The Mischief They Create Chapter 35: We Can Kill Some Time (Stay Home), a harry potter fanfic

IPC
365
Gryffindor Auction | Day 17, Auction 4 | [dialogue] "Let's just say I have first-hand experience in loving somebody you shouldn't."
Shadows of the Den | He Said, She Said | MaryFrank | [dialogue] "Is...is that truly what you think of me?"
Hallmark Holiday Challenge | 18. Good Morning Christmas! | Write about a character who is in the public eye

o . o . o

We Can Kill Some Time (Stay Home)

Mary glanced up as a man approached the bar, dropping the duffel bag in his hands at his feet and collapsing onto his elbows on the countertop. He looked positively exhausted, but that didn't conceal how handsome he was, with a narrow face and chiseled jaw. He gazed up at her with clear, Mediterranean blue eyes and Mary felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Old Speckled Hen if you have it, please," he said in an enchanting voice.

"Sure thing," she answered, shaking herself out of her awed state in order to get his beer.

Attractive guys came into the Three Broomsticks all the time, but this man was an entirely different level. He belonged on magazine covers.

"Stocking up for quarantine?" Mary asked as she slid his beer across the counter, alluding to the duffel bag by his feet. He was probably one of those people who'd heard the news and decided to go quarantine with his girlfriends or maybe his parents or something like that.

"What?" the man replied, clearly incredulous.

"Oh, your bag," she explained, her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment, "I just assumed it was full of stuff for the new quarantine."

"We're going into lockdown again?" he asked, blue eyes wide.

"Yeah, you haven't heard?"

"I just got off a plane, I haven't heard anything," he said, running his hand through his hair. "Shit, I'm supposed to be on another flight tomorrow."

"Oh that's not happening," Mary mused. "All flights are grounded as of midnight which is… about 40 minutes from now."

"Crap," he swore, dropping his head into his hands.

"Where are you trying to go?"

"Back home," he said, grinning a little bit at Mary's lost expression. "To Australia."

"Goodness, that's far," she replied. "I don't think you'll be able to drive instead then."

"No, probably not," he laughed, a full smile breaking out across his face. "I guess I'll just find a hotel or an AirBnB or something then until flights start running again."

"You can try, but I think everything that isn't booked pretty much shuttered its doors," Mary said. "Plus lockdown is going to be at least a month, it'd cost you a fortune to stay at a hotel for that long."

"I'm not really worried about the money," the man replied, giving Mary a funny look. "Anyway, what else am I going to do? I've gotta sleep somewhere."

"Well, you could stay with me if you like," Mary offered in a small voice. It felt a bit odd to let a complete stranger stay in her flat, but it seemed like the right thing to do. "I've got a spare bedroom and I don't mind the company."

"Are you serious?" he asked, looking at her in surprise and confusion.

"Sure, why not? I mean, you're not a serial killer or anything, right?"

"Right," he answered, still wearing a confused-looking grin.

"Okay then, it's settled," Mary said, smiling. "We should be done here in about half an hour and then we can head home."

The man was quiet as Mary busied herself with the cleaning and closing tasks that were necessary. It would be a while before they would be back in the pub, so just about everything had to be thrown out. He watched her while she worked with a quiet fascination, blue eyes following her around with curiosity. Once the few other patrons had left, he even helped her wipe down the tables and stack the chairs, dragging a mop across the floor. When they were finished, Mary grabbed her coat from the back room and bundled herself up against the cold night air. She flicked the lights off as they left and pulled the pub's door closed behind them, locking it with a soft click.

They walked in silence for a while, but nighttime in the city had its own soundtrack. There was laughter in the distance and cars rumbled by on the streets. Somewhere far off, a siren sounded as an ambulance raced toward the hospital. A mix of Christmas music, heavy metal drumming and melodic pop vocals danced together in the air.

"Sorry, I don't think we actually introduced ourselves," Mary said after a while, the thought suddenly occurring to her that she didn't know the stranger's name and yet he was basically about to become her roommate.

"Don't you know who I am?" he asked, giving her a curious look.

"Sorry, should I?" Mary asked, her cheeks blushing bright red with embarrassment. "Have we met before and I've forgotten? I'm so sorry!"

"No, i.t's fine, I just assumed that's why…" he looked a little bit surprised, but a smile slowly spread across his face. "Nevermind, it's not important. I'm Frank."

"Mary," she replied with a soft smile.

"So you work at the pub," Frank said, curious about his new lockdown buddy. "What are you going to do during lockdown, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Actually I don't," Mary answered. "My sister and her husband own it, and I just help out sometimes when they need it. Her son was sick tonight, so she asked if I could manage closing the pub down for lockdown."

"That's really kind of you," he replied.

"I don't mind," she shrugged. "I'll be able to do plenty of work during lockdown, so I didn't mind taking the night off to help them."

"What is it you do?"

"Oh, I'm a doctoral candidate at the University," she answered, blushing humbly. "So mostly I'm just working on my dissertation right now. I do teach a class though, and I've got a paper coming out with one of the faculty in the department."

"What do you study?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Linguistics. My dissertation is looking at the politics of language - how it can be used to include or exclude certain populations from government and such."

"That sounds fascinating," Frank replied, sounding thoroughly impressed.

"Thank you, I certainly think so," Mary answered. "This is my building."

She stopped in front of a handsome brick apartment building with wide windows. It had something of a converted warehouse feeling to it, but in a high end sort of way.

"Anyway, what do you do?" Mary asked as she led him through the door of the building and toward her flat.

"Oh, I work in the music industry," Frank replied with a shrug, trying to make it sound more casual than it was.

"That sounds fun! Do you work for a label or something?" She looked at him with bright eyed curiosity as they climbed the stairs.

"Not exactly, I write songs mostly," he said.

"That sounds fun! Are you good at it?"

"I think that's quite a subjective question, but I do alright, yeah," he chuckled.

"So would I know any?"

Frank thought carefully for a minute, going over the songs he had written for other artists.

"Do you know You're Supposed to Love Me?" he asked.

"By the Prewett Brothers?" she clarified, and Frank nodded. "Sure, they played it all over the radio in the spring. You wrote that?"

"Mhmm," he mused, smiling, clearly proud of his achievement.

"It's a great song, and this is my flat," Mary said, stopping in front of her door.

Suddenly she felt very nervous. Frank was a complete stranger, and she was about to let him into her flat - a private space that was decorated just the way she liked it, and furnished just how she wanted. It was personal and intimate and it felt strange to let someone see all of her personal possessions. What if he saw her flat and decided that she was crazy? Frank raised an eyebrow at her expectantly, and Mary took a breath, mustering her courage to unlock the door and push it open.

She hung her coat in the closet by the door and then led Frank down the narrow hallway. He meandered a bit more slowly than she did, looking at all the pictures she had hanging on the wall. Most were of her family and the travels they had taken all over the world - the more artistic ones she had hung in the living room. The wall broke to her left, a small little open space off of which stood the bathroom and both bedrooms.

"That's the guest room," Mary told him, pointing toward the back bedroom. "And the bathroom is in between and then my bedroom is over there."

"Great," Frank replied, opening the door to the guest bedroom and dropping his duffel inside before following her again.

Just a few steps further down the main hallway, a doorway opened onto the living room and kitchen. Frank smiled pleasantly as he took in the little sitting room. A small upright piano stood against one wall next to a cozy looking sofa. Across from them was a moderate sized television nestled between two enormous bookshelves. An extensive collection of books interspersed with trinkets from her travels adorned the shelves, giving the room a worldly feel. It was all very neat - tidy and well kept, with everything in its place.

"It's lovely," Frank said after looking around a little and admiring the cozy feel.

"Thank you," Mary answered, sighing a little in relief as she blushed at the compliment. "It was my aunt's flat, I lived here with her when I first started my studies. But then she passed away rather suddenly about two years ago, and left the flat to me."

"I'm sorry to hear about your aunt," he replied, frowning slightly.

"It's alright," she said softly. Mary never quite knew how to respond to such sympathies and condolences. She missed her aunt frequently, of course, but it had been so long now she no longer felt the grief like a sharp sting. "Are you hungry? I have some frozen pizza bites I can toast real quick if you want something to eat."

"I think I'd just like to go to sleep, if it's not rude," he said, looking a little hesitant.

"Not at all, I should've realized… of course you're probably exhausted," Mary answered, quickly jumping into motion. She moved back toward the bedrooms, opening a little linen closet in the hallway. "Here's a towel, and there's spare toothbrushes and just about any other toiletries in here, just help yourself to anything you need."

"Thank you," he accepted graciously.

"Goodnight, Frank," she said, as they both parted and moved towards their respective bedrooms.

"Goodnight, Mary," he answered, closing the door.

Mary followed suit, closing the door quietly behind her and leaning her back against it for a moment. It felt a little weird to have a stranger staying in her home, but she felt confident that she had done the right thing. And he seemed nice enough, maybe they would even strike up a friendship that would last beyond the lockdown. She tried not to think about the way his blond hair fell across his forehead or imagine how the corners of his blue eyes would crinkle when he smiled. It just wouldn't do to develop a crush on her new companion.

In the other bedroom, Frank eyed the little guest room with some trepidation. A beautiful seaside painting hung on the far wall in place of a window, a lovely mahogany chest of drawers standing beneath it. He began to unpack his duffel bag, stowing away his clothes in the chest and wishing he had a bit more. He certainly would have packed some different things if he'd known he'd be stuck there indefinitely. With a sigh, he sat down on the bed, trying to appreciate that this wonderfully kind and caring stranger had offered him a place to stay instead of feeling grumpy that he wasn't on his way home.

"I guess this is home for now," he whispered to himself before pulling off her sweater and trousers and crawling under the heavy comforter.

This whole thing would seem better in the morning.

o . o . o

Mary opened her eyes to find grey morning light streaming through her window. She blinked and reached for her glasses, looking outside. Snow was falling quickly past the window, already accumulating on the small ledge outside. She smiled - snow was her absolute favourite, and what better way to start off lockdown than with a snowy day spent in pajamas and hanging Christmas decorations?

She vaulted out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and pulling the front strands of her hair back so they weren't in her face. Mary practically skipped toward the kitchen, cooking up thoughts of a lavish breakfast in her mind. She had been so excited by the snow, she'd completely forgotten about Frank, and jumped in surprise to find him sitting in her living room with a book.

"Oh, you're awake," she said, trying to mask her shock.

"Yeah, I thought about waiting until you were up, but it started to get a little late and -"

"No, of course!" Mary replied quickly. "You don't have to hide in the bedroom until I get up, that would be silly. This is your home for the next couple of weeks, you needn't tip toe around me."

"Okay, good," he answered with a smile, closing the book he was reading with a finger marking his page.

"Want some breakfast?" she asked, remembering her original purpose.

"God yes," Frank agreed, his stomach growling at precisely that moment and making them both laugh a little.

Mary walked to the kitchen and began pulling out ingredients to make a decadent and delicious breakfast. It took half an hour, but when she was finished there were two plates full of bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and cinnamon buns, and two piping hot mugs of tea. She placed it all on the coffee table with a satisfied smile and sat down on the couch next to Frank, pulling her feet up underneath her.

"So I was thinking of hanging up Christmas decorations today," Mary said, breaking the awkward silence as they both tucked into their breakfasts.

"That sounds nice, bring a little cheer to the lockdown," Frank answered through a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"So you'll help me?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow hopefully.

"Of course," he agreed with a smile that left Mary feeling a little bit breathless.

When they were finished eating, Mary went down to the little storage locker in the basement of the apartment building - a luxury few places afforded and for which she was eternally grateful - and brought up her box of Christmas decorations.

"I'm not sure what to do about a Christmas tree," she admitted as she began unpacking the red and gold decorations she had amassed.

"What do you mean?" Frank asked, crouching down on the floor to help her.

"Well I've always gotten a real tree before, so I don't have an artificial one, but I suppose we can't exactly go out and pick one up," Mary explained, pausing to inspect a little snowman statuette for chips.

Frank thought it over for a minute, assessing the situation, before an idea came to him. Grabbing his phone, he tapped out a quick message before turning his attention back to the decorations in front of him. He just had to be able to fix this one thing for Mary, it was the least he could do.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out," he said with a smile.

Three hours later, the flat was feeling decidedly more festive and Mary and Frank were lounging on the sofa and watching a silly Christmas movie when there was a knock on the door. Mary looked at Frank with a startled and confused expression before getting up to answer the door, still wearing her lilac flannel pajamas.

When she pulled open the door, Mary let out a little gasp of delighted surprise. There, in the corridor before her, stood a man in a thick coat and a mask covering half his face and holding nothing other than a Christmas tree.

"Got a delivery for this apartment," the man said gruffly, thrusting the tree forward as he spoke.

"But… how?" Mary stammered, still shocked by the mysterious delivery.

Frank appeared in the hallway behind her, smiling warmly.

"Did you do this?" Mary asked him, completely bewildered.

Before he could answer, the delivery man gently rustled the tree, regaining their attention.

"Mind taking this?" he said. "Only I'm not too keen to be out any longer than is necessary."

"Of course, my apologies," Mary answered, and she and Frank both rushed forward to grab the Christmas tree. Their hands brushed amidst the branches, and Mary looked up to find him standing much closer than she expected, his face so close. She could easily lean forward and kiss him, and her breath caught a little at the idea.

As soon as they had it firmly in their grasp, the delivery man quickly retreated, giving them a cursory wave goodbye. Mary and Frank - mostly Frank, if they were being honest - carried the tree into the living room, where Mary quickly found the stand and they set about getting it all set up. It was infinitely easier doing it with two people, so they had the tree standing up in no time at all, filling the flat with a delightful smell.

"How did you do this?" Mary asked Frank incredulously, deeply touched by the gesture.

"Called in a favour," he shrugged, like it was no big deal at all that he'd gotten a real Christmas tree delivered to her flat in the middle of a pandemic lockdown. "I couldn't let you not have a tree."

"That's very sweet," she said, blushing brightly.

Frank was quiet, unsure how to respond. It had seemed like the natural thing to do, to get the tree, and he told himself he would have done the same for anyone. It didn't matter one bit that Mary was sweet and beautiful and intelligent. He was absolutely not developing a crush on her.

"So, lights before ornaments, right?" Frank asked once they had the tree firmly secured in its stand.

Mary gave him a funny look, like he had grown a second head.

"What?" he prompted, confused.

"We can't decorate it tonight," she answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We have to wait for the branches to fall."

"What does that mean?" Frank asked, his confusion only deepening.

"Haven't you ever decorated a Christmas tree before?"

"Not a real one," he answered, shrugging.

"What!" Mary exclaimed, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "How is that possible?"

"We don't really do the whole chop down an evergreen thing in Oz, so the only trees I've ever decorated were fake," Frank explained.

"That's so sad!" she said, frowning. "Well, after it's all wrapped up, you have to give the tree a day or so to rest so that the branches fall down again."

"So tomorrow we decorate?" he asked, his expression both hopeful and teasing.

"Tomorrow we decorate," Mary confirmed with a light laugh.