Xavier let the rhythm run through him. He allowed Zia's body guide him as much as the music. Keeping a close if not constant connection to her. He ventured a little more, each time seeing what she'd allow and drawing back if she resisted. Although with the alcohol flowing through them and the music pounding she seemed completely open to him. Something he never would have suspected of the Ravenclaw. Such was the magic of Music.

Her arm snaked up across his chest to grab the back of his neck. He ran his own arm down the underside of hers while his other came around to rest on her abdomen keeping them pressed against each other. He matched the smile she gave him and he leaned down pressing a kiss to her lips, getting caught up in the sensation of her pressed against him. It was brief but it may have opened the door for much more fun later in the night. Or possibly a punch to the face.

If there was anything drunk Zia liked better than dancing, it was kissing. Zia managed to keep moving her hips to the beat of the song, while she arched her neck and opened her lips, kissing back with added fun. Xavier tasted like alcohol, not just the fruity drink he’d just downed but something stronger.

Once she felt a crick in her neck she pulled away and looked straight ahead, continuing to dance. Zia stayed close enough to feel Xavier’s breath on her neck. She swung her hair to the other side to bare it more. Now she could see him from the corner of her eye, and as she slowly dragged her hand from his neck to his chest while she turned until she faced him.

She rested her arms on either side of his neck; thankfully she was agile enough to dance in heels. Zia was enjoying every moment of this edgy new behavior of hers, deciding she had been a goody-goody for way too long. She made a cute face where she wrinkled her nose, then brushed it against Xavier's, her long feathery eyelashes brushing his cheek.

Zia's kisses tasted like sugar. They were flirty too and Xavier relished in the moment they had before she stopped. He took a few breathes. She had stayed close dancing against him while his body responded to the attention she had given him. He hadn't expected this either. Sure he was hoping she wouldn't refuse the kiss he had given her but this extra flirty side of her was definitely something new. If he had known this was inside the goody goody little eagle he would have tried to bring it out years sooner.

His skin was on fire as she ran her hand down his neck and over his chest spinning her own body in a singular motion. He smiled down at her putting his own hands back on her hips, making sure she didn't dance too far away from him. It wasn't so much a possessive gesture as if was a needy one. He wasn't about to let this flirty new Zia slip away from him and entertain some other guy.

He couldn't help but laugh as she nuzzled her nose against his. It was playful and almost childish in nature but it was still fun. With a roguish grin he slipped his hand through her pink hair and gave her another kiss. This one slightly more aggressive and lust fueled than the last. As he pulled away he called, "I needa drin'"

In all the years at school together, Zia had never seen Xavier behave so actively involved with something. She wondered for a moment whether he knew about all the other guys she’d snogged this year, or if he even cared about something like that. Her guess at the moment was ‘probably not.’

She loved having her hair played with, so she smiled against Xavier’s lips as he pulled her close. In a moment she was swept away, suddenly feeling like they were the only people in the room. She closed her eyes and rested her hand on one of Xavier’s arms. Her eyes were still closed when they broke apart - Xavier wanted a drink.

“Me too,” Zia piped up, her voice a little huskier than she expected it to be. She swallowed and looped her arm through Xavier’s, so that they were both facing forward and headed towards the bar. Zia was small so she found her way through quickly, her hand tied with Xavier’s. At some points she had to do some serious pulling to get him through the throng of people.

“I don’t know drinks,” Zia leaned back and confessed to him. “Pick something for me!” It might be interesting to have something that wasn't of the fruity, hyper-sweet, hangover-inducing cocktails.

Xavier allowed Zia to pull him through the crowd. Though there was a few times he had to push his way through. He also casually elbowed a bloke or two that tried to cop a feel as the smaller Ravenclaw made her way through the other dancers.

Once at the bar he was given free reign over what they'd be drinking. He didn't take her for the whiskey type and he wasn't in the mood to be drinking sugared cocktails all night. He waved over the bartender and ordered a pair of drinks for them. They were soon handed rocks glasses filled with a brilliant neon liquid . It was still chalk full of sugar but the tequila and lime juice helped mellow out the taste and the Red Bull helped keep the night going.

He lifted the drink, "Cheers." He took a large swig of the drink and squished up his face a bit. He had never actually tasted one before but he had seen Huck and Figaro order it once or twice.

"Damn, they donnae call it Dragon Pass Fer nuthin'"

Zia held the mysterious drink to her lips, which were still feeling a post-kiss tingle. “Cin cin!” she cheered in Italian before throwing it down the hatch. It took her a second, but she made the classic grimace of a girl who had just tasted alcohol.

"Damn, they donnae call it Dragon Pass Fer nuthin'"

Because of her tendency to be completely gullible, Zia believed this for a hot second. It was only a moment, but long enough for her face to drop and her eyes to grow. Perhaps in a more sober state she would have been able to catch herself faster. In the next second she playfully hit Xavier’s arm and exclaimed “Bleugh!” while laughing.

How many drinks did she have at this point? She wasn’t sure, they were all so tasty, and she was having the best time. She playfully hip-checked her dance partner, giving him a flirty look and twirling her hair around her finger.

Zia didn’t know what to do next, but she felt pretty capable of anything. Her eyes lit up as she bounce-turned to face Xavier. She hooked a finger around one of the loops of his belt and let her arm hang and swing. “Dance?” She looked over to where they had been dancing and raised her eyebrows.

Xavier widened his eyes as he watched her down the drink. For such a little thing she could sure put them back. He had no idea how many she had before he had shown up but she had drank at least three in his presence so far. He was starting to feel the effect of it buzzing at the edges of his mind and vision. He wasn't drunk yet, it took quite a lot these days but he was definitely well on his way. He was happy to keep drinking so long as it didn't end in him having to hold back that pink hair as she threw it all back up.

He nodded and finished his own drink. Dancing again worked just fine for him, he needed to something with the shot of red bull he had just taken. Not to mention if it meant he got to grind and kiss her some more, he was game. He let her lead him back to the dancefloor, taking advantage of her knack for weaving through the crowd. Once they found a spot they could fit in he had his arms around her once more. 

He nuzzled her neck a bit, teasingly running his tongue across his lips and her skin. He'd leave the next kiss to her lead if she wanted it. For now he was once again enjoying the closeness of her body. The club seemed to be playing non stop dance music which left them with plenty to groove to.

He let his arctic blue eyes scan the crowd and scowled, "Do you see Elle?" He doubted the petite Ravenclaw could see more than he could but he was supposed to be keeping an eye on her.

Zia was a little bit drunker than she normally would be in a public place, but it was a celebration. And she felt good - she kept finding herself dancing or singing or nuzzling up against Xavier, having done so naturally, without really thinking about it. Zia loved everybody, and alcohol only amplified that.

She wasn’t really paying much attention to time or responsibility, feeling completely in the moment. Until she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a familiar face. Zia focused on the face just long enough to realize it was her brother Leo. Just as Xavier was asking where his cousin was, she gawked and used Xavier as a shield. With big eyes she said “My brother is here,” in a tone only a little sister would use. Zia had five… four of them. Leo hadn't seen her - yet.

While crouched down she yanked Xavier’s wrist and weaved through the crowd until she hit a wall in a less visible part of the bar. She was doing this for Xavier’s protection, of course, and that’s why she hid herself with his body, her own leaned against the wall. It was a tight space still, definitely enough room for dancing - or whatever it was they wanted to  do together.

Xavier was still scanning the crowd when Zia spotted her brother. He didn't exactly understand the reaction but he had seen it once or twice on Cadance. She was like a kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. She started using his considerable height to hide herself. Before he knew it he was being pulled off to a small secluded area of the club.

Thankfully along the way he managed to catch a glimpse of his cousin singing rather animatedly with a group of other drunken girls. Not a dangerous bloke in sight (or rather leering too close to her) With his chaperone duties fulfilled he was able to turn his full attention back to Zia.

She had herself pressed against the wall in a rare corner that wasn't illuminated by flashing neon lights. Without the glaring spotlight and with Xavier in front of her it was unlikely her brother would see them unless he had caught sight of her before they slipped into their hiding spot.

Xavier placed one hand on the wall just next to her head the other on her hip as he leaned in. He pressed his body up against hers. He captured her lips with his. Out of view of most of those around them Xavier was much more adventurous with his attentions to her and her body.

Zia didn't know if her brother had spotted her. That was one of the pitfalls of having bright pink hair. Luckily tonight festivity worked in her favor, as most people were decked out in their most outrageous clothing to ring in the new year. For once Zia blended in with the crowd, even with her sparkly pink dress.

Once they reached the wall they started snogging ferociously, as if this was the end of the world and not simply the end of another year. She let Xavier explore her curves and she reciprocated by kissing every visible place, his ears and throat. Zia lingered at the nape of his neck, where the skin was soft and warm. She tugged at his collar and added kisses onto his newly exposed collar bone, all in a row until she made her way back to his lips.

She slipped her tongue between his lips and pulled at his hair a bit. It was quiet and dark in this corner, tempting the teens and their sense of willpower and privacy. At the moment, Zia had forgotten that anyone else existed outside of this secluded corner. She was a virgin, but just barely, having done everything but actually have sex with someone. It was, however, a topic that had been at the forefront of her thoughts for a while now. Especially right now. She threw herself into the moment and decided she would let Xavier take the lead.

He wouldn't say Zia was a tease, considering she was rather forthcoming with her affections and not exactly restricting with what she allowed him to do. However there was a word his hormone addled brain was trying to find to describe her. Vixen? Flirt? Coquette? Vamp? In the end it really didn't matter. However he described her it didn't change the fact that she seemed to want it all as badly as he did. Thankfully though he wasn't so drunk as to try and do anything unbecoming in the middle of the club regardless of how quiet or secluded their dark little corner was.

He closed his eyes and open his neck as her lips explored his skin. Her tight dress didn't exactly make it easy for him to get some good skin on skin contact but it didn't stop him from enjoying some good old fashioned groping and dry humping. Despite his big talk, this was about as close as he had ever come to going all the way. He couldn't help but wonder what he could do to get to cross that finish line. He didn't really care about who it was with, Zia was as nice as any other girl. He felt it was better to just get it over and done with and doing it on New Years was sure to be a story he could easily brag about later.

She took his lips again and he played with her tongue. The one thing he knew he was good at was the kissing, everything else was rather clumsy and under practiced, "We shuld probly git outta here if ye don' wanna stop." He whispered into her ear, his voice heavy and husky.

The beat of the music was making Zia’s entire body pulsate, and when she pressed Xavier against her she could feel his pulse too, in tune with the beat of the song. She was having fun, smiling and moaning as their lips smacked and. Every so often she ran her fingers up the back of his shirt, and found she had to curl her fingers to keep from going any further.

"We shuld probly git outta here if ye don' wanna stop."

“Stop?” Zia blurted. Stopping didn’t even register as a possibility, so Zia looked around for a new location. The club was filled with people but along the walls were booths with a round couch and table, with tapestries that ran all the way up to the high ceiling. Some of them were closed, some were open, some were filled with people - but most importantly some were empty. She pushed him to the closest vacant booth and used magic to shut the curtain. She raised her eyebrows in a “this’ll do” sort of way. Zia’s purse was bottomless, so the cost of one of these private booths didn’t phase her at all.

Zia didn’t even see as a waitress poked her head between the curtains to check in on them. When the waitress saw her push Xavier onto the couch and climb onto his lap, the waitress nodded knowingly and dropped a pair of house drinks onto the table before making her quick exit. Zia pulled at Xavier’s collar, hooking her finger onto the first button teasingly. She felt euphoric and invincible, nipping at Xavier’s neck and grinding against his belt.

It appeared Zia had no intention of stopping. In fact she had balked at the mere idea of it. A little dumbstruck by her reaction, Xavier allowed her to push him around until they were stashed away in one of the private VIP booths. He wasn't entirely sure what she had in mind or if they could even get away with it. He soon found himself not caring though as she climbed up into his lap.

He had reflexively grabbed her behind when she mounted him and wasn't quiet about liking what she was doing as she teased his neck and pulled at his collar. He leaned her back and made quick work of his vest and shirt underneath exposing the sculpted chest he worked nightly to maintain. Her hands on his bare chest felt even better.

Xavier pushed up against her with another array of passionate lust fueled kisses. When they separated again she made fast work of unbuttoning his pants.

---

The loud speaker for the club erupted with noise announcing to the gathered party goers that they were about to begin the countdown to midnight. The lights flared even brighter and magical glowing numbers floated around the club matching the countdown.

Xavier slipped out of the booth straightening his collar and flattening his vest. He felt re-energized. Of course downing the drink the waitress had left them had helped, "C'mon yer gonna miss it." He pulled Zia out of the booth and wrapped his arms around her. He gave her a wide smile hoping he had been satisfying enough for her, with what little he had managed to do.

3

2

1

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" He grabbed her tight and gave her another deep kiss.

Zia was discovering some new things about her classmate. Seven years she’d known Xavier and in all that time, had never realized what a nice body he had. When he finished she curled around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. Zia loved it when she made people feel good, and she was pretty certain she had just made Xavier very happy.

Once they started making moves to rejoin the rest of the world she kissed the space behind his ear and then joined him in drinking the drinks on the table. By now the buzz she’d been feeling earlier was starting to wear off (though she was still plenty tipsy). It wasn’t until she heard the New Year’s announcement that she remembered that they were in a public place. So that’s why it had been so extra exhilarating. Zia was coming to find she liked the risk.

“C’mon yer gonna miss it.”

Xavier pulled her from the dark, private tent into the bombastic arena that was the party. She joined everyone else in counting down, bouncing at each number. 3, 2,1…. And a kiss from Xavier to bring in the new year. She held onto his face and perched up on her tiptoes.

“Che era pazzo*,” Zia slipped into Italian, pressing her forehead against Xavier’s. She nuzzled him and kissed his nose. All around her couples were kissing, filling Zia with good vibes. This, she decided, was not a bad way to start a new year.

_{che era pazzo: that was crazy}

Xavier smirked, "I 'ave no idea wha' ye jus' said." He apparently had a knack for making girls speak their native languages whenever he kissed them. Strellie consistently slipped back into Russian whenever he flirted with her. It seemed Zia was the same way. He didn't mind. The way she nuzzled and teased him, it was likely to be a good thing rather than a bad thing.

He was content to continue the night with her, keeping the drinks flowing and maybe even head back to the Manor where he knew they wouldn't be interrupted and they could finally cross that finish line. Not that what they had actually managed to do wasn't great. It was actually rather amazing in fact. A brand new set of sensations for him, ones he was eager to repeat. Given Zia's enthusiasm, there was a good chance they could end up doing it all over again if they got the chance.

Xavier suddenly felt a petite hand on his arm pulling him away from his prize for the night. He was surprised to see his cousin holding onto him. Her dress was messed, her hair had fallen and her makeup looked as though she had been crying, "Elle, wha thee bloody 'ell 'happened?!"

The older woman looked from Zia to Xavier, a little bit of guilt in her eyes, "We need to go home. Now."

"Uh yea, sure thin' darlin'" He looked to Zia shocked and more than a little concerned. He was supposed to be watching over Elle. He had been so distracted with his own pleasure, he had completely lost track of her. How long had him and Zia been . . . It didn't matter. He had failed in his duties and as much as he wanted to take Zia back to his Manor for the night, Eloise came first, "I'll see ye at school?" He gave Zia another kiss before wrapping an arm around his cousins' shoulder and leading her out of the club.