Lunchtime

“Unicorn girl!”

He exclaimed Abby’s nickname with gentle but exuberant flourish as he entered the waiting room, hands in the pockets of his light coat. Her colourful desk always cheered him up but today he needed no cheering up at all.

Virgil raised his eyebrows in his sardonic way, a smile playing on painted red lips. “Lunch?” he proposed. “My treat.”

He hadn’t yet the chance to tell her about his weekend[1] at Death & Co - and, God, he was keen as a knife to tell anyone! Except it wouldn’t have been at all tactful to wax lyrical to Ariadne after telling her about him and Ceph, and Nick would only say something crude about the whole affair. Merlin knew what had become of Wav.

Then there was Yavin, who already gave him the tread carefully talk necessary for anyone his age dating a much older man. Virgil could trust Abby not to be too serious or too crude; she struck the Goldilocks balance.

They were both Goldilocks, now that she had lost the red hue in her hair.

1.	11th Feb - The Sight of the Stars Always Makes me Dream

"Yes."

Abby stood from her desk, leaving her chair spinning, her 'BRB' sign askew, and confetti hearts floating onto the floor as she grabbed her coat and her purse and hurried out before anyone could call her back. Yes, lunch! Yes, let's escape for an hour and pretend that criminals didn't hate Valentine's Day and any semblance of joy and happiness.

For once, Abby was not feeling festive. She'd gotten it out of her system earlier in the week, and was now in a more subdued navy dress with little pink hearts on the edges of the sleeves. Her curly blonde hair was up in a ponytail to show off dangling heart earrings. That was all!

With the chocolate debacle yesterday morning[1] and the escape attempt from St. Mungo's[2] ruining the rest of the holiday, Abby certainly needed a break from work. During their short walk to the lifts, they passed a flurry of activity from those in red robes and others in basic black.

"Look at you in dashing red and black! You've either been love-struck by cupid's arrow or you're secretly planning on abandoning Mysteries to join us on Two. Don't tell me which. Obviously you'd only join to hang out with me in my office all day and gossip. I approve of this. Hired. When can you start?"

Abby looked at him curiously, waiting for the lift to arrive. Virgil seemed better than alright, considering what he'd been through this time last year, and the news he must have heard about Mortimer Gamp. Could he be pleased that the former Head of Nine had turned himself into an umbrella? If so, where was his sweater with umbrellas on it, celebrating the transformation?

Yavin must be wearing it first.

1.	For the Darling
2.	Attempted Breakout at St Mungo's

He was pleased to have his instincts about Abby confirmed as they made their way to the foyer - she jumped straight into conversation, like they'd been having the same old one all their lives.

            "I approve of this. Hired. When can you start?"

The lift arrived with a ding! and several serious looking wixes disembarked without sparing them a second glance. "Why, on the 30th of the month of course." Virgil quipped flippantly as they entered the carriage, waiting for the doors to shut. It was only the two of them; they had beat the lunchtime rush, which would be starting at any moment now.

"I have, in fact, been struck by cupid's arrow..." he informed her in a softer voice while the lift descended uninterrupted. "There was a thing. Last weekend. A Witch Weekly thing, a blind-dating thing. At Death & Co."

The doors opened on to the atrium and Virgil hooked his arm around Abby's, leaning in to her slightly as the pair navigated the hall towards the fireplaces. It did not occur to him to even mention the events of yesterday - the surprise of having Yavin return to nine in an absolute state, of having to hear about the incident in St.Mungo's recounted to him in great detail.

The affair was in his thoughts but he had pushed it aside. An elephant in the room of his mind.

"Long story short," he breathed in, quickly pushing on even though he was sure Abby wouldn't mind the long version either. "I have a date this Friday. A proper date. With Cepheus Gamp."

Abby glanced at Virgil, her mood lifting as they walked through the atrium. He couldn't have said anything better. Virgil, lovestruck! Blind date set-ups were usually terrible, from what she'd heard, and it was wonderful to hear that his weekend had gone well and his next weekend looked even better.

"A date?" Abby's eyebrows spiked. "A proper date! Congrats!"

Lucky Virgil! No, lucky Cepheus! She started to grin, picturing Cepheus surrounded by the assertive loudmouths on Four. Lost Boy was going on a date with Gentle Gamp.

A proper date between the established Division Head and the younger Level Nine trainee surprised her, but stranger things had happened. Abby's thoughts settled and calmed, as if pausing to leave room for a skeptical voice, and when that voice didn't sound, her own thoughts picked up again, racking her memory.

The name of Cepheus Gamp conjured thoughts of memos, letters, codes. Virgil had called him 'C' back in August, or maybe September, when she and Virgil had first become friends.

No, wait - October? October, during the Chocolates prank (again with the chocolates!), Virgil had been pining over Cepheus because... something had happened. Oh Merlin. She felt like such an asshole. Virgil hadn't talked about his crush in months, had he? After the separation from Iona in Limbo, some of Abby's memories were foggy.

She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Cepheus is 'C', right?"

It was always good to clarify! Virgil had gone on a group date at some point. She did remember that the outing had ended with Virgil modeling a blouse, which sounded just like Virgil.

Where were they going to lunch? Abby cared not. She kept a hold of his arm and stepped into the floo once he was ready.

It felt odd to be receiving congratulations over a date, yet Abby's exclamation delighted Virgil. Probably because she knew how embarrassed he had been by Ceph's rejection in October, and therefore understood why he was so thrilled by the prospect of a date with him now.

            "Cepheus is 'C', right?"

A flicker of confusion passed over his face but he quickly hid it, glancing at Abby with a nod. Yes. Cepheus was C. He had asked her to burn the initial letters of confession when they first corresponded over his crush, so perhaps she didn't have any record to look over when her memory of that time felt muddled by pentral-esque events.

Still, it worried him. "The Leaky Cauldron!" he called out, entering the floo network.

One journey and a cloud of floo powder later, the pair emerged from the Leaky Cauldron and on to Diagon Alley. He liked the Cauldron but he wasn't going to have lunch there. They were going to be hipsters today, and wander around Brick Lane.

"Anyway, it was weird," he chatted as they made their way to the wall that would lead them into muggle London. "I went back to his, after we were paired up at Death & Co. And we drank and flirted and played piano. Supposedly platonic to begin with. I was shameless."

He would continue to be shameless about it, as well. The bricks slid aside and the two stepped out into the greater world. "Shall we take the tube, muggle style?" Virgil asked. "I know a place. Best bagels in town."

"Let's," Abby agreed happily, stepping out with Virgil onto Diagon Alley. She would order a bagel that was more like dessert, and a coffee to go with it.

A shameless, drunk and flirty Virgil sounded very accurate! He must be downplaying it though, in his Virgil way. What Abby remembered most was that his affection for Cepheus had felt unrequited, and that Virgil had his blouse and a bouquet of flowers gifted to him and the connection of music to think of him by. The bittersweet details that would never become a story - until now?

"I want details," Abby warned Virgil with a grin, stealing an open seat on the Underground like a muggle pro. At this time of day, the Tube was crowded and noisy, and Abby asked questions as she thought of them, holding up a finger after each one to let Virgil know he could save his answers for the walk.

"What was his reaction when he saw you for the blind date? Was he like-" she put a hand to her heart and adopted a dopey expression.

"Who suggested going back to his?" She waggled her eyebrows shamelessly.

"Who plays piano better?" She giggled, knowing she was treading on dangerous ground. Comparing musicians!

"How many serenades have you thought up since then? And if it was platonic to begin with, what - Virgil - did it end with?"

Her voice dropped to a dramatic whisper. Details, please! They'd have to task the timey-wimey team on Level Nine to invent an extra day in February just so Virgil could tell her everything that had happened.

They left the Tube, and began the walk down Brick Lane, Abby delightedly distracted by the number of curry coupons the shop vendors gave her, and the records displayed in the window of a music store, and entire walls filled with artful graffiti.

She nudged Virgil, and stopped to snap a photo of a space ship hovering over a deep, dark lake.

Taking the tube with someone was a change from when he would get around London by himself - in those days, as a young teen, he would find a comfortable spot on the central or circle line, and eavesdrop on muggle thoughts whilst being borne to a fashionably disreputable part of town. Abby's cheeky questions distracted wonderfully from that temptation.

He grinned at her from the seat he had nabbed across, feeling eyes on them. Muggle eyes; annoyed by their chatter, or else amused, or else fond, or admiring.

Once free from the confines of the Underground, they walked at a rambling pace. Virgil explained how Cepheus had been the one to suggest going back to his flat - how the older wizard had been hesitant when he found out about his blind date, thinking that Virgil was looking to meet someone new for a quick fuck. How their tokens, two halves of a star, had met and exploded in a shower of gold glitter.

"That's quite good, isn't it?" he commented distractedly when Abby stopped to take a quick photo with her phone. His attention was levelled at the graffiti in a serious way for just a second - his thoughts on the Sphere arriving at the Ministry later in the month.

Coincidence? Or fate? Around Unicorn Girl, he leaned towards the latter. "Anyway," Virgil continued in a lighter voice. "I want to say I'm the better player but Ceph has a piano at his flat, so he probably gets more practice in."



He held the door open for Abby once they got to the Brick Lane Beigal shop. It was nice and toasty inside, full of people staring up at the backlit menu while hale women called out orders behind the counter. Someone was ordering a nutella strawberry monstrosity.

"It ended with kisses, the night." Virgil was saying as they joined the lunchtime queue. "Just kisses," he added with a flush that made him feel less inexperienced than he made himself out to be. "But... but before that. Um."

The wizard ran a hand through his hair, uncertain. "I don't know how to explain. It was weird. What's it like with you and Sasha?" Virgil unbuttoned his coat and took out his muggle moneyclip.

"I know you're prince and princess, but do you ever have like... misunderstandings? When you're not sure what the other wants?"

"Virgil," Abby said seriously, leaning in with raised eyebrows.

"You're better at piano."

She nodded. Like all Reids, she was a secret seer! She just knew these things.

She was glad to hear though, that Cepheus and Virgil had gotten through the initial awkwardness of the blind date and that it had gone well enough for them to head back to Cepheus' place and kiss.

As she glanced over the menu, Abby thought about his question, smiling at the title of Prince and Princess.

"Yeah, actually. Ever since we met. I'm going to tell you the whole story because it's funny and I can't help myself."

Mostly funny! She'd try to skip over the recent parts that Virgil already knew.

"When I first met Sasha he was dating Ferguson Amherst," Abby said, simply assuming that all cute Slytherin boys knew each other.

"So my sheltered teenage self just assumed that he wouldn't be interested in me, and I adopted him as my best friend, and I told him lots of embarrassing stories, until one day he was like 'you know, I'm a boy,' and even then I didn't understand, until finally I did. Right around the time I was trying to set him up with my good friend Neely. Who happened to be a girl that he'd liked, you know."

She laughed. "So there was that. I finally got it! But beyond that," Abby paused, sobering a little. "When I left last year, we were all flirty and romantic. And when he didn't hear from me for forever he thought, you know, that I'd decided."

She had decided to stay at the lakehouse for only a week or two, but Virgil knew the rest.

"Then I came back, and we've been taking it super slow, because-" she tapped her the side of her forehead. Pentral problems! "So we've never really had a chance for a normal relationship yet, even though that's all I want, and like, I'm hoping it actually happens."

Abby grinned, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

She turned to order a Nutella and apple slice monstrosity, along with a coffee. Remembering that Virgil had offered to treat her, Abby waited for him to order too, ignoring a curious onlooker behind Virgil who had been listening in.

"Anyway! What happened before the very exciting kisses?"

Abby asked as they turned to snag a table.

He could always rely on Abby to be on his side. Not in a creepy, won't-call-you-out-if-you're-shitty-way, but in a you-play-piano-better way. Even when he said things flippantly, she seemed to know how to zero in on what needed reassuring.

In the case of her and Sasha, the squib was possibly more reassuring than she realised. Virgil listened without interrupting - his expressions were cues enough, eyebrows going up in recognition of names and then slightly down at sobering references to her time away at the lake house. What comforted Virgil most was how she made it seem normal for misunderstandings to happen.

She and Sasha had gone through friendship, flirting, missed opportunities. Now they were standing before one another, with the possibility of more.
 
            "...even though that's all I want, and like, I'm hoping it actually happens."

"Well, if Sasha's not an utter fool, I don't see why it shouldn't happen." Virgil remarked while he paid. "As far as I can see? You're both made for each other."

He said it with typical flippancy, yet his voice was soft and not a little warm. Sometimes he wondered if Schlagenweit was too much; not in terms of personality but in terms of generosity. He was the kind of person who would buy a girl a petting zoo if he found out she liked animals instead of, say, just taking her out to one.

They both headed for the counter tables at the window and a couple of free stools at the very end.

"We were flirting and drinking, before the... exciting kisses, as you call them." Virgil slid on to a stool, swinging his long legs. "I asked him to play music with me, on his piano, so we played and sang and..." he trailed off and bit his lower lip.

Someone called out their order. He quickly got up to fetch them, bringing the two bagels back on plain paper plates. Abby's nutella monstrosity was fabulous.

"So Cepheus started playing this song," the wizard continued, not quite meeting Abby in the eye as he took the pickle out of his bagel. "It's a muggle song. Maybe you know it? The Man[1] With the Child in His Eyes? It's like, about a younger person yearning for her older lover."

Something about Abby's explanation of her own situation made Virgil feel like he could also do the mature thing and use actual words to explain things instead of going about it the aloof, Slytherin way.

"I was singing it and I, um." Virgil lowered his voice, leaning in. "I looked into his thoughts," he whispered. "I had to. We'd been flirting all night and he was playing that song and I needed to know what he was thinking, if I was reading too much into it. Then I saw that he was panicking on the inside. He liked me, but he was worried about leading me on."

Virgil paused to take a bit out of his food, almost vindictively. "In the end I kind of just called him out for being indecisive. He clearly felt something for me but I wasn't the one dithering, you know?"

1.	Kate Bush!

Abby did not know that song, but she whipped out her mobile and looked it up. The Man with the Child in His Eyes, by Kate Bush. Found! Lyrics, also found! Abby set the mobile next to Virgil on the table so he could glance at it and understand she was not being completely rude.

"He did not," Abby gasped.

The man could have picked any song, and he'd picked one that so directly referenced Virgil's feelings for him. As if Virgil needed the reminder! As if Virgil needed to sing it to him!

No, Cepheus should have been brave enough to play a song that reflected his own feelings, or at least the confusion he was feeling. That was Abby's critical, unsolicited review, if Cepheus ever asked.

Abby was carefully cutting the nutella monstrosity into four neat pieces, because obviously she needed to eat and talk at the same time, but she'd only gotten about one piece done when Virgil leaned in and whispered. He hadn't minded singing it, exactly. He hadn't minded, but he'd gone ahead and peeked into Cepheus' head to find out the truth.

Raising her eyebrows, Abby blinked politely at Virgil, the apple slice sliding off her bagel and plopping onto her plate. She abandoned her food, for now, and took a sip of coffee.

"Ooo," she said approvingly, then grimaced as she considered what that meant.

He probably shouldn't have done that. Hadn't Virgil peeked into his head before, and Cepheus had been startled and unhappy about it?

What he'd told her in October was coming back bit by bit.

"I'm not going to comment on the peeking," she waved her hand in the air. Yet.

"Was he-" Abby paused. "I'm betting that he reacted better this time, since it ended in kisses eventually."

And she was betting there was a whole conversation that he was going to tell her about before he mentioned the kisses again.

It was an immense relief to hear Abby express incredulity at Ceph's choice of song... Virgil had wanted to tell someone so badly, to see if they would find it surprising too.

He took a bite of his salt beef bagel and swallowed sheepishly as the squib said she wasn't going to comment on the mind-peeking.

His food felt cold in his stomach. This was the weird bit of the blind date. The awkward bit, because awkwardness seemed inherent to all relationships in different forms or instances.

"He was upset about the peeking. Naturally." Virgil sighed softly, hoping nobody overheard him out of context. "That was after I got upset, though, because he assumed all I wanted was a quick fuck or whatever. And I know --" he met Abby in the eye briefly, remembering her cousin[1], Malachi, "-- I've been slutting it up since Anton, but that's different."

The lunchtime crowd was only growing, the hubbub of conversation helping to mask their own. "So I told him that. And I promised I'd try not to peek anymore. And he was lovely, and we kissed. He's a good kisser."

His sigh, this time, was more precious. The bagel lay forgotten on its paper plate. Virgil could almost smell Ceph's cedar perfume now, thinking of the older wizard and the way they had kissed on the piano bench.

"I think that might have been the first time I didn't sleep with someone right away," he added thoughtfully, returning to earth to flash Abby a careless smile. "That's my tale, fair lady."

1.	4th Feb - City Sang Such Mad Crescendo

Abby raised her eyebrows and shot him a grin at his eloquent 'slutting it up' summary. Good for him! Apparently he'd needed the stress relief. Obviously though, Cepheus was different, and Virgil had been infatuated with him for months, and therefore the kissing was a big deal.

Abby sipped her coffee, happy to be included, as it had been a while - several months, even - since most of her friends had felt comfortable sharing the details of their lives with her. Not the minutiae, but the important stuff, like romances and family drama and workplace gossip. She was in a place to hear it now, she hoped.

Which was why she chose not to comment on the mind-peeking so early on. Everything was lovely and they were both sitting here, sharing lunch and looking forward to their romantic futures - Virgil with C, and she with Sasha. Abby looked out the window, glimpsing their reflections in the glass, both rosy and blond.

If Virgil had peeked because he'd felt upset, he was definitely going to peek again. That feeling was bound to happen again. So V couldn't blame it on feeling. Cepheus should expect this if he were truly older and wiser, but not everyone had Abby's secret seer skills, and maybe they'd just go on a few dates and that would be it. It didn't have to turn into a relationship, though she knew that Virgil likely hoped it would.

She'd be there for Virgil no matter what, just as he was. He'd told earlier, through his tone if not his words.

Friendship was having the highest hopes for each other despite any evidence to the contrary.

"I'm excited for you," she glanced at him with a warm smile. He'd had a wonderful blind date, which was one of the rarities of the world.

"The tale's not quite over. There's a sequel. A series!" She teased. "What are you doing for your proper date this weekend? What will you be wearing?"

The most important question.

Abby took a bite of her Nutella monstrosity. Delicious!

He had drawn a picture for Abby - and the one he drew was possibly as close to the truth as he'd told anyone. Virgil felt better for it; to have a friend with whom he could share this. It made him realise that he wasn't keen on telling all the world about his date with Cepheus... that he wanted to approach the new endeavour gently, as gently as one of Ceph's quieter smiles.

Abby's bright manner grounded him. Virgil resumed nibbling at his bagel, while in the background a large group of muggle office workers were trying to get their orders straight at the counter.

"He sent me roses yesterday morning," the wizard touched his jacket lapel unconsciously, where he had pinned a rose yesterday. "But I've no idea what he has planned... dinner, I think. I've never been courted like this either, it's an odd feeling."

In a way, he thought nothing of it growing up. Virgil was the kind of child who went straight from learning to read to reading proper books; he had only discovered children's literature as a teenager. For him to have skipped traditions of courtship seemed natural. Up until now.

His hand smoothed down the lapel and he picked at his shirt collar instead. "I'm wearing a lace blouse[1]! Divine thing. Earrings too, if I can find any to match."

Virgil would base the rest of his outfit on the blouse, which he picked (a) as a throwback to Ceph's lace shirt and. (b) to show off his nipple piercing. But Abby didn't need to know that.

"What are you and Sasha doing this weekend? Or have your Valentine plans come and gone?" he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows in mock suggestiveness. "Did you get chocolates or did he buy you a whole chocolate factory? Actually..." Virgil cocked his head to the side abruptly.

He had remembered something. "I got some chocolates yesterday[2] but they weren't from Ceph. I hope I haven't any anonymous admirers."

1.	Lace blouse!!
2.	14th Feb - For the Diviner

Roses! Cepheus had sent Virgil roses. Abby hoped Virgil had taken a picture of the bouquet, even it were a mental picture to store in his mind palace.

Abby told him so, and that she approved of his outfit choice, and that she wanted to hear about Ceph's surprise later.

She was about to respond to his eyebrow waggle with a list of Sasha's loveliest qualities, but she didn't get the chance. Virgil mentioned the taboo word: chocolates.

"I'm sure you have lots of admirers," Abby said easily, her eyes lighting up at this new mystery.

"But who would secretly send you a Valentine's Day gift?"

It hadn't been her! She would have taken the credit and sent cutesy clues to her friends so they understood she wasn't purposefully messing with their hearts. Heartbreaker Abby.

"Oh my god, wait," Abby put her cup of coffee down. "Let's circle back to that."

She could leave the office, but the meeting lingo followed her everywhere.

"Sasha and I are celebrating this weekend," Abby held a finger up - question one answered. "Yesterday was insane for both of us on Levels Two and Nine, so that was a no-go."

Virgil should know.

"But this weekend! It is happening. Also, on Tuesday, I'm planning a surprise birthday party for him and you should definitely be there. I'll send you the details." Abby paused. "Please remind me to send you the details. Like I said, Level Two has been a little nuts."

Mostly due to St. Mungo's, but there was another reason that Virgil might not know. She turned in her seat, facing him more fully.

"There was a chocolates incident yesterday," Abby lowered her voice, considering how much to tell him. Her boss had sent out a memo (he loved memos!) to the other departments informing them of a 'security breach' that had to do with 'a consumable item', but knowing the other department heads, they probably hadn't read it yet or bothered to tell their underlings.

"I saw the whole thing. I had nothing to do with it," she held up her hands. "But someone sent a really creepy box of chocolates to Fauna, of all people. I happened to be around, decorating, and this lawyer strolls on by, and she stops and grabs a chocolate - right off Fauna's desk, mind you- and she pops it her mouth, and then - ugh, Virgil," she put her hands over her mouth and laughed.

It wasn't funny, but she couldn't help it.

"There were like, beetles in there. Lots of little beetles and lots of huge beetles. Some of them still alive. We thought it was a gross prank at first."

Abby hesitated.

"It's not" she said carefully, chickening out at the last second. The report had passed by her desk. Whether Virgil would want to know, or Fauna would want others to know, Abby knew very well that the higher ups were still looking into who had sent it.

For now, she left it at that.

He had eaten about as much of the bagel as he could (two thirds) and neatly folded up the rest of it in sheets of napkin paper while Abby explained that her Valentine's, much like his own, began later. A weekday Valentine's meant people either celebrated the weekend before or the weekend after; it helped split restaurant crowds, at least, by turning the event into a week long affair.

"Birthday party, details," he repeated succinctly and pocketed the leftover lunch, "I'll remind you."

They circled back to chocolates - as was bureaucratically prophesied. Virgil twisted open his bottle of sparkling water, brow wrinkling worriedly. Creepy chocolates to Fauna?

He drank, and sat straighter without realising it. Fauna Blake, Fauna Blake. Things just happened to the witch Fauna Blake. "Beetles," he huffed a laugh at Abby's amusement. "I wonder why beetles."

Beetles could be very pretty but nobody, he supposed, wanted to bite into one. Or several. He hadn't even touched the chocolates that were sent him. What if...?

"I have a bad feeling about all this." Virgil remarked, looking out the window as people wandered by in their happy muggle lives. "I wonder if I ought to have a go at scrying again. Did I tell you, about my scrying Alec Carter's death?" he glanced at Abby. "I had been trying to scry something for Fauna when I picked up that vision. I haven't tried scrying since."

It was one of those things gone unsaid on Nine. The vision had been so visceral, he didn't want to try again. Yet.