[on hold] 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐓&𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 → 𝑓. 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

xiv . salt and lemon

chapter fourteen
SALT AND LEMON

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   "I ASSUME you won't accept a no?"

   Already knowing the answer, Ruby was surprised to find herself smiling, when she flicked her own wand to slice the yellow fruit she had caught from Fred. He shook his head with a grin.

   "So why complain?", she laughed. "But I heard that muggles know how to produce some hellish alcohol. I guess if there's no magic in your life, you need some other stuff to make it worthwhile."

   "Out of the mouth of the girl that didn't use to drink, this sounds just a tad bit unreliable."

   "I'm a witch, Fred, I don't need to drink." He handed her the bottle. "You have glasses?"

   "I'm not contagious", he snorted. "Last time you were pretty much satisfied with only having a bottle."

   She snorted. "Then let's do it like the sailors?"

   "Do it like a Weasley, you mean!" Winking at her again, he made the start, licking salt from the back of his hand, before his face turned into the funniest grimace when he bit into the lemon. The bottle on his lips and it's biting liquid inside made his whole facial expression even more hilarious.

   Starting the night like that, hours passed by and though soon Ruby found herself pretty drunk, she also enjoyed the time spent with Fred — an occurrence of seldom worth. Nevertheless and though her brain having grown dull, Ruby still wasn't sure if this was a good idea. But obviously Fred had been right: sober, they didn't get along, while drunk they seemed to have been nothing else than best friends for their whole life.

   Pleased with the whole result of this evening, Fred looked at the last slice of lemon in his hands, smiling satisfied. He was drunk, yes, but he was also still able to resist his urge to press his lips onto hers, to run his fingers over her delicate skin. He would finally show her that he wasn't the jerk she thought he was; that he wasn't up to only get her drunk and get into her pants.

   Fred chose to swallow this longing feeling with one last shot, before he would call it a night and lead her back to her common room, before he'd go to bed himself, hoping that he had started to pave the path to get closer to her and finally erase their past rivalry bit by bit.

   Ruby shook her head, grimacing, as her last bit of lemon was leaving her soft lips.

   "Bah!", she coughed, then throwing that piece of lemon into the lake, handing Fred the bottle. "Say, Freddie, when exactly did we even fuck up?"

   With blurry vision he was fixating her face. "What exactly do you mean?"

   "Well, don't you think it's kinda strange? I really love your whole family, but the two of us never got along. Why?"

   He felt a grin spread his lips, as his head tilted. "I think that's mainly because you're an annoying little butterfly", he chuckled, leaning back against the boat houses wall.

   "Did you just call me a butterfly?", she snorted with laughter.

   "That's what's bugging you?", he scoffed, shaking his head. "Maybe that's a fair reason why you're pissing me off."

   "I'm offended", she dryly replied,snatching the bottle back out of his hands. "Give me the lemon, Weasley."

   "You mean this one?", he asked, a crooked smirk on his lips, waving the last bit of the yellow fruit in front of her eyes. She tried to snatch it, but Fred was faster. "Come at me, Perks!", he laughed, shoving the lemon slice into his mouth.

   In retrospect that hadn't been one of his more brilliant ideas. The sour taste spread on his tongue and the muscles of his face didn't obey him any longer. Wearing a ridiculous grimace, he spat the lemon into the lake.

   "What?! No! You got!", she yelled, slapping the back of his head. "How am I supposed to drink this now?"

   "Dunno", Fred caughed, trying to relax his face. "I guess I could drink it without now, there's enough lemon in my mouth to ex this bottle and not tasting a thing."

   Ruby leaned forward, her eyebrow lifted. "Have you?", she asked, while a unusual mischievous smile was building on her face. "Well, I have an idea then ..." Fred watched her stretching her tongue out, scattering some salt on it, before the bottle met her soft lips and she took a deep sip.

   "You'll regret that", Fred guffawed, but it was immediately muffled, as Ruby leaned in and pressed her lips on his.

   He would have gasped, if his lips weren't sealed by hers, so he kept his mouth shut, but eyes widened in surprise, almost shock, as he hadn't even dreamt of anything like this to happen.

   But Ruby was full of surprises. He had learned about that last term's final night ...

   Her head pulled back and for a second he thought that dreamlike moment had passed. Fred wanted to complain, to pull her back onto his face, but she locked eyes with him, her lips pouted.

   "I can taste no lemon", she plainly said, tilting her head. "Give me my lemon."

   Of course he knew he shouldn't. He had all the best intentions for tonight and this was definitely not part of his plan. But his eyes were leaving her eyes, traveling down her beautiful face, lingering on this plum lips ...

   "Fine", he growled in a deep voice, and his mouth pressed back on hers, longingly sucking her bottom lip between his teeth. Fred could feel Ruby grin into the kiss. His tongue licked her lips, and obviously this was what Ruby had been waiting for, and as their tongues intertwined, Fred pulled her onto his lap, breathing in her scent, trying to burn this moment with every little detail in his memory.

   Because tomorrow - and he was dreadfully aware of that - this was gone, this was meaningless. Just another stupid accident, caused be salt and lemons.

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you are so down to earth
& I'm up in the stars ...