Catch The Snitch

"I wouldn't say that's the grand plan, but a tactic to try and see how well it sticks," Nate smirked lightly. "I'm not sure how much we do is ever truly conventional," he snorted lightly at the idea. Her pointing out he succeeded in getting her to eat, and her getting ahead of any thought of a response to say she planned to finish it, and him holding up his hand to say he wasn't going to say anything.

He smiled softly as she talked about missing these basic conversations. "I've missed it, too... Missed you," he added. He nodded in agreement that it was normal, which was abnormal for them at the best of times. "Yeah, it's hard to remember it when the world around us is constantly creating drama."

And then the price came back up, and he chuckled, "Come closer, I'll whisper it to you." he crooked his finger in the come-here motion. When she came close enough, he gently put his hand on her chin, guiding her face as he leaned in and kissed her. After a moment, he pulled back a hair. "Does that seem like a reasonable price?" he said softly against her lips.

Iliana couldn't help the smile that spread across her face when he admitted he'd missed her too. It wasn't some grand declaration. Just three simple words. Yet somehow they settled warmly in her chest all the same. Her answer was equally quiet. "I missed you too." There wasn't much more to say about it. They'd both lived through those months apart. They both knew exactly what it had felt like.

When he told her to come closer, however, one brow lifted in immediate suspicion. "Oh?" She leaned back in her chair just slightly. "Now that sounds dangerous." The teasing lasted all of two seconds. Curiosity won. Setting her fork down, she leaned across the little table toward him until they were close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath. "I hope this is worth…"

She never finished the sentence. His hand against her chin caught her completely by surprise, and the kiss that followed stole the rest of the words from her. She melted into it instinctively, her eyes closing as she returned it without hesitation. When he finally pulled back just enough to speak, she found herself smiling before she'd even opened her eyes. His question earned the softest laugh.

"I don't know..." She pretended to consider it very seriously. "I think your rates might be a little too low." Her hand lifted, fingertips brushing lightly along his jaw before coming to rest against his cheek. "If that's all it costs..." She stole another brief kiss herself this time. Short. Sweet. Entirely her idea.

When she pulled away, her smile had grown. "...I'd say you're the one getting cheated." She lingered close for another heartbeat, forehead almost brushing his. "I'd happily pay that price." Another tiny pause. "As often as my tutor requires."

Only then did she finally lean back into her own chair again, looking altogether too pleased with herself. She picked her fork back up as though nothing at all had happened. "You know," she said, taking another bite of her dinner with exaggerated composure, "I suddenly find your tutoring rates to be remarkably affordable." A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"And I suspect Astronomy might become my favorite subject after all."

Nate smirked a bit as she "considered" it, then kissed him herself, one he would return as well as long as she lingered before she moved away. "I don't mind," He said about getting cheated. "I'll try not to abuse it," he added when she said she'd pay it as often as he required.

He chuckled at her antics once she was seated. "I'm glad you find them agreeable," he said as he finished his own food, "Don't give me too much credit, but I hope you at least understand all the abstract parts of it," he chuckled a little again, "But I won't lie, I am already kind of looking forward to our... tutoring sessions," he smirked at her. He looked up at the sky, noting the changing colors of the evening, before looking back to her. "Though, we'd have to be careful not to miss curfew. I wouldn't be a very good prefect if I started breaking the rules," he chuckled.

She gave him an entirely innocent smile. "It would be terribly scandalous if my tutor started taking advantage of his position." The corners of her mouth betrayed her almost immediately, curving into a grin. "I suppose I'll have to keep you honest." She noticed he'd finished eating before she had and, perhaps because she'd already promised him, made a point of finishing the last few bites from her own plate. Once she was done, she set her fork neatly beside it and looked back up at him.

"There." A small note of triumph entered her voice. "Meal completed." She looked almost as though she'd just won an important debate. When he admitted he was already looking forward to their tutoring sessions, her expression softened again."I am too." It surprised her how true that was. A few months ago the thought of studying Astronomy would've earned nothing more than a groan. Now…

Now it meant spending an evening with him beneath the stars. That made the subject seem considerably less intimidating. Following his gaze upward, she watched the sky deepen into richer shades of blue and violet, the first stars beginning to peek through. "It'll be prettier once it's properly dark." Her attention drifted back to him. "And if I happen to learn a constellation or two while I'm admiring the view..." She shrugged lightly.

"I'll call it a successful evening." His mention of curfew made her smile knowingly. "There he is." She pointed at him. "The prefect. I was wondering how long it would take before he reappeared." The teasing was affectionate, not mocking. She'd always admired how seriously he took his responsibilities, even if she occasionally enjoyed poking fun at them.

"I promise I won't corrupt Hogwarts' finest." A playful pause. "We'll be back before curfew." Without really thinking about it, she slipped her hand into his once more. "I'd hate to be responsible for tarnishing your impeccable reputation."

Looking at him, she smiled. "Besides..." Her thumb brushed lightly across the back of his hand. "I rather like the idea of ending today by looking at the stars with my boyfriend." There was a quiet contentment in her voice now that hadn't been there this morning. The day had begun with old wounds, family secrets, and difficult conversations. It was ending with full stomachs, a peaceful garden, and plans for something as wonderfully ordinary as studying together.

Iliana thought she liked that ending much better.

Nate chuckled as she continued the innocent act, shaking his head at her. When she finished her last few bites, he smirked at her triumph and teased her a little by giving a golf clap. He held up his hands in defense when she said she wondered when the prefect would appear. He held onto her hand as she slipped it into his. "My reputation of being a stick in the mud, " he countered with a smirk.

"Well," he hummed a moment, "Do we want to find a bench to move to? Or move down to the yard and find a spot to lay down? If we lay out the school robes, we can avoid all the itch grass tends to cause," he mused, his thumb making its own trail on the back of her hand, "We can just look at them tonight, and maybe I'll point out a few, but I think I like the idea of just getting to look at the stars with you," he murmured, smiling softly.