Letting Down Walls [Tatiana]

[Bishop Santos]

It was late afternoon when Bishop found his way to where Tati had said her home was. He'd asked her if he could take her somewhere during the break, wanting to be able to spend some time with her away from this place. He'd even gotten them a reservation somewhere. It was a restaurant he'd learned of that some of the other Ministry members had visited, as it was a rather nice fine dining establishment. He'd reached out to those members, one of whom helped him set up the reservation.

He was dressed in something he hoped wasn't over the top, but wanted to show the effort he was willing to put in to take her somewhere nice. He didn't know why he was nervous about it, but he wanted to do something nice for her.

He took a deep breath as he reached the door, straightened out his suit jacket once more, and looked up. It seemed like an interesting situation with the doors, but whoever did wizarding construction rarely cared about making things entirely normal. He looked around a bit more, taking in the area around where she lived, before knocking on the door, "Beau?" he called out. He'd told her he'd pick her up around this time, so as not to spook her by just randomly showing up and giving her a chance to dress how she liked for this little outing.

[Tatiana Beautero]

Tati had been pacing her small apartment for the better part of an hour, second-guessing every choice she'd made. The dress, was it too much? Not enough? The simple black number hugged her curves in a way that made her feel both elegant and exposed, the fabric falling to just above her knee in soft folds. She'd paired it with black flats, she'd long lost any desire to wear heels.Her fingers went to the necklace at her throat for what had to be the hundredth time, the blue gem resting perfectly against her collarbone. She hadn't taken it off since the Yule Ball, couldn't bring herself to. The gentle grounding effect it provided had become something she relied on, especially in moments like this when her nerves threatened to overwhelm her.

The apartment around her was... sparse. Functional. A bed, a small table with two chairs, a handful of books stacked on a makeshift shelf. No photographs on the walls, no personal touches that would make it feel like a home rather than just a place to sleep. TJ's bed and toys were conspicuously absent; already at Derek's for the evening, leaving the space feeling even more hollow than usual. She'd been existing here, not living. The thought had struck her earlier as she'd tried and failed to find anything decorative to make the place look more welcoming. But there was nothing. Just bare walls and the minimum required furniture.

When the knock came, followed by Bishop's voice calling her name Beau, that nickname that still made her heart flutter; Tati nearly jumped. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat racing beneath her palm, and took a steadying breath. "Coming!" she called back, her voice only trembling slightly. She grabbed her coat from where it hung by the door, then paused. Did she need it? Would Bishop think she looked better with or without it? God, when had she become so uncertain about everything?

Finally, she just opened the door.

The sight of him nearly stole her breath. He looked... stunning. The suit fit him perfectly, accentuating his athletic build while maintaining an air of effortless sophistication. His dark hair was styled just so, and the way he stood there; straightening his jacket one more time like he was just as nervous as she was—made her want to reach out and pull him inside immediately. Instead, she just smiled, soft and genuine, her crystal blue eyes taking him in with barely concealed appreciation.

"Hi," she breathed, then immediately felt ridiculous for such a simple greeting. She cleared her throat, trying again. "You look... Bishop, you look incredible." Her cheeks flushed pink as she stepped aside slightly, though there wasn't much to see in her tiny apartment. "I'm sorry about the mess, I wasn't well, I don't really..." She trailed off, realizing she was rambling. "I'm ready whenever you are…" The necklace glinted in the dim light, the blue gem seeming to glow softly. She touched it once more, drawing strength from the grounding effect.

"Where are we going?" she asked, unable to keep the excitement from creeping into her voice despite her nerves. "You've been so mysterious about it." As she looked at him, really looked at him; standing in her doorway in that impeccable suit, looking at her like she was something precious, Tati felt her heart squeeze with affection so intense it almost hurt. This was Bishop. Her Bishop. And he'd planned something special for them.

"Though honestly," she added softly, stepping closer to him with a gentle smile, "I don't think I'd care if we were just going to sit in the Three Broomsticks. I'm just happy to spend time with you."

[Bishop Santos]

Bishop was looking around while he waited for her, calling back "Take your time" to keep her from worrying too much about it, especially as he heard the tremble. He felt kind of bad for making her so nervous, but he hoped that this would go so well that she wouldn't be so nervous the next time. When she opened the door, his attention went back to her; he also seemed rather dumbstruck.

He didn't deserve her in any way. "Me? You looking stunning, but me?" he put his hand to his chest before straightening out his jacket, "I figured I'd air this old thing out," he said before she drew attention to her apartment. She was apologizing for a mess, but Bishop felt something inside him... crack a little, seeing how sparse it was. That was all she had? All she'd let herself have? He didn't draw attention to it, though, not wanting to make her feel any more self-conscious about it. "Trust me, you should have seen my office back at the Ministry. I got threatened with a health code violation at one point, though it was a dramatic way to get me to clean," he chuckled a bit.

Seeing her reach for the necklace made him that much more glad he figured that out for her. That she was already getting use from it. "If I told you now, that would ruin all the mystery, wouldn't it?" he smirked lightly before gently taking her hand as she stepped closer, "And I'll keep that in mind for future dates," the smirk was a bit more pronounced, "But let me treat you to something a bit nicer than that," he chuckled a little before starting to walk with her towards the train. They could certainly use faster methods to get there, but he didn't want to rush it. He wanted to soak up every moment of just the two of them that he could.

"I hope you don't mind some old-fashioned methods of travel, but I'm in no hurry to be removed from your company," he added as he intertwined their fingers.