Perhaps the fact that Cooper wanted to use a sticking charm to glue his children to one spot and keep them still made him a terrible parent, but he didn’t quite frankly care at the moment: Kat was busy wobbling in one direction after the cat, while Gaspy giggled lightly as he tried –and failed over and over- to use his father’s wand to poke a hole into the couch. “Give that here,” The Auror muttered, but the child seemed unwilling to let go of it. The twins’ clothes were ruined, their faces sprinkled with sweat, their hairs a mess and all the work Cooper had gone through to get them to look at least half-way presentable was ruined. There was a high chance Gale would look at them, and the state of the house –for, once again, Katherine and Gaspar had managed to turn it into a catastrophy zone, with toys tossed over every imaginable surface and Snooky unable to get it all organized quickly enough- and deem Cooper Evans a terrible parent with no right to raise children.

Perhaps he was right.

“Katherine Evans!” He yelled, his voice booming –and, would you look at that? The girl skidded to a halt, dropped down on her bum and looked over her shoulder towards her father. There was a slight pout on her lips that broke his heart, but he wasn’t about to give in and let her destroy anything else –or maim Captain Meow. Gaspy, meanwhile, had also looked up when his father had yelled and, apparently deeming that Cooper was in no mood for trouble making, had lifted his hand and kindly offered the Auror his wand back. “Why, thank you,” He smiled and pulled the kid into his arms, holding the two year old in his chest and walking towards Kat to scoop her up as well. Holding both twins at once was not an easy act, and only with time did a parent learn how to do it. But Cooper had mastered it by now.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, signaling Gale’s arrival, and Cooper’s worn face actually managed the smallest of smiles. With quick strides, he stalked towards the door –only to realize that, with both hands occupied with one of the twins, turning the doorknob wasn’t quite easy. “Um, if you’re Gale, it’s open!” He yelled, because, of course, if it wasn’t Gale obviously the person wouldn’t have the balls to open the door uninvited. He hoped, flashes of one particular night close to a month ago flashing through his mind.

Nightingale, grew up in far worse circumstances when it came to hygiene, and loved every moment of it. He would never ever fault Cooper for the state of his house, because beneath the bit of surface mess there were not used needles, body fluids (mostly), and random bodies huddled up for warmth. Sharp objects were mostly put away, harmful toxins were kept out of reach, and just because the babies had a dirty face didn't mean they were filthy. It was endearing really, and a tad heartbreaking. Gale didn't know how Cooper would do it on his own, and frankly just seeing this made him realize that for right now--he couldn't.

Grief was a horrid state, like an illness it plagued a person until it's feverish hold either killed you too or suddenly you broke free. He could relate, but he wouldn't allow that to show. This wasn't about him, this was about this little family, and how he would try to do anything to help.

The school day had been rough, and it showed. But there was something about coming from one chaos to the other that gave Gale's life meaning and brightened his smile. He was tired, but nothing that a little coffee wouldn't help. After his classes that day he left to look at a few other homes during his search for the perfect one, and owled that he was in Coop's neighborhood--asking if he could stop by, offering to bring dinner and not taking no for an answer.

“Um, if you’re Gale, it’s open!” Followed after a few names being called, and upon opening the door he saw exactly what he expected to see. A frazzled father, two children, and a house in dire need of a pick-up. It was endearing truly, he just wish it was under better circumstances.

"Hey there," He sat his bags of take-out on the counter before closing the distance on his friend, and his beautiful children, "Boy don't you look like you could use a drink." Gale grinned as he looked between the twins and their frazzled father. Gaspard normally always took to him and enjoyed pulling on his earrings, while Katherine only ever wanted anything to do with the Charms professor if he took that scary leather thing off his face!

"See, it's me," Gale pulled the leather patch from his eye, having long since shed his shyness about it. It amazed him that the white orb of what used to be didn't bother Kat at all, but the one thing that covered it up? Oh now that was a monster! (So much like her mother, in not wanting you to hide who you were.) He fawned over the children still in Coop's arms, but looked up to their worn out father. It broke his heart.

Cooper Evans, all through school was nothing but the very heartbeat of his class. Even after he won the affections of many, with so much life in his eyes that he could light up an entire room just walking in it, but right now Coop simply looked defeated. Despite the ache in his chest for his friend, he touch the other man's bicep gently, and smiled up at him,

"Brought you a six pack, put a cooling charm on it, and dinner. A beef roast. Why don't you sit down and put your feet up?"

The door whined audibly on its hinges as Gale opened it –yet another thing in the house that needed to be swiftly fixed or cleaned or tidied up, and which he had no intention or desire to take care of at any given moment. Cooper tried to smile at the Hogwarts Professor as kindly as he could, but this was made a tad bit complicated by the fact that Kat had apparently decided his earlobe was quite an interesting matter, and Gaspar was trying to understand the mystery of why his teeth were so much smaller than his father’s by tugging Cooper’s upper lip around as if hoping he could simply pull it to another sector of the Auror’s face. “Hey,” he said –or at least he tried, but it came out more like jery and in a suddenly guttural tone. The werewolf wasn’t given much time to put the twins on the ground –or consider throwing one of them at Gale as if they were a ball- because his mate was taking care of setting bags back in the kitchen counter and then returning to say what must have been the most amazing twenty six words he’d ever heard.

He counted.

“I should say no,” He answered, but as he did he was placing the kids on the ground –and let them use Captian Meow as a horse all the bloody hell they wanted to- and stretching to work out a kink that had built up in his back. “But I think if I stay on my feet much longer, I might die,” And just in case the offer was removed from the table, Cooper moved to press his hip into the couch, folding his arms and staring at his miracle worker in wonder. “I-you’re just sodding amazing,” On a quick judgment call –or, perhaps, without really thinking about it, as thinking was somewhat complicated at the moment-, Cooper strode towards the bloke, placed a hand on each cheek and gave him a quick but strong peck on the lips before pulling back with a dazzling smile –the first honest-to-goodness, ’Sodding hell I’m happy’ that had shown on his face on weeks. “That expression ‘I’m so happy I could kiss you’?” Cooper shrugged as he turned on his heels and stalked towards the couch, dumping himself down and lifting his legs onto the coffee table –and sod it if the kids learnt from his bad example instead of his many teachings. “Well, obviously I really meant it.” There was something so cheerful that arose in Cooper whenever he was around Nightingale Kesali, that as he tossed his head to the side and did his best to glance at his mate –and make sure the twins weren’t doing anything dangerous like playing with his wand again or hitting the cat-, the smile was still in place.

“How’s work, mate?” He asked –albeit a bit quickly, there was one topic he was determined to avoid throughout the entire night: his dead wife. It was recent, yes, and he and Gale hadn’t had a chance to talk about it much so far. But Cooper was unwilling to let the topic come up. He was too glad he was happy and he would not let anything get in the way of that –which meant talking about his own life was probably out of the picture, and he’d have to figure out how exactly to keep Gale away from that discussion. “And I really wouldn’t say no to one of those beers!” Yes, perhaps he was overreacting to the whole deal, and maybe a good host would insist on doing everything himself –but Cooper was tired, his feet hurt and his head was aching from work and then dealing with the twins the rest of the day. He needed a break, and if Gale was willing to provide it then he certainly wasn’t going to resist.

“I should say no,”

Gale gave him a coy little glance over his shoulder as he started to unpack the dinner. "You could say no. But I don't often get told that," he lied. Every day he came to realize that there wasn't much room for him in the lives of others, and now that his relationship was on the rocks Gale grew even more aware at how alone he truly was. Coming here did him well, it made his heart feel whole, and his life had a little purpose in it. He loved his students, he loved his friends, and soon he would have a home of his own to cherish. But this was what he was missing--this whole ordeal, with plates and spoons, little feet and kisses in the doorway. Chaz and he were there once, but things changed. He had a secret life that no one knew about, confessions he never should have made, and now he worried they would never get back there.

“I-you’re just sodding amazing,”

His mind registered the words, even while his train of thought had little bits of tears fill his eyes, but when reality sank back in he was reminded this wasn't his sob story to tell. But just when he thought he had a handle on reality lips were placed to his, hands to either side of his face, and he was forced to the tips of his toes to meet the other man's height.

“That expression ‘I’m so happy I could kiss you’?”

Gale ran the back of his sleeve over his mouth to pretend to wipe away Cooper's sloppy kiss, but more so to mask the deep crimson blush that painted his skin like the dawn. He glared playfully at his friend, distracted only by the tug of little hands on his jeans, and his overwhelming desire to do anything that little girl wanted. Of course he picked her up, she hardly had to reach, and with a baby on his hip he went back to unpacking the dinner.

"Work is well, busy as ever. The children are excited about this weekend so I've had a hard time keeping them focused," Gale answered with ease, a casual sort of comfort that came with good company, and as he crossed the living space to take Cooper his beer he sat Kat down in her highchair. She fussed a few minutes, but babbled happily once the soft foods were placed in front of her and the dinner caught the attention of her brother very quickly; who made his way over to his own chair where his plate was already waiting.

"I'm looking forward to the weekends more and more," He handed Cooper his own portion before sitting down to their own little informal dinner to keep the children on task.

"One at a time," He scolded Gaspy who was trying to put all of his carrots into his mouth at once, "What about you? Hows work?" The topic at hand was easy to avoid with the every day mundane, but Gale wanted nothing more than to ask Cooper how he truly was. But that topic could wait, at least until after dinner when the children went to bed.

There was a slight instant of jealousy when Kat tugged at Gale to be picked up, but it quickly dissipated as he realized it meant a second without her begging him for attention. He adored the twins, but at times they just got to be too much for him –especially as he wasn’t used to being their only parent. Cooper allowed himself to smile softly at how cute his mate looked with her on his hip. “You’d make a good parent,” He muttered, a yawn escaping at the same moment in such a way that he couldn’t quite be certain the words would be understood at all. It was a pity, though, that Nightingale had not married, and would therefore perhaps never be gifted with his own children –and they truly were the best gift of them all, even if they wore you down into a pit at times.

It was amazing, really, how effortlessly Gale went about delivering Coop’s beer at the same time as he settled Kat and Gaspy into their highchairs and their food before them. Of course, the twins were likely to end up throwing more of their meal at the walls than to actually stick it all in their mouths –but Bella had been working on teaching them to eat with independence and Cooper could only hope the two year olds would soon catch on. He could even see Snooky by the kitchen door, big eyes glaring at them as if anticipating the mess she would have to clean up. The Auror, however, simply decided to let them, as he shifted his ankles on the coffee table and took a long sip from his beer.

The topic of conversation landed on his own job as he was handed a plate of food and Gale settled down. Using his fork to scoop a carrot into his mouth, Cooper shrugged. “Same as ever, really,” His green eyes moved to his mate’s face, considering actually breaching the subject himself and revealing his secret –Effie knew, but only by letter, and that was hardly enough. He felt the need to actually talk about what he’d done with someone. But as he felt the lie grow heavy in his eyes, he turned away and decided he honestly couldn’t allow himself to fall into that topic. “Bad people are always around, and we’re always here to stop them,” Another shrug, another chug of beer. “No news on the love front?” He smiled softly as he rubbed his elbow into the bloke’s ribs, tossing a wink in Gale’s direction.

“You’d make a good parent,”

Gale almost felt the warmth of tears prickle in his eyes, but he fought them back with a smile as he helped Gaspy take another bite. They seemed to be getting close to eating on their own, and it broke his heart thinking about his friend doing this all on his own."I want children more than words can express," Gale finally said after a moment of silence, his words were soft and full of longing. "I feel my clock ticking you know?" He spoke again sheepishly as he looked back to Cooper, and slipped one of his ankles up under him--free from his shoes the tiny silver bells jingled from their strings.

"An-and no, No news on the love front," He admitted with a small blush, a shameful act of already pale skin, "And sadly it's just for that very reason, about the bad guys I mean. My boyfriend...er...well I suppose my ex, didn't take well to my father, being who he is and all." Gale gave Cooper a look almost dreading what came next from nearly everyone--the sympathy. Jean-Luc was a notorious man, a dangerous man, but most of all he was a wanted fool who shared his blood. How could he not love him?

Gale hadn't touched his plate of the vegetables, as he sat there on his ankles and helped coach the children, and tried his best to stay pleasant. But he could talk to Cooper easy. Confessions came easy enough, and there wasn't much he could do to keep it in, "We've been fighting for almost a month now, and I don't think we're going to recover from this. Something just...changed." He watched with a warm smile as both of the twins were beyond finished with their dinner, yawning and dirty faced, and Gale turned once more to Cooper.

"Do..um..do you want me give them a bath, and put them to bed so we can talk a little more? Or shall I just head home?" Upon asking he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear in a nervous nearly backward habit, and looked like the dork he always was. "I don't want to intrude." 

There was a certain sense of amusement to the tone of the conversation, one that had been easy to fall into, but as Cooper pulled his elbow away from Gale’s ribs and the bloke mentioned his father, the aura became somewhat darker. The Auror’s eyes narrowed just slightly: the fact that this man –his mate- could be related to such a bloody arse was sodding incomprehensible. Still, this was a specific case where the apple had fallen quite far from the tree as far as Cooper was aware, and he found himself allowing the slightest of smiles to tickle his jaw, his eyes soothing and kind as he twisted his head towards Gale. “Any bloke would be an idiot to leave you.”

 Flashes of a night not too long ago, a night of lust and alcohol that had led to unexpected happenings, flashed through his mind and all of the sudden his proximity to Gale felt awkward. There might not be any alcohol here tonight, but the true fact was that Cooper still felt the effects of his evening with Éloi –and the curiosity that had been born on said evening. As his green eyes trickled down Gale’s jaw, delicate though rough on the edge all at the same time, he found himself almost debating with himself to once again let go of who he was and become whoever his inner self wanted to be. His lips parted, his throat dried, his body came close to inching forwards.

Somehow, in a moment that he’d entirely missed, the conversation had changed and he was suddenly falling back into who he was and always had been, but echoes of the past few seconds still dragged their harsh fingers through his insides. Straightning his shoulders, Coop fought for composure, his cheeks flushing just slightly as he nodded. “That’d be great,” His voice was barely a whisper, as his mind continued to try and understand just what the bloody fuck was going on with him. He found himself reaching forwards and patting Gale on the knee, his hand remaining just a tad bit too long, his fingers squeezing perhaps just a bit too much. “If you really want to,” He suddenly wasn’t certain if the kids had been bathed, or not, nor did it really matter: he needed a moment with himself. “But then hurry back down so we can talk,” Cooper moved his hand away and place it on his lap, found himself suddenly staring in quite a bit of interest at the slight strand of straw that had came lose from the couch instead of at his friend’s face. “I don’t want you to leave.” He whispered.

“Any bloke would be an idiot to leave you.”

Gale tried to smile at that, did one of those little half twists of his mouth that he often reserved for friends. He was pleased to see Cooper so relaxed, even if the moment was fleeting and his friend seemed to be fighting a war within himself again. This however, was a little different. Suddenly very aware of the space between them Gale felt the room get warmer, and the tension thicken. Was he about to be kissed? Was that what was going on? Beautiful eyes scanned him as if searching for approval, and Gale sat there a moment as still as he could. His heart hammered like a rabbit's, and he would be just as swift in pulling away should Copper advance.

It wouldn't be what Evans wanted, he was in mourning, and though he couldn't deny the appeal was there Gale knew very much that his friend was suffering. Coop's mind traveled on, and Gale mourned the fact that he could not follow. He studied the way his friend's face darkened, and then of the little bit of defeat that followed.

And suddenly there it was...those horrible monsters that haunted his friend, Gale watched them surface until Cooper got his composure back. The pat to his knee didn't come as a surprise, nor did the way his hand remained a moment too long. But it still broke his heart. How many times had he been there himself?

"I won't be long," On the edge of the couch he reached over to touch Cooper's arm before leaning forward enough to place a gentle, warm kiss to the other man's temple. He wasn't like Éloi at all when it came to these sorts of things, there would not be hungry passionate kisses and a romping on the floor. Gale was too worried of his friend's well-being to ever take advantage of his fragile state of mind.

"Enjoy your beer, have another plate. We won't be long at all, they are going to crash hard." Slipping from the couch he cleared the children's trays and started with them up the stairs to the bathtub. Of course it did take a good while to clean both children, scrub the tub out after and put them to bed. However, nearly half way through book 2 they were both asleep, and Gale tucked them in before picking up the room a little. By the time he got downstairs his hair was pulled back, held in place by a pencil and his shirt sleeves rolled back. He had a load of laundry going, and finally turned to find his friend once more.

“I don’t want you to leave.”

The whisper had haunted him the entire time with the children, and finding Cooper again was easy. But what came next wouldn't be, for this he understood perfectly.

"You know that you can't live like this, right?" Gale sat back down beside his friend, "Not alone."

The electric pull of fingertips against his arm; the warmth of lips against his forehead. Cooper found his eyes fluttering shut, a not at the base of his throat keeping a very specific sound from gouging its way past his tightly pressed lips. The weight that was suddenly lifted from the sofa was an indicator of Gale’s departure, but the Auror kept his eyes closed until he heard the man and his twins disappear up the stairs; then, and only then, did the werewolf drag his eyelids apart –and toss himself at the nearest bottle of beer, letting the alcohol slosh down his throat in one, long gulp. But it was hardly enough, and Cooper found himself ignoring any sense of thought as he pushed himself off the couch, found a bottle of whiskey, and helped himself to three heavy glasses in a row. With the fourth cradled against his chest, and a pleasant sense of lightheadedness, he settled back down and finally allowed his thoughts to hit him.

Of course, there wasn’t so much one specific course of debate, but rather a thousand sentences flashing through his brain and a million images dancing before his eyes. Possibilities and questions, inner debates and worries: Cooper Evans was a mess. The fourth glass of whiskey was quickly down his throat, and he had self-control enough to stop there: anymore, and his actions would no longer be his own. If anything was to happen tonight, he wanted to be conscious and himself. Even if he was no longer entirely certain who the bloody hell that was. The Auror lay the glass down on the floor and let his head fall back against the each of the couch, a groan of frustration slipping past his lips as his hands rose to grip at his temples. Never had he understood so little –yet much less had he ever so feverishly wished to be with a man.

There’d been a time in his youth, of course, a stage he knew most blokes went through, where sexual exploration had been all the craze and sleeping with another wizard had been a tempting illusion. But it had never happened then, and he’d been certain it would never happen at all. Yet here he was, and he’d already slept with one bloke and was currently quite lustful with another. His fingers digging deeper into the skin at the sides of his skull, Cooper tried to make sense of it all, but his thoughts continued to be nothing but whispers and screams, an incomprehensible babble. It was even worse when he felt weight fall upon the couch once again, and that voice penetrated his mind –pulling his head up, his green eyes fell on Gale, and his chest tightened.

“Whadya mean?” He hadn’t meant to slur the words, and he was fairly certain it had nothing to do with the whiskey in his system but everything to do with the fact that he was suddenly all too aware that, if he just reached forward a couple of inches, he could press his hand against Nightingale’s thorax and feel another’s heart beating against his palm. Cooper’s lips were suddenly dry and his whole body felt entirely awkward, but the Auror managed to move himself a few inches, to scoot until his thigh pressed against Gale’s. One of his arms curled around his mate’s waist, his head came to rest against the bloke’s chest and he pulled into Nightingale as if he were a toddler in need of protection. But his thoughts were far from innocent. “Then stay with me, Gale.” He managed to whisper.

Just like that night with Éloi, Cooper managed to simply flick a switch and ignore his thoughts as he somehow managed to drag himself onto his knees on the couch, one hand coming to rest on each side of Gale’s jaw. For an instant, his eyes settled on the other man’s gaze. “Will you?” He moved forwards and their mouths were suddenly surprisingly close and Gale smelled surprisingly masculine and Cooper wanted to close the distance –but he wouldn’t, he couldn’t. He needed permission.

Gale wasn't aware of the destructive nature that happened while he went upstairs, but he knew the signs--knew it well, because there was a time when he too was so heartsick with grief that his lack of judgement got the better of him. His heart went out to his friend, more than he should admit, and he wanted nothing more than to protect him from it all. If he could turn back time he would in an instant and put a stop to the fall of this great man's wife.

Cooper closed the distance between them with ease, and Gale of course went easily. His arms went around his neck pulling him as close as possible, thinking of how much pain he felt simply in this act alone. The agony swelled off of Cooper like a great wave and it struck him like a stone.

"Cooper..." His voice was soft as he whispered against the tender shell of the other man's ear, "You know I'm not like that. I can't take advantage of you like this." He lifted the other man's chin so that their eyes could meet, "And I don't know where Chaz and I stand, if I were to take you upstairs and put you to bed it would hurt him. But that is not what I meant..." He smoothed a strand of Cooper's hair down,

"What I mean was, here...in your home. I'd like to help. I can start coming here every day after school to help you, give you a break, let you wander the streets in search of yourself." Gale curled his arms around Cooper's shoulders and held him tight, resting his cheek to the crown of his hair.

It wasn't that the desire wasn't there, maker it certainly was. Gale had always admired Cooper, his happy nature had been a constant rock these past few years, but this just wasn't right...Coop wasn't in his right mind, and he couldn't take advantage of that. A hopeless romantic, he couldn't imagine a first time being on the outer edges of grief and something they both would regret by morning, but Gale would happily watch the children if Coop wanted out of the house. Gale continued to run his fingers through Cooper's hair, and kissed his crown gently,

"But I...I mean...I can stay the night, just..." His pale cheeks flushed, "You know."

Gale whispered, but all that mattered was the feeling of his breath against the shell of Cooper’s ears; the Auror’s body stiffened, a shiver danced down his spine, and this time it was far harder to burry down the needy whimper that threatened to be born from his lips. The werewolf leant into it, felt his body come even closer to Gale if that were possible, as his thumb swiftly swept across his mate’s jaw and came dangerously close to dragging across the man’s bottom lip. The way Gale had said his name, though, was off –but that didn’t matter. Only now and here mattered, and it hardly mattered that it was only alcohol that managed to give him the courage; this was what he wanted, he knew it was, despite all his doubts and questions and misgivings. But then, his chin was being lifted, and his eyes were meeting Gale’s, and words were spoken that sounded like he was being turned down.

And Cooper whimpered.

It was a detestable sound, but he wasn’t quite in control of himself as it was. It didn’t matter that Gale was making other offers, or that the man’s hands were caressing his hair line, or even that lips were pressing against his forehead. Cooper was angry, and he was sad, and he was confused. “You wouldn’t be taking advantage of me,” He said, his voice a quiet sigh as he leant forwards and down, pressing his chest against Gale’s, his face pressing into the side of the man’s throat so that his breath would flutter against taunt skin. “Please do stay, with me,” He was begging, but he didn’t give a damn anymore, as his arms wove their way around Gale’s chest. “Hug me, at least. Don’t leave me.”

Because, when it came down to it, loneliness was the hardest enemy to beat.

Maker, he hated to see his friend like this, and wanted nothing more than to cast a spell to help return him to his right state. Gale knew that it would take more than just this night to wish away all the pain and regret, but at least he could offer that much.

"I'm not going anywhere," He said in a whisper, his arms circling the other man as they stretched out on the couch and he forced the Auror to the back. For such a little thing, Nightingale Kesali was not one to be underestimated when it came to strength. A brutal little force when moved held power like a hurricane, and in this moment he used it all on Coop. Strong arms circled his friend, keeping him in place and placing him to his chest.

"I'll be here all night," Oh, it was very hard to be faithful in this moment, and to be a good being--this broken man made it very hard to not hold desire to push out the rest of the world and simply put him back together.

"Even until morning, and tomorrow, if it would please you," He ran his hand up Coop's spine to soothe him, rubbing the space between his shoulders as if he were one of the children, but it worked--and he knew it.