Whatever It Takes (Lysander)

[Davi Baptiste]

Rain tapped steadily against the windows of Davi's quarters, turning the castle beyond the glass into little more than a blur of shadows and silver streaks. It was late. Late enough that most sensible people had already retired for the evening. Davi, unfortunately, still had a stack of papers spread across his desk. A familiar problem.

With a sigh he set down his quill and leaned back in his chair, dark eyes drifting across the room until they settled on the obsidian scrying mirror resting upon a nearby table. The gift had occupied a place of honor since the day Lysander had given it to him. He found himself smiling despite himself. Then his gaze caught the mirror's surface. The smile vanished.

Dark glass rippled. Not physically. Magically. The sensation struck before he could look away. His breath caught. The room disappeared.
Rain. Darkness. A flash of movement. The Ebon Rose? No. Not the Ebon Rose. Somewhere deeper. Older. A glass shattered across marble. Asphodel shrieked. The sound echoed through him like a knife. Silver hair. A wand spinning across a floor. A voice. Angry. Threatening. Too distorted to understand. Then a burst of sickly green reflected across black stone. And silence.

Davi gasped. The vision released him so abruptly that his chair nearly overturned beneath him. His heart hammered against his ribs. For several seconds he simply sat there, staring at the mirror. Then he was moving. No hesitation. No second-guessing. No attempting to interpret what he had seen.

The spirits had never shown him anything without reason. His coat was snatched from its hook. A hurried note was scribbled and left for the Headmaster explaining that a substitute would be needed for tomorrow's classes. Huginn gave a startled caw as Davi swept through the room. "Not now."

The words came sharper than intended. He was already heading for the door. Already reaching for the means of getting off Hogwarts grounds. Already thinking of only one thing. Lysander. Whether the man appreciated it or not, Davi intended to make absolutely certain he was still alive when the sun rose. He didn't need an address, it wasn't quite as hard as Lysander might have suspected to find it.

It had to be at his home after all that was where Lysander had dropped his glamour around him. Soon enough Davi was drenched standing outside Lysander's home and his attention immediately shifted to finding a way in that wasn't the front door. Making his way around the property he found the back door ajar and his anxiety began racing through him before he noticed movement inside that didn't warrant a quiet evening in.

[Lysander Malfoy]

The window to the small room was still open despite the rain, and the flutter of amber wings in the light showed it was to allow Asphodel to still come and go regardless. But Lysander was standing near it and smiled softly at Asphodel, scratching the top of her head. However, he turned at the sound and started toward his room door before stepping out onto the mezzanine. He looked around as he stood there, but only heard the click..click...click... of the grandfather clock that sat nearby.

He walked over to said clock, winding the weights back up while he was standing there, still trying to listen.

He heard it then, the sound of the wood of the stairs in his office. He slowly stepped over towards Bonnie's office and lightly knocked before opening the door. "Get downstairs," he whispered the order, and she knew better than to ask questions. She removed her heels, taking from his whispering that they needed to be quiet, and she quickly made her way down, ushering the maids towards the staff room, getting people out of the way before the crash of the office door getting blown up, and the chandelier over the foyer rattled as whatever attack had been deflected off, hitting the front wall.

"Ah, see," Lysander sighed as he stared down at the man who broke into his home. His intruder was the same man he'd knocked around a few times at the Rose, "That upset at the loss of your membership?" he held his hands up, not currently carrying his wand.

"Shut up!" the man spat, stumbling forward, "You're a pretentious son of a bitch, Lysander Malfoy! And look at that! Tried to look so much better than the res'of'em, but you're just the same as- Whoa!" the shout was because Lysander had rushed him and there was the thud of the man hitting the wall but there was another thud a second later as he blasted Lysander right in the chest, knocking him back and onto the ground. As Lysander pushed himself up off the floor, the assailant shouted a hex, and the bones in Lysander's primary arm snapped, managing to get a surprised shout of pain from him.

"The chips are on the table, huh?" Lysander said, his voice tight, "You ready to deal with the consequences of that choice?" There was a slight undercurrent to Lysander's tone that had his attacker taking a step back, now standing at the top of the stairs. He was thinking of what to do, holding his hand up towards Lysander again.

"I'll show you. You're not so fucking tough!" he grit his teeth about to do whatver it was that Davi had seen.

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi did not stop to question how he'd found the right place. The vision had brought him here. That was enough. The moment he caught sight of movement on the mezzanine above, heard the anger in the stranger's voice and saw Lysander on the floor clutching an arm that was bent entirely the wrong way, every remaining doubt vanished. Slipping through the partially open door, Davi moved silently through the shadows of the foyer. Years of navigating Hogwarts after curfew and avoiding curious students had made quiet movement second nature. His wand was already in his hand.

The intruder never looked away from his target. Never noticed the dark-haired professor climbing the stairs behind him. Never noticed until it was far too late. "Somnus." The spell left Davi's lips in little more than a whisper. The man stiffened. His raised wand faltered. Then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed bonelessly onto the floor at the top of the stairs. Davi was moving before the body finished hitting the ground.

A sharp flick of his wand sent the attacker's wand skidding across the marble and down into the foyer below where it disappeared beneath a table. Only then did he finally allow himself to look at Lysander. The sight made something unpleasant twist in his chest. The broken arm. The bruising already beginning to form. The blood. The fact that for one terrible moment during the vision he'd genuinely thought he might arrive too late.

"Lysander..." The word escaped before he could stop it. He crossed the remaining distance immediately, dropping into a crouch beside him. His hands hovered for only a second before settling carefully against Lysander's shoulders and chest, checking for additional injuries without aggravating the broken arm. "Talk to me." His voice was calm. Far calmer than he felt. "Besides the arm, where are you hurt?"

Dark eyes swept over him quickly, assessing damage the way he assessed frightened children after accidents at school. Only once he was satisfied the immediate threat had passed did he finally look up. Really look. Storm-soaked hair. Rainwater still dripping from his coat. Breathing harder than the situation warranted. The evidence of exactly how quickly he had come.

And then, because relief was making it impossible to maintain complete composure, Davi reached up and brushed damp fingers back through Lysander's pale hair. "Suppose giving me that mirror worked out, it showed me this... and I came as fast as I could." His thumb lingered briefly near Lysander's temple. A glance toward the unconscious attacker. "I'll leave him to you or your staff, however you choose to handle it."

His only concern had been Lysander himself.

[Lysander Malfoy]

Lysander grimaced as he shifted his weight to sit on his knees. Davi suddenly appeared on the stairs, and his assailant collapsed unconscious. He gave a huff of breath, shaking his head to the question, "Nothing more than I'd experience in the arena," he said, looking down to where his shirt was blackened by the blast of magic that had put him on his back.

He looked at Davi. "Where did you come from?" He reached up with his good hand, touching his wet hair, then, realizing he was soaked, asked him, "Did you run here?" He wondered how he'd gotten so soaked, like it was slowly adding up that Davi had come running. He hadn't expected to see the intruder in his house, much less Davi too, and Lysander rather had something happen he didn't expect in some way, shape, or form. But Davi had come running... for him?

Then Davi said it was the mirror that brought him to him just in time. Lysander looked shocked. He had an understanding of divination enough to know that what he was saying made sense, but still. "Well, it seems my instinct that it belonged with you was right," he gave a short huff of a laugh, like he was mildly exasperated. He put his hand on Davi's cheek. "But who knows what you just saved me from... well... I guess you kind of do," he said, gently rubbing his thumb against his cheek. "Are you okay?" he asked him. His arm was practically numb from the pain, but it wasn't entirely the worst thing he'd felt, and he wasn't sure what Davi had gone through to get there. Also keeping everyone else calm long enough to get his own head straight was usually helpful.

"I'll have to make some calls," he said as he looked over at the unconscious man on the ground before shifting and starting to try and get to his feet. "I might need to work on my security a bit," he said with some wry humor, trying to think of the best next steps. He turned himself, though, so his arm was hidden as Bonnie came up the stairs, clearly trying not to add to the situation. "It's okay, Bonnie," he said when he saw her stop short at the sight of the man at the top of the stairs. "Just go contact your son and tell him to come here."

"Y-Yes, sir," she hesitated a moment on the stairs before hurrying back down.

Lysander looked towards the man again before looking back towards Davi, a look in his eyes showing he was more or less moving on instinct at the moment, too many questions, too many moving pieces. But in all of that... "You knew something dangerous was happening and came anyway..." Like at least that many pieces lined up finally. And that was the thing that he couldn't quite understand, and an unspoken why hovered in the air.

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi rose with him immediately, one hand settling against Lysander's good arm to steady him as he got his feet beneath him. The movement drew his attention right back to the way Lysander instinctively angled himself, keeping the broken arm turned away from Bonnie's line of sight.Protecting his staff from worry even now. The realization was annoyingly endearing.

His gaze followed Bonnie as she hurried back downstairs before returning to Lysander. "You should sit down before stubbornness turns one injury into three," he murmured dryly. Dark eyes flicked briefly toward the unconscious man sprawled across the floor. "So that's him." The realization clicked into place almost immediately. "The gentleman who didn't appreciate losing."

There was no real question in it. Davi watched Bonnie disappear from view before looking back at Lysander, taking in the expression in his eyes. The confusion. The disbelief. The unspoken question. Why? He sighed softly and shoved a hand back through rain-soaked hair to push it out of his eyes. Water dripped from the ends, soaking the shoulder of his coat. "I learned a long time ago that when the spirits warn me, there's a reason."

His voice was quieter now. Steadier. "So I listen." A slight shiver ran through him then, finally catching up to the fact that he was absolutely drenched from head to toe. "I didn't realize it was happening now," he admitted. "I thought I was coming here to warn you." His eyes dropped briefly to the ruined shirt, the bruising beneath it, and most importantly the arm Lysander was trying very hard to pretend wasn't hanging together by sheer determination.

Reaching up he unconsciously brushed some of Lysander's white hair back, just letting himself have that brief moment to touch and know it was okay. "Instead I arrived just in time to watch you prove that you're entirely too comfortable getting hexed." The corner of his mouth twitched. Then he stepped a little closer, lowering his voice. "While Bonnie's dealing with your unexpected guest, let me deal with that arm."

His gaze flicked meaningfully toward the injury. "Unless your plan was to continue pretending it isn't broken." The look he gave him made it abundantly clear that strategy was unlikely to work. Not with Davi. Not now. And certainly not after he'd traveled through a storm because a vision suggested Lysander might be in danger.

[Lysander Malfoy]

Lysander gave a huff and then winced. "Yeah," he muttered. "Good idea." he started to walk back towards his room, then looked over at the guy. "Yeah... bloody prat," he grunted before opening the door. Asphodel screeched as she saw he was hurt, flapping her wings in distress. "Easy, As, easy," He held his good hand up towards her. She at least stopped flapping, but her feathers were puffed up, and she was chittering away.

He looked over at Davi as he explained why he came, "Come in here and sit by the fire," he told him, "Before you catch a cold. I suppose I should be very glad you felt the need to do it so expeditiously. And he's not the first sore loser who was willing to get dirty," he made a grimace of a smile that said he was kind of self-aware of how it sounded.

"I can't exactly pretend with you since you've already seen it," he snorted, then went over to the decanter, bypassed the glass, and drank straight from the bottle, "I know the spell for it, just wanted to get ahead of the joy I'm about to experience."

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi followed him into the room without argument this time. The moment the door shut behind them, the contrast between the storm outside and the warmth within felt almost startling.His attention immediately shifted to Asphodel. The owl's distress was obvious enough that Davi softened instantly, offering her a small reassuring smile as he shrugged his soaked coat from his shoulders. The garment landed heavily over the back of a nearby chair, water dripping steadily onto the floor beneath it.

"He'll survive," Davi assured her gently. "I'll have him fixed up as good as new in a minute. No need to fuss." He suspected the owl would continue fussing regardless. The fire felt wonderful against skin chilled by rain and wind, though he was still thoroughly soaked through. Despite still wearing his corset vest, the wet dress shirt clung to him everywhere much to his own dismay. Water had worked its way into everything. His long dark hair damp and unruly where he'd repeatedly shoved his fingers through it.

Watching Lysander bypass the glass entirely earned a faint snort. "That confident in my bedside manner?" His eyes followed the bottle before settling back on the injured arm. "Or that confident this is going to hurt like hell?" The teasing was gentle, intended more as a distraction than anything else. Once Lysander had taken another drink and settled himself, Davi stepped closer. He reached out, taking the decanter to set it aside for the moment. "Ready?"

He waited for an actual answer before drawing his wand.The moment he was certain, however, his free hand reached out first. Not for the injury. For Lysander. His fingers closed around the man's uninjured hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "Here." Dark eyes met pale ones. "You can pretend it's entirely unnecessary if you'd like." A faint smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "But take it anyway. You won't hurt me, I'm stronger than I look."

Only then did he raise his wand toward the broken arm. "Brachio Emendum." Magic surged through the room. The familiar crack of bone resetting echoed briefly before the spell completed its work, fractured pieces drawing back together, knitting themselves whole once more. Davi kept hold of Lysander's hand throughout it all. Only releasing it once Lysander's own hand slacked. "There." His shoulders loosened slightly.

"Try not to let anyone break it again." After a moment he reached over, reclaimed the decanter, and offered it back. "I believe this belongs to you." Then, without ceremony, he lowered himself onto the floor in front of the fire. The warmth soaked into his bones almost immediately, drawing a relieved sigh from him. For a few moments he simply sat there, stretching his hands toward the flames. Then he glanced back over his shoulder at Lysander.

A smile slowly appeared. "You certainly know how to make for an exciting evening." His eyes flicked toward the door where the unconscious attacker had last been. "I come to deliver a warning and somehow end up stunning a man in your hallway, repairing broken bones, and getting soaked through in the process." The smile widened slightly. "Honestly, I'm beginning to right at home."

[Lysander Malfoy]

Asphodel did, in fact, fuss, and even seemed to chatter louder at Davi like she could not believe the audacity of him telling her not to fuss.

"The latter, I assure you," Lysander muttered. "I've had to fix myself a few times before; luckily, no ribs this time," he muttered. He sighed a little as Davi took the decanter. "As one can be," he said. He seemed a little confused when Davi took his hand. "Just because you're strong doesn't mean I shouldn't be wary of hurting you," he said simply. Just because he could take it doesn't mean he had to. He couldn't think much more on that, though, because then came the pain of his bones fixing themselves. The immediate tightening of his other muscles had him squeezing Davi's hand, but the strain in the muscles at his neck and in his arm showed he was still managing to keep himself from completely falling apart in pain.

When it was done, he eased up on Davi's hand, flexing the fingers of his good hand. His arm was still plenty bruised, but there wasn't much to do about that for now. He let out a huff at the idea of just letting someone break it again, murmuring a thanks as Davi handed him the decanter back, then taking another long swig. He stayed there for a moment, not necessarily drinking more, but seeming to be thinking on something. He glanced over at Davi when he heard him speak again, and he just sort of absorbed the image of Davi there. In his private sanctum. Wet and probably a bit exhausted from the adrenaline, but here. Because he thought something was going to happen to him.

He set the decanter on the counter before walking over towards where Davi was seated and sat down beside him. "Trust me," he said, "It's not usually quite so hectic. After dealing with people like that all day," he motioned towards the man who was probably being collected by John Price, Bonnie's son and well... one of Lysander's enforcers, "I much prefer a quiet evening myself. I was just about to sit right there," he motioned to his chair, "But I suppose I'll take this over that," he smirked at Davi.

"Thank you. I don't think I've said just those words yet. I think I'm still trying to figure out how he got inside, but... All that can wait until tomorrow. I know someone's already at the Rose by now, so hopefully... no more explosive surprises."

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped him as Asphodel doubled down on her fussing. He glanced up toward the owl and held up both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Fuss away." The amused smile lingered as he watched her for a moment before turning his attention back toward the fire. The warmth was finally beginning to reach beneath his soaked clothes, though he suspected he still looked rather miserable despite his best efforts.

What he hadn't expected was for Lysander to abandon the chair entirely. His brows lifted slightly as the other man settled beside him on the floor. "Well." A smile tugged at his mouth. "I suppose I should feel honored. That chair looked rather attached to you." He shifted slightly, turning more toward him.

The firelight danced across Lysander's features, catching pale hair in gold and amber. For a moment Davi simply looked at him, taking in the fact that he was here. Alive. Whole enough. The knot that had settled in his chest since the vision finally began to loosen. When Lysander thanked him, genuinely thanked him, the teasing faded from his expression. He accepted it with a small inclination of his head. "You're welcome."

Simple. Sincere. Then he pushed his damp hair back from his face again, unsuccessfully. The dark strands immediately fell halfway back into his eyes. At the mention of figuring out how the intruder had gotten inside, Davi's expression became thoughtful. "I wish I could help with that." His gaze drifted briefly toward the fire. "But the vision wasn't very generous."

A faint huff of amusement escaped him. "It rarely is." His eyes returned to Lysander's. "All I saw was where. And who." Before he seemed entirely aware of doing it, his hand lifted. His fingertips brushed lightly through pale hair that no glamour concealed tonight. The touch lingered. Then shifted naturally to his jaw. A barely-there contact.

Almost absent-minded. Almost. "We're only just starting to get to know each other." His voice had softened. "You really think I'd let you get hurt if I could prevent it?" The question sounded almost ridiculous to him. As though the answer should have been obvious. His thumb brushed lightly against Lysander's jaw before he smiled faintly.

"Besides." A spark of humor returned to his eyes. "You've already given me enough reasons to come running." His gaze drifted deliberately toward the arm he'd just repaired. "I'd prefer not to make a habit of fixing broken Malfoys, though." The smile widened. "Seems like too much paperwork."

[Lysander Malfoy]

Asphodel made a squawk of a sound like she was saying "I will," but when they were both settling in front of the fire, she settled down, preening her feathers instead.

Lysander chuckled softly as he kept fighting his hair, "I can get you a towel if that will help with your hair," he said, "And I didn't really expect you to know that, it probably won't take much for them to figure it out, so I'm not that worried," he murmured. He closed his eyes briefly at feeling Davi's hand in his hair, looking over at him as his hand ghosted at his jaw.

"It's not that I'd think you'd just necessarily let it happen, but you could have told an Auror or something rather than put your own neck on the line," Lysander murmured, "It's not... that I doubt you... I'm... just not used to someone being willing to do something like that for me," he admitted, perhaps a bit too tired to hedge around why exactly he'd been rather bewildered by Davi being there.

He then barked a laugh, "Well, luckily, I'm the only one who keeps putting himself in rather hazardous conditions," he shook his head, "So I guess, unfortunately, I can't save you from that, but good news is I usually fix myself, so no paperwork necessary." He smirked lightly at him before he, too, reached up and tried to assist with getting Davi's hair out of his eyes, "Hopefully, you won't find yourself having to save my hide often."

His hand would drift from whatever result came of the hair to Davi's back, tugging lightly at the soaked shirt, "Perhaps I should get you something to wear until your clothes dry," he mused, "Can't have you getting sick because I didn't lock my door well enough," he looked around before Asphodel fluttered over, using her beak to tug the blanket on the back of his chair forward enough he could grab it, "Good girl, As," he smiled softly, taking the blanket and putting it over Davi's shoulders, "See. Even she's worried about you."

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi accepted the blanket with a soft smile, fingers catching the edge of it as Lysander settled it over his shoulders. "Thank you," he said quietly, glancing first toward Lysander and then toward Asphodel. "Both of you." For a moment Davi simply sat there, soaking in the warmth of the fire and the relief that Lysander was alive, mostly intact, and no longer in immediate danger. Then he laughed softly and shook his head, dark curls still dripping rainwater onto the blanket.

"You know," he said, pushing damp hair back from his face, "I don't think it even occurred to me not to come." His gaze drifted toward the flames. "I grew up in New Orleans. Danger and trouble were just... part of life. You learn pretty quickly that when spirits decide to warn you about something, you listen. Ignoring them usually ends badly." He shrugged one shoulder. There was no bravado in the admission. No attempt to make himself sound heroic.

Just simple honesty. When Lysander mentioned an Auror, Davi huffed a quiet laugh. "And tell them what exactly? That a scrying mirror showed me a half-finished vision and they should hurry because something bad might happen somewhere?" He shook his head. "I'd have arrived before they finished questioning whether I'd lost my mind."

The blanket shifted from his shoulders as he glanced down at himself. "Though if the goal is actually warming up, this probably works better if I stop wearing half the rainstorm." His smile turned faintly mischievous. Before either Lysander or Asphodel could protest, he slipped the blanket aside and began peeling away layers. First came the soaked corset vest, unfastened and draped carefully near the fire. Then his shoes. Finally he opened the buttons of his dress shirt and carefully peeled it off him entirely.

The firelight revealed what his impeccably tailored clothing usually concealed. Davi wasn't large the way Lysander was, but there was lean strength throughout his frame. Defined shoulders. Firm muscle along his arms and chest earned through years of strength training, handling unruly students, and a life that had demanded more resilience than most people guessed from his easy smile and polished appearance. As he leaned forward to spread the shirt out near the hearth, the movement exposed his back.

A large veve stretched across much of it, intricate black lines winding over golden-brown skin in a design both beautiful and unmistakably sacred. The symbol of Baron Samedi dominated the center, inked with obvious care and reverence rather than simple decoration. The mark seemed almost alive in the flickering firelight.

Once he'd arranged the clothes as best he could, Davi settled back onto the floor, drawing the blanket loosely around his waist instead. "You know," he said, glancing sideways toward Lysander, amusement dancing in his eyes again, "when I sat down at my desk tonight, chasing a vision across half the countryside, in a thunderstorm, and fixing a broken arm wasn't how I imagined spending my evening."

His gaze drifted briefly to Lysander's freshly healed arm. "Though admittedly..." A smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. "...your version was considerably more exciting than grading essays."

[Lysander Malfoy]

When he laughed, Lysander looked back at him, his brows furrowing a little bit. He supposed it made sense. The way the past shaped people didn't tend to just disappear because the situation "improved." He had more than a few flaws that came from his youth. When he mentioned the Aurors not believing him, he raised a brow. "They're pretty useless if they doubt things like that. Anyone worth their salt would investigate it anyway if they're not in the midst of something, and I know those Aurors at the school cannot be enjoying sitting around all the time anyway."

But then he removed the blanket... and this: his corset, his shoes, and his shirt. "I did offer a change of clothes, but I certainly don't mind if you want to do it that way," Lysander smirked, being a bit cheeky. He leaned back on his good hand, the other arm and shoulder still aching, not just appreciating the view, but really taking him in. Well. Now he knew why that mirror felt like it belonged to him. But he didn't say anything about it for now. He didn't have much inclination of a belief system himself, but that didn't mean he had to comment on anyone else's.

He shifted to make room for Davi to sit back down. "Well, I'm glad I could provide a little entertainment," he chuckled lowly before he just decided to... flop back on the carpet, "To be fair... this was also not how I saw my evening going," he murmured as he put one leg out and crossed the other over in a kind of triangle, his hands resting on his abdomen. "This is not the kind of excitement I prefer in the evenings."

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi laughed softly at that, shaking his head as he settled more comfortably near the fire. "That's because the Aurors at Hogwarts have the luxury of being bored," he replied. "The ones back home learned pretty quickly that if a practitioner comes running in saying the spirits showed them something, there's usually already a body involved somewhere." His tone was light, but there was enough truth beneath it to suggest he wasn't entirely joking.

The warmth of the fire was finally beginning to chase away the chill that had settled into his bones. He absently ran a hand through his damp curls again before glancing over when Lysander made his comment about the clothes. The look he gave him was pure amusement. "Oh, is that concern I hear?" he teased. "And here I thought you were just enjoying the view."

His eyes flicked deliberately over Lysander's face before returning to meet his gaze, the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth making it clear he knew exactly what he was doing. The attention lingered for a moment before Davi followed Lysander's movement, watching him stretch out on the carpet. Something about seeing him there felt oddly intimate. Not because of what had happened between them before, but because Lysander looked relaxed enough to simply exist without performing for anyone.

It was a side of him Davi suspected very few people ever saw. His gaze softened slightly. "Neither is getting attacked in your own home." The words carried a quiet sincerity that cut through some of the teasing. For a moment he studied him in the firelight. The slightly rumpled hair. The lingering bruising. The exhaustion he was trying not to show. Then Davi shifted, drawing one knee up and resting an arm across it.

"Though if we're being honest," he admitted, "I don't think either of us has had a normal evening since we met." A small smile returned. "I certainly didn't expect a handsome stranger to buy me an ancient scrying mirror, nearly get himself murdered, and somehow still find a way to flirt through the entire experience." His eyes sparkled mischievously.

"That's a rather impressive level of commitment." The smile lingered before his attention drifted briefly toward the fire. "Still..." he added more quietly, "I'm glad the vision was wrong about the ending." His gaze returned to Lysander. "Because I'd rather be sitting here listening to you complain about excitement than wondering if I arrived too late."

The confession slipped out more easily than he intended. For a second he simply held Lysander's gaze before a familiar grin resurfaced, rescuing him from too much vulnerability. "Besides," he added, tilting his head slightly, "if we're discussing preferred evening activities, I can think of at least three things you'd rather be doing than repairing broken bones and dealing with sore losers." His eyes flicked pointedly toward Lysander before he smirked. "And somehow I suspect all three involve considerably less clothing."

[Lysander Malfoy]

Lysander listened to him talk about the Aurors back home. "I can do both simultaneously," he smirked at being asked if he was concerned or just appreciating the view. But when Davi said, "Neither is getting attacked in your own home," Lysander huffed a laugh. "That was what I was talking about," he shook his head at him.

He looked at him as he spoke again and chuckled at saying he flirted through the whole experience. "I don't think I can turn it off when it comes to you," he said, shaking his head again. "Perhaps it's because you got here as fast as you did that the outcome changed," he murmured, "And I don't take owing you my life lightly, Davi. And I do. I did alright in divination; I know enough of how things like that work to know he was probably about to cast something rather foul."

"To be fair, not all of my top three require less clothing, but it's always an option," Lysander said, smirking at him, "Actually, just this... Is rather nice. Regardless of the circumstances that led to this particular moment, just sitting here... talking to you, learning more about you," he looked at him again, brushing the back of his hand on Davi's arm, just because of the current positions, "I think this is a new top three." He felt he could breathe easier, despite his lungs protesting from their own bruising. Something about Davi being here... having come here for him... he was still processing the range of emotions that gave him, but right now he could just enjoy a little company for the time being.

"Though I will have to insist you wait until the storm is over before going back." he said as he let his hand fall back towards his chest.

[Davi Baptiste]

Davi couldn't help the laugh that escaped him when Lysander clarified what he'd meant. "Well, in my defense," he said with an innocent look that wasn't innocent at all, "you do make it remarkably easy to misunderstand your intentions." The fire crackled softly between them, casting shifting gold across the room. Davi found himself watching the light catch in Lysander's hair more than the flames themselves. His expression softened slightly when Lysander admitted he couldn't seem to stop flirting with him. "I've noticed," he said dryly.

But there was unmistakable fondness beneath the words. At the mention of owing him his life, however, Davi's smile faded into something gentler. "You don't owe me anything." The response came immediately, without hesitation. His fingers absently toyed with the edge of the blanket pooled around his waist. "Besides, if we're being honest, I still don't know exactly what I prevented. I only knew you were in danger. The spirits don't always provide convenient details." He shrugged one shoulder. "Usually they seem to enjoy being cryptic."

A familiar grin returned as Lysander began debating the requirements of his top three preferred activities. "Only some of them?" Davi asked, feigning surprise. "My apologies. I've clearly misjudged you." The teasing lasted only a moment before he found himself unexpectedly affected by what Lysander said next. Just sitting here. Talking to you. Learning more about you. It shouldn't have hit as hard as it did. Yet somehow it did.

Davi looked down briefly, a small smile pulling at his mouth before his dark eyes lifted to meet Lysander's again. "That sounds suspiciously sentimental coming from the terrifying proprietor of the Ebon Rose." The words were teasing, but his voice had softened. The brush of Lysander's hand against his arm lingered in his thoughts long after the contact ended.

After a moment he shifted slightly, stretching out onto his side and angling himself more comfortably toward him on the floor. "For what it's worth..." he began quietly, "...this is making my top three as well." The admission felt strangely significant. More significant than the flirting. More significant than the kisses. Because there was something unexpectedly intimate about this. The fire. The storm beyond the windows. The fact that neither of them seemed particularly eager to be anywhere else despite everything that had happened.

Then Lysander insisted he stay until the storm passed. Davi glanced toward the dark window where rain continued to lash against the glass before looking back at him. "You know," he mused, "most people would offer hospitality before issuing orders." A smile tugged at his mouth. "But seeing as I did just run through a storm to save your life, I suppose I can allow you one." His gaze drifted briefly toward the doorway before returning to Lysander.

[Lysander Malfoy]

Lysander chuckled lightly at his "innocent" look. "I can stop if it's a problem, but if there's not, I fully intend on continuing," he said shamelessly, shrugging even while lying down. He gave another little shrug at him saying he didn't know what he had prevented, but Lysander knew the look in that man's eyes well enough. It was about to get much messier if Davi hadn't intervened, on both parts. Well... he supposed it still would be for the other guy.

"You do seem to take me for some sort of letch, but I assure you I do not only think of all the ways I wished I could have had you on that desk," he smirked, "Not that I'm denying such thoughts occurred; however, I have, for the most part, an understanding of time and place," he smirked. "I only need to be terrifying to those who would break my rules," he shook his head, "The rest of the world already makes enough assumptions about my character that I hardly have to do anything."

When Davi stretched out beside him, he looked over at him, giving a small smile at the admission. "I'm glad we're ever on the same page," he murmured. When Davi called him out about giving an order, he gave a huff of a laugh, "Insisting isn't quite the same as ordering because you can always refuse," he murmured.

"I believe one of the guest rooms is readily available, lest I make the wrong impression of immediately inviting you to use mine," he chuckled again, "But that is an option as well. It is the middle of the night, I believe... I've rather lost track of time." And while he was talking about where to sleep, it did not seem he entirely intended to get up off the floor just yet.