Tide Me Over (closed, with Irridatedwarden)

[Interstellar Bun]

Breakfast went smoothly, if quietly. The conversation was idle but warm and the food was, of course, good.


They finished soon enough and Felicia refilled her mug of tea before standing and moving to the living room. She plopped herself on the couch and pulled her felt up, tucking them under her. Still finding herself shivering, she looked about before locating one of the blankets and pulling it down to drape on top of herself.


Celaden sat in one of the two recliners, stretching out the leg that always limped before taking a swig of his own tea.


"Come sit, Mark. What better time to open presents then right after breakfast?" It was Esette who spoke, motioning for him to sit as he pleased as she moved to the tree.


Picking up one of the presents, she handed it to her husband who offered a quick kiss in return.

 

[sumurset]

He had planned on doing the dishes. After all, there was no reason for him to join them for presents. Not in his mind, at least. There wasn't a present to be expected.


When Esette asked him to come sit, he was rather surprised. Instead of fighting it, however, he complied--moving over to sit on the couch beside Fi.


He was all swaddled up in the quilt from his bed and a throw from the couch.


Warm and comfortable.


There had yet to be a chance to ask Felicia to the dance, but he was determined.


Perhaps after they were all done unwrapping gifts.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Esette returned to the tree once more and returned with two presents in hand. She handed a small, long box to Felicia and a decently sized one to Mark.


"Here you go, dear."


Grabbing her own gift she sat down.


There was, apparently, no real rhyme or reason to the order in which they opened them, no ceremony to opening them one at a time.


Felecia pealed the paper away and removed the lid of the box before giving a joyful gasp when she saw the elegant bottle of perfume. Picking it up she looked it over before spraying it on her wrists. It smelled like elderberry and black currant tea.


To say she was pleased would have been an understatement.


Mark's box, however, contained something of more substance. Hidden within it was a bronze piece of equipment that depicted the solar-system, the planets and moons accurately positioned around the glowing orb in relation to the date at the base which could be changed at will. There was a little switch at the back that, if flipped, would simply make the machinery turn lazily without worry for academic accuracy.

 

[sumurset]

Though there was no order, Mark waited until Fi had her present out. He smiled, seeing just how much she loved it. How much she loved the people who got it for her.


He glanced at Celaden and Esette, a warm smile still on his face.


Then, not wanting to be the odd one out, he tore open the gift. Less tear, more carefully unwrapping.


He hadn't expected a gift at all.


When his eyes rested on the small planetarium, he couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. He held it as a father would a child; hands only slightly shaking.


Looking up at Felicia's parents, he choked out a "thank you."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Esette smiled at him rather brightly, pausing in the midst of opening her gift.


"I remembered you saying you like astronomy, yes? I figured it'd be a nice little gift for you, I'm glad you like it, and I'm glad Celaden managed to find it."


With that she continued opening her present, dipping her head down to clasp the delicate necklace around her neck. Fluffing her hair out, she giggled like it was the best thing she had ever been given and thanked her husband and daughter.


"Next time I hope I'll have a bit more time to get you a gift. Fi and I were nearly mobbed at Diagon Alley." He sounded more amused by that than anything. It had been a dramatic and rather amusing experience to say the least.


He thumbed his new pocket-watch as he spoke.


A thought occurred to him.


"Actually, I think I might have something else for you as well." Pulling himself to his feet, he placed his half empty cup aside and wandered off without explanation.


That left Felicia smiling at him, looking all too pleased with herself.


"We almost got the silver one, but I thought bronze suited you better. It is warmer."

 

[sumurset]

"Warmer?"


He wondered why she thought he was a warm person. Was he?


His house was known for its self-preserving nature, its cold and calculating students. Even its colors were cold.


The people he associated himself with were not 'warm.'


Perhaps that question would remain unanswered.


For as he looked at Felicia with a confused expression, Celaden returned to the room.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Celaden came tapping back up the stairs, taking his time. Still, he had managed to arrive before Felicia could answer Mark's question.


Of course he was warm. He was friendly and, truth be told, the color of the bronze almost reminded her of his eyes.


Not that she'd tell him that.


She stood and moved over to her mother, leaving the two boys to talk with one another as she gushed about her new present.


"Here we are." Celaden shifted the item in his hand until he was holding it by the end, showing a shiny lapel pen that was decorated with leaves.


"If my memory hasn't failed me, there is a formal event this evening, right? I feel like you might like this."

 

[sumurset]

Mark gently took the lapel, treating it with as much care as he had the planetarium.


Holding it up, he looked it over. It was beautiful. Handsome, even.


His smile widened.


Looking at Celaden, he said, again, "Thank you so much, sir," before turning to Felicia.


He walked over to her,


"Felicia LaBelna, will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Felicia wasn't quite sure he had heard him right. Granted, there wasn't much else he could have said. The words were clear, the meaning sharp, and she was left almost confused. The ball, with her? He wanted to go to the ball with her.


It shouldn't have made her throat tighten the way it did, but she was young and had never been asked such a thing. No one much paid attention to her unless they needed help doing something.


As friends. She tacked the last bit on in her mind and suddenly it made so much ore sense. Surely that was what he had meant, it had to be. Any other meaning would have been silly. It would have been something to make her blush and stammer, made her suddenly feel uncomfortable in her state of undress.


Instead, she smiled.


"That sounds absolutely divine. I would love you accompany you."

 

[sumurset]

Mark's smile widened into a grin and he pocketed the pin.


"A date it is, then."


He turned to Celaden, still smiling.


"Is that alright with you, sir?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Celaden had sat himself down in his chair once more, taking a swig of his tea.


He had hoped Mark would take a hint. Sure, maybe he was suspicious of him at first, but Mark seemed to make his little girl happy and that was what mattered.


Felicia was at the dating age, much to his dismay, and, at this point, he could say Mark had his approval.


"I suppose I can allow such a thing."


His grin was quick before he returned to acting the part of the always slightly disgruntled father. His eyes remained warm.


Both Esette and Felicia scoffed quietly at him.

 

[sumurset]

He grinned, nodding his head in thanks.


After that Esette had ushered Felicia up to her room. They only had an hour or two before they had to be at Hogwarts, and Mark was determined to look good for it.


Apparently Fi's mother wanted the same for her.


He rushed down the steps and into his room, taking the suit off of the hanger it had been on. After laying it out on his bed, Mark rushed to the bathroom to get ready. A shower and a good tooth brushing later and he was putting on his suit. Celaden had wandered in at some point, letting him borrow some aftershave. It smelled excellent, and Mark could tell it was expensive.


Once his tie was properly secure and the pin was in his lapel, he slowly walked up the stairs. He idly wondered if Fi was already ready.


Would his suit match her dress decently?

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The hardest part about getting ready, Felicia realized, was attempting to tame her long curls that had gotten more than a bit wild as she slept. Luckily for her, her mother was cursed with the same genetics and had more than enough time to learn how to tame them.


Her hair was folded up against itself in an elegant twist, leaving Felicia feeling almost out of place without it constantly covering her back and shoulders. It felt weird to have her neckline exposed. Funny, to think that would be what she was self conscious about.


Esette dabbed on a touch of blush, buttoned her into her dress, and stood back as she let Felicia look herself over in the mirror. The rose pink dress with golden leafs was a far cry from her uniform and slouchy sweaters.


She slipped her shoes on before heading down stairs, having to lean down so Esette could kiss her forehead and tell her to have a good time.


When Felicia saw Mark's lapel pin, she couldn't stop herself from laughing. They matched.

 

[sumurset]

He'd gotten to the second floor, only to realize Fi was still getting ready. It was no wonder, really. Weren't ladies supposed to take forever? Besides, her hair was probably no help of making the process faster.


While waiting, Mark idly adjusted his tie. He was still looking down at it when he heard Fi laugh. At which point, he looked up. As soon as he saw her, his eyes widened. She looked beautiful. More so than usual, which he felt was a major accomplishment.


Forgetting his lapel, he suddenly felt quite self-conscious.


Was she laughing at him?


"What? What is it?" He looked down at himself, trying to figure it out. Were his pants too short? Cuffs too tight?

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He looked so concerned.


Realizing he didn't know why he was laughing, Felicia smiled up at him and tapped one of the dangling leafs on his pin. It made a soft sound as it tapped against the others. She offered a very simple answer.


"We match. And you look very nice, by the way."


The suit wasn't something she'd seen before. Mark wasn't dressed in fine dressing robes, didn't adorn the garb she was accustomed to seeing wizards wear. Instead, he looked very sharp, very elegant and it wasn't until she had something to compare it all to that she realized wizard dressing robes looked silly next to what muggles apparently wore.


They did a few things right, it would seem.

 

[sumurset]

When she tapped his pin, Mark suddenly realized why Celaden had given it to him. The thought had him grinning like a goon, and he dipped his head.


"Thank you. I would have to return the compliment. You look stunning."


He chuckled, smoothing his palms over the front of his suit jacket. Even the tie matched the color of her dress.


It had worked so nicely.