anyone. “I don’t think he even wanted to be there at all,” she continued. “Which was sort of insulting since it’s not like I was the one asking for a fake date with my ex’s teammate!” And Charlie was good company, even if he didn’t want to date her. “I mean, he wasn’t rude. If anything he was too polite, like he was just going through the motions? He barely made eye contact. Only time I got him talking was about quidditch. Which is fine, I don’t mind talking quidditch, but even then it was like pulling teeth to get much of anything from him.” Charlie shook her head. “Such a weird bloke.”

[charlietooker]

Charlie had been on her share of mediocre dates. They couldn’t all be winners, after all. And she hadn’t had high expectations for tonight either, given that it was a fake date. A fake date she was going on as a favor to Cene, which was weird enough on its own. Even weirder was that it was one of her ex’s teammates. Things had sort of fizzled out with Sturgis in a way that left her without any hard feelings, but it was still strange to go out with another Puddlemere player. Quidditch teams were a lot smaller than football teams and the last thing Charlie needed was a reputation as some girl who was just after quidditch players. Based on her experiences with dating them, she was pretty sure she wanted the opposite at this point. “Dora? Please tell me you’re home,” Charlie called out as she let herself into their flat and locked the door behind her before sitting down on the couch and taking her heels off. “That was even weirder than we thought it was going to be.” 

[thehottestravenclaw]

Regardless of if she believed him or not Sturgis was glad she at least seemed to. He wanted to know how he felt before he talked to someone about it. More importantly he wanted some idea of what he was gonna do about the press aspect of it all before he and Charlie talked about it again. Partially because Sturgis liked having a plan and partially because he was still nervous the whole press circus part of his fame was going to turn her off. It was an aspect of his job that he’d never disliked before, usually the opposite and he enjoyed it very much. While Charlie’s cousin tried to avoid it. The more he enjoyed spending time with her the more he worried about her deciding it was all too much. Not something he enjoyed. And not something he wanted to think about while trying to salvage his date with her. It was this that had him more than anything else agreeing to let her take him out. “If you’re sure, tonight sounds good,” he told her as she went to get something. “A burger? Um no, I don’t even know what that is.” Maybe they were going to a foreign country after all. He wasn’t sure if he was excited about that or just still excited about having an actual date with Charlie. Either way he hoped the second time worked out. “Tell me where to apparate us and we’ll get going.” 

[charlietooker]

Charlie was glad to hear Sturgis was still up for going somewhere, though she hoped he wasn’t just doing so for her sake. As excited as she’d been to get to go on an actual date with him, she could understand if he just wanted to stay in after the whole mess they’d just dealt with. But she couldn’t stop her smile growing wider when he said he didn’t even know what a burger was. “Good!” She told him cheerily. “This’ll be fun.” Assuming he didn’t find the food disgusting, but Charlie thought some nice, greasy muggle food would be great after spending the beginning of their evening being chased by crazy reporters and hiding under spells that made them look like a wall. She was going to have to ask Dora about that one. For now she just took Sturgis’s hand and told him, “We can just apparate to the Leaky Cauldron.” As soon as they did, she led him through the pub, not out the door to Diagon Alley but out the door that led straight to the first muggle street she’d ever set foot on and looked up at him with a wide grin. “Welcome to muggle London, Mr. Podmore.”

[thehottestravenclaw]

Truth was Sturgis was not okay. He was trying very hard to be okay but it wasn’t going so well. A lot had happened in the past few months, not all of it bad, but all of it leaving Sturgis feeling very off balanced. Not something he wanted to talk to a bird about. Especially not a bird he wanted to stick around, who was also one of the only good things that had contributed to his not being okay. Though to be fair it wasn’t something Sturgis really wanted to talk to anyone about. He just wanted things to go back to normal, most things. Charlie being the exception. He really liked that change. “I’m fine. Just gotta get back into the game is all.” The press game that was, though there would be an obvious change to his press game. Her offer surprised him mostly because he’d never had a bird offer to pay before. “You sure? I know muggle things are more your area of expertise but I don’t mind paying. We’d just have to wait. But I hate that you got all dressed up just to sit at home again.” Feeling bad that his fame was messing up things was something new to Sturgis but tonight felt very much like his fame had screwed up their date. A date he was actually looking forward to. 

[charlietooker]

Charlie wasn’t sure she believed Sturgis was completely okay, but it wouldn’t have been fair to expect him to be. It was impossible to imagine going through what he and Tommy both went through, let alone to have to do so with pushy camerapeople following you around. Not wanting to push him, Charlie just nodded and gave him a small smile. “Good.” And then, because she wanted to, she gave him a small kiss. Her smile widening at his question. It was very sweet, that he was willing to go to the trouble of getting muggle money just to take her out, especially given that he didn’t even know it wasn’t gold. But Charlie didn’t mind treating him, either. "I don’t mind,” she told him, and she meant it. “It’ll be fun.” With that, she reluctantly stepped back from him only so she could pull open a drawer in the living room and pull out a few muggle bills, tucking them into her handbag. “There we go. Have you ever had a burger before?” She asked him as she moved closer to him once again, excited now by the prospect of taking him on what sounded like it might be his first visit into muggle territory. “We’re sort of overdressed, but no one at the place I’m thinking will care what we’re wearing so it doesn’t matter.”

[thehottestravenclaw]

Sturgis was relieved she agreed to wait to figure out things. Hiding from the press was not something he was used to. The whole thing had felt too much like Order crap for him, leaving him slightly uncomfortable and not in the frame of mind he wanted to be in on a date. He couldn’t even appreciate actually getting to see his date again. At least not till they were back at her place and he felt like he could breath again. He’d been just a touch worried that they’d be mobbing her place. Not something he wanted to think about when she was smiling up at him and kissing him. “Mmm good to see you too,” he told her softly after their kiss ended. “Sorry about all that. I’m sure they’ll calm down. Probably should make a few appearances or something. I’ll work it out.” Sturgis felt confident he could figure out something to make the press happy and keep them from mobbing him and Charlie the next time they tried this. And in the meantime they could try a date in muggle London. Something new. “We’ll save the Phoenix Tail for later. Maybe try someplace else the next time we go out.” Hopefully the whole ordeal wasn’t too much for Charlie. Now that he was seeing someone who wasn’t in it to get her picture in the papers it was something he had to worry about. That all the press and fame would turn her off. Not something he ever thought would be a problem. 

[charlietooker]

Charlie smiled up at him after their kiss, but her brows soon knit together in concern at the next thing he said. It didn’t seem fair, that he should have to make appearances in front of cameras when he didn’t want to, just so they wouldn’t start going nuts when he showed up outside a restaurant. Especially given that she’d noticed since they started dating -- since after he disappeared, after those horrible words were carved into his arm, to be specific -- he hadn’t seemed as into that sort of thing as he had when they’d first met. And while she’d learned he put on airs to the cameras and reporters, put on that persona, this avoidance felt different. As startled and frightened as the mob of camera people made her, it hadn’t escaped her notice that Sturgis was thrown off by them too. Tense. “It’s okay,” she told him softly, a reassuring smile curling at her lips as she took one of his hands and laced her fingers through his. “Are you okay?” She couldn’t help asking, though for the sake of letting it be known she wasn’t trying to pry she added, “I’ve got muggle money if you still want to go out, or we can just get take-out. Dora’s out for the evening.”

[thehottestravenclaw]

Charlie laughed and hit his chest lightly leaving Sturgis slightly confused as to what he’d missed. At least till she spoke again. Muggle London hadn’t even crossed his mind. “Muggle London? That sounds interesting. But I don’t have any muggle gold laying around, sorry.” Muggle London wasn’t some place Sturgis had ever hung around but he wasn’t completely clueless. He did know he needed different money. And he wasn’t completely against it. Could be fun. Defiantly would be less to deal with right then. “We can go next date if you want. Let’s figure it out after we get away from here?” Sturgis was in a hurry to leave the whole stalking press behind. And to be able to actually see his date again. “Great.” Quickly Sturgis removed the charm from both of them. “Ok we should hurry now, just in case.” He wanted to give Charlie a quick kiss but he wanted even more to not be there if the photographers showed back up. The thought had him looking back where they’d just been just in case.

[charlietooker]

Sometimes Charlie felt a little bit like she and Sturgis were speaking different languages. Prior to that first day he brought her to his flat it was something that had worried her, something that made her question whether the two of them as a couple was something that could work. But she cared about understanding him and he seemed to care about understanding her, and as long as that was true Charlie didn’t mind the mix-ups. They made her think in a way she wasn’t used to, and that wasn’t a bad thing. Letting out another chuckle at the thought of muggles carrying gold and the fact that Sturgis hadn’t realized she was offering to provide said muggle money, she shook her head lightly, but his next comment had her agreeing with him quickly. “Good idea.” He was right, they should get out of here, though she couldn’t help smiling up at him once she could see him again. Still she was quick to nod and follow him as quickly and quietly as possible to a place where they could apparate, breathing a sigh of relief when they were finally back outside her flat. “Merlin,” she shook her head, quick to let them into her flat and glad to shut the door behind them after experiencing what it was like to be confronted by a mob of reporters like that. All the same she looked up at him with a smile. “Hi. Good to see you again.” And it was, and this time she didn’t have to worry about missing as she leaned forward to kiss him. 

[thehottestravenclaw]

Sturgis smiled when she wrapped her arms around him, resisting the urge to kiss her only because he’d rather not risk a mouthful of wall instead. It wouldn’t be too soon before he could take the charm off the both of them. While the reaction to them going out to dinner was extreme he should have probably expected as much. Except it wasn’t like he’d been playing playboy quidditch star lately. Hadn’t for months. Ever since the attack on Freddie he’d been keeping a pretty low profile. Which in retrospect was probably part of the problem. Now that he wasn’t going out every night, leaving every party with a different bird, every time he did go out it seemed to be big news. Especially now that he was sporting a slur on his arm. Sturgis was usually better at anticipating what the press was gonna do but he was feeling really off his publicity game lately. Things were different now that he wasn’t playing the game but he was still gonna have to live it so he needed to get his head back into things. Something to talk over with Freddie later. Charlie’s suggestion drew his attention back to her and away from all the press still stalking around. Even though she couldn’t see it his eyebrow went up in surprise. “No one will recognize me? You want me to take you out of the country for dinner? I dunno where we’d go but I guess we can.” Maybe it was a little cocky but after having just been chased several blocks because he showed up to a restaurant with his girlfriend he didn’t think it was that cocky. Sturgis looked back in the direction the press had ran off to. “I can take you back to your flat first if you’re ready. Looks like the coast is clear.” 

[charlietooker]

Charlie couldn’t help but let out a laugh at Sturgis’s surprise, almost disappointed that she couldn’t see what was probably a great facial expression on his part. And that he couldn’t see her rolling her eyes playfully at him. “No, I don’t want to leave the country,” she said with a chuckle and a shake of her head, swatting him lightly on the arm -- or where she thought his arm was, anyways. In terms of places in magical England, his assumption that he would be recognized almost everywhere was a fair enough one. It was funny, though, that he would think leaving the country before realizing what she really meant. Once again Charlie was reminded of just what different worlds they came from, and it made her even more excited at the thought of sharing part of hers with him. “I want to take you to muggle London.” Which might actually be the equivalent of a foreign country for Sturgis, but no matter. “There’s a couple places pretty close to the Leaky Cauldron we can try.” The first places Charlie and her family had ventured into the muggle world, starting close to the magical one. “I’m ready when you are,” she answered him, eager to be done with hiding and whatever spell Sturgis had cast on them, although she would admit it was sort of cool. She much preferred being able to see her date.

[thehottestravenclaw]

There hadn’t been much thought into what he was doing. Mostly Sturgis was running on adrenaline, just trying to keep from getting caught. Which was really stupid considering it was a bunch of reporters and cameramen not death eaters. He’d definitely panicked a little too much. Still he should have at least warned her about the charm, thankfully she don’t seem mad. Only surprised. Sturgis couldn’t answer her right away. The sounds of footsteps running was too close. And then right on top of them. Despite the charm he did his best to be in front of her just in case they got caught. Again a little much since it was only photographers but there were too many life and death situations in his life lately for him not to be a little much when the adrenaline started pumping. Thankfully the group past them by without a second glance. Sturgis watched till they were at the far end of the alley, completely out of ear shot. “Thanks. You’re not a bad wall yourself,” he winked without thinking. Habits. “We should probably stay here, at least till they’re out of sight.” Not the date he’d been hoping to give Charlie. Sturgis couldn’t understand why there were so many waiting for them or what had them surging like they had. “Sorry about all of this. You’d think they’d never seen a bloke take his girlfriend to dinner. Maybe we should go for take out tonight and try this again another night.” 

[charlietooker]

Charlie bit her lip as the footsteps got closer, swallowing back any other comments she might have made and doing her best to remain as still as possible. She could feel how tense Sturgis was next to her, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was the reporters he was so frightened of or if he was just thinking of something else. She didn’t ask, just let out a soft chuckle when he finally answered her, the coast finally clear. She nodded at his suggestion they stay where they were, realizing a moment later he wouldn’t be able to see her. “Oh! Yeah, okay.” She answered belatedly, her sheepish smile one he would not see. “That’s alright,” she answered him easily, wrapping her arms around him because she didn’t think she’d be able to find his lips to kiss him. Though she couldn’t help the thought that they’d almost certainly never seen this bloke taking his girlfriend out to dinner. The fact that it was such big news was a little outrageous if you asked Charlie, and once again she was struck by how difficult it must be to live with that sort of thing every day. Was she inviting that into her own life, now? No -- she decided quickly. That was ridiculous. She nodded when he suggested take out, mildly disappointed now that she was all dressed up. But spending the night with Sturgis was a win-win. Except then she had another thought. “We could do that. Oooor you could let me take you somewhere no one will recognize you.” Excitement crept into her voice at the thought of taking Sturgis to muggle London. “We’d just need to stop back by my flat first.” Charlie was still in the habit of keeping some muggle money, but it wasn’t something she carried around with her.

[thehottestravenclaw]

Maybe running had been an overreaction. It had been a little too long since Sturgis had been surrounded like that and way too much non-quidditch related things had happened in that time. He’d felt trapped and panicked. Something he would feel dumb about except he looked back when Charlie exclaimed and saw they were actually being chased. Bloody hell was right. “No!” he answered her truthfully, mostly because he couldn’t think of anything else to say. Sturgis had never been chased by reporters and photographers. Groups of fangirls a few times but that was it. The experience was weird enough to keep that feeling of panic that had him fleeing in the first place from subsiding any. Alone he could probably outrun them. Charlie had heels on and while he knew she was athletic he didn’t figure she could keep running much longer. He could hear the reporters but looking back he saw they hadn’t yet rounded the corner. Quickly he looked around for someplace for them to hide before pushing Charlie into what looked like a good spot. “Quick in here!” Sturgis followed as he cast a disillusionment charm on both of them. “We’ll just sit here for a second,” he whispered to her. As soon as he felt collected enough to disparate they could be on their way. 

[charlietooker]

Okay, so this wasn’t normal. That was good. Maybe. Though it made it that much more unnerving that they were being chased by people with cameras right now. Not something Charlie was able to give much thought as she ran alongside him, seriously regretting her choice in footwear as they moved onto a cobbled street. Fortunately Sturgis chose the moment they rounded the corner to push them both under an awning and -- she shivered slightly as she was struck by the sensation of an egg being cracked over her head when he pointed his wand at her. It didn’t take long to figure out what he’d done, and Charlie couldn’t help but let out a quiet exclamation as she looked down to see her hands blending in with the wall behind them. “Oh!” Quickly she clamped a hand over her mouth and shot Sturgis an apologetic look she wasn’t sure he’d be able to see, given that it was only his hand still in hers that gave her any indication as to where he was, now. “Sorry,” she whispered softly, shrinking closer to him lest she lose track of where he was -- and also in the hopes of fading even farther from the few of the reporters chasing after them. It was weird, though, being close to a person who looked an awful lot like a wall, and maybe because of how tense the situation was she couldn’t stop herself whispering, “You make a very handsome wall.”

[thehottestravenclaw]

“Exactly.” Sturgis was nothing but confident that despite the size of the crowd outside the restaurant this would be no different then it was any of the other times he’d been there. All part of being him. Letting go of her hand Sturgis put his arm around her in the same way he’d seen Freddie do to keep Vi from getting lost in crowds like these. Sometimes people could be a bit careless in their pushiness. He was still completely confident that there wouldn’t be any trouble but he didn’t want Charlie getting lost in a sea of people on their first real date. Giving her one more confident smile he led them across the street to the restaurant. Sturgis had been in a lot of media and fan swarms before. When the crowd saw them and started to go a little crazy shouting his name he didn’t really think much about it, even though they hadn’t even made it to the restaurant yet. Figured he’d smile and they’d just manage to make it through the crowd, they always parted even if it was narrowly. This time though they seemed more interested in screaming out questions about who Charlie was and demanding they look this way and that for pictures. Instead of staying where they were the crowd surged forward towards them. It was a combination of the surging forward and the screaming out questions about Charlie that had him deciding maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. “Change of plans, we should run,” he whispered hurriedly into Charlie’s ear. Grabbing her hand he took off in the direction they’d just left. 

[charlietooker]

Sturgis’s confidence was infectious, and Charlie felt her momentary nerves fade slightly when he wrapped his arm securely around her. This might be new for Charlie, but Sturgis knew what he was doing and she trusted him to get them in and out of the crowd quickly. And it wasn’t as if Charlie had never been in a crowd before, these people would maybe just pay Sturgis a good deal more attention than anyone she’d ever shoved through a crowd with at a concert. She was not at all prepared for what actually happened when they crossed the street. It felt almost as if they’d just walked into a sea of sharks. Flashing lights from cameras spotted her vision, and she was quickly aware of questions being shouted not just at Sturgis, but at her. Certain words emerging from the din -- mystery girl, playboy, girlfriend -- that gave her a vague idea of what was going on, but she was much too dazed to think about that. All she could do was shrink closer to Sturgis, any pictures taken of her likely revealing the very same expression of a deer caught in headlights. And then he was was whispering to her, his hand grasping hers. “Wha - ?” The words took her by surprise but Charlie didn’t hesitate to follow after him, pushing their way through the reporters who had circled behind them until they broke free, the sound of camera shutters clicking away and more questions shouted behind them. And -- footsteps? Charlie chanced a glance back over her shoulder only to find a few brave -- and horrible -- reporters following behind them. “Bloody hell!” She couldn’t help exclaiming as she faced forward again, still running as fast as she could alongside Sturgis and thinking it was a good thing she was athletic. “Is this normal?” She asked him as they rounded a corner.

[thehottestravenclaw]

“I know I’m definitely happy with the company,” he replied before giving her a quick kiss. “I think you’ll like it. The food is great.” It was Sturgis’ favorite restaurant to eat at, especially good for dates. Hopefully the fact that he’d brought birds there before wouldn’t be an issue for Charlie. Sturgis felt like he’d already let her know she was different then all those other birds. “There’s gonna be a few cameras outside but they’re not really pushy. Once we get inside though it’ll be much more private than the coffee shop. Just you, me, great food, and drinks.” Sturgis smiled down at her as he talked. So far Charlie had been great about the interruptions when they went for coffee but he was looking forward to being able to take her some where without all the circus. “Ready?” Sturgis waited to get a nod from her before disapperating. “You good?” he asked once they’d arrived at an apparition point across the street from the restaurant. His smile fell once he looked over at the place, the number of photographers and other people hanging around outside was a lot larger than normal. “Huh, usually not this crowded. Doubt they’re gonna bother us, probably here for someone looking to get some press.” Probably a singer or an actress, Sturgis heard those people were always leaking where they were gonna be just to get a little press, pretty sad. 

[charlietooker]

Charlie smiled wider when Sturgis kissed her. “I’m sure I will,” she answered easily, though his next comment had a flurry of nerves settling in the pit of her stomach. Cameras and eager fans were something that she’d already dealt with at the coffee shop, but it was a strange adjustment. Stranger still to think that it never stopped for Sturgis, the way it did for Charlie when she wasn’t out with him. That thought made it easier to deal with the extra attention she wasn’t used to, especially given that it was never really directed at her in the first place. So she nodded and smiled, excited at the prospect of getting to spend time together somewhere more private. “Sounds perfect.” It was unlikely Charlie would ever completely adjust to side-along apparition, but she’d at least adjusted to how strange it felt so she nodded when they arrived outside the restaurant. Before she could answer him, though, she registered what it was that had his smile falling, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Wow,” she breathed, brows raising at the thought that someone would actually go out seeking that sort of attention. Just the thought of walking past the crowd was a little intimidating, but Sturgis did this all the time and Charlie was no coward. A tad self-consciously she straightened up. “I guess that’s good news for us, then.” She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand, trying to ignore her nerves. They’d be inside in seconds, and then it would just be the two of them. Definitely worth it.