On a night like this one whiskey kiss and you're swingin' from the stars

@imogen

So Kit was going to be a brother again. He was excited and happy for his parents although he was a little nervous about the prospect; now that they had two children that were biologically theirs, maybe his parents would decide they didn't want anything to do with him anymore? That thought troubled him greatly especially taking into consideration the fact that he was finally with a family who loved him and wanted the best for him. Being shoved to the side was one of the worst things imaginable for Kit. He may not show it and put on a mask, but despite everything he was just a vulnerable child looking for love and acceptance and to be able to make  his loved ones proud. He hadn't expected such big news when his parents had invited him for dinner but he was glad that was what it turned out to be. What he also hadn't expected from dinner that night, was to see the witch who was beside him.

Seeing Gen had caught him off guard, he knew his parents were still friends with her and he didn't mind. After all Samuel had seen her grow up too and Calli had turned into a mama bear when everything with Warren happened in the case of both Kit and Gen, so it made sense that they were still close he just hadn't registered it. To say having dinner with Gen was awkward would be an understatement; a giant one at that but he could tell that Gen had felt it too, she'd spent most of the night drinking wine like it was water and now; here she was very giggly, relaxed and just a little tipsy. Kit hadn't drank because he would be heading back to school that night, but he wish he'd been able to; although with how his drinking had been recently it probably was smarter that he hadn't. Samuel knew how much Kit was struggling and often scolded him for drinking so much; chances were if Kit had drank more than two glasses at dinner, or become as drunk as Gen. He'd be getting a stern owl or talking to off his parents the next day.

The sound of gravel crunching beneath their feet was a constant sound and Kit had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that when he heard a slightly scattered sound of footsteps on gravel, he had a delayed reaction when he glanced over at Gen to see her staggering a bit and he heaved a sigh. He hurried to her side and wrapped his arms around her as she began to sway a little. He knew there'd be a chance of her trying to fight out of his grip, but with the way she was being; he really didn't trust her to walk alone. "I swear down, you are a living danger." He grumbled to Imogen as he walked with her. Luckily he remembered the way to her flat from his parents, he'd walked it enough times but he'd never done it drunk or with someone drunk, so he had a feeling it was going to be a much longer task than usual.

Tonight had certainly been a surprising night. Imogen couldn’t recall when she had last had dinner with Kit either with his family or just the two of them. She had felt happy to get out of the house. She had had some homework but she thought she could put it off till the weekend. It wasn’t every day that she got to have a night off from having to cook the muggle way. Imogen could have gone out and eaten but she was so accustomed now to wallowing in her own misery. She knew it was going to be short lived. But she had lost so much in recent times that she was having difficulty seeing a way out.

Even, when she had tried to see a way out by sleeping with that guy, it had only satisfied her so much. She needed that something more solid, something that would be longer lasting. She had lost contact with her parents upon the dissolution of her engagement to Warren. She had felt so lost. Imogen was glad that Calli had taken her in and under her wing. She was not looking for sympathy. She not grown up expecting it from her parents or anyone. Her parents had taught her to be accepting and to not question anything but Kit had taught her to not be so submissive. He relationship with Calli and Samuel had progressed well until things had ended with Kit. She was happy that Calli and Samuel still invited her over from time to time but it made her feel a little awkward for a long time, since Kit had come out of hiding. It had been the perfect way to describe tonight for her.

This was partially the reason why she had seen it fit to drink wine non-stop. She knew front the moment she had finished her first glass and had her next refilled. She would be paying for this in the morning. It was evident that she was using Alcohol to ease the tension, or at least her own tension. It wasn’t going to serve her well. At least it made sure she could feel relaxed.

Imogen assumed she may have surprised Kit by being there tonight but they were all adults and they could be trusted to behave maturely. Well, maybe not her with all that she was drinking but it wasn’t going to be a recurring thing. Calli had told her that Kit had been going hard on the liquor himself and she didn’t think that was wise for him since it was harder to manage a hangover at Hogwarts then it was for her to have one at home. At least he still had his magic and could take a hangover cure potion to overcome his.

When it had come time to head home, she didn’t have all that many options open to her anymore. She couldn’t apparate. Getting a taxi had been an option but she had insisted on walking home. After all, she had walked there. She should have seen Samuel’s insistence that Kit accompany her coming. She really would be okay on her own.

Imogen hugged herself as they walked giggling at random intervals about nothing in particular. She felt the wizard beside her hug her and she looked up and glared at him. ”Let go of me!” she tried to escape from his grip before she gave up an started giggling again. ”I am not dangerous!! If I am, I could end you right here!” she stated pointing at a streetlight as they walked. Imogen had no idea how she would do that but she could dream.

When Samuel had told Kit to walk Imogen home, he'd had an almost murderous look; it was like his parents wanted them to fight, leaving them alone was a recipe for trouble. However, he'd agreed due to the fact he already didn't want his mother to strain herself and go out late at night alone, especially when she had no magic and his dad had had one too many drinks, so it was down to Kit who was sober and had magic to escort Imogen home safely. Honestly, he didn't mind he just felt a little tense as this had been the first time since they'd talked in Avalon that they'd been alone but like his parents had taught him to do, he prioritized other people first.

He wasn't sure how much Imogen had drunk, he'd lost track after the first few glasses but it was evident that she'd had way more than she should have. Kit had drank with Imogen before and normally she could handle her liquor but for the first time in a long time, she was a giggly mess beside him. Kit knew that Imogen would probably kick herself in the morning when she had a hangover, so he made a note to put some painkillers and a large glass of water on her bedside table after he'd got her into bed. It could be argued, he was being a little too protective of Gen, but he still loved the witch and that wasn't going to go away so he was going to make sure she was definitely safe before leaving her.

Kit wasn't sure how Mandy would react to all of this when he told her and he contemplated not telling her, the blonde was quite jealous of his friendship with Gen and he understood and didn't hold it against her; she'd bitched about Imogen to a few times and he had to bite his tongue when she did because he wanted to avoid arguing with her. He didn't blame her, after their kiss at the Halloween ball and then the fact she admitted that she was still in love with him, things had become messy. He loved Mandy, but he also loved Gen. He knew that love triangles were just typical teenage drama but Kit wasn't sure he could handle it right now; he was still struggling to come to terms about Phira and to talk about her to anyone, but he was training himself slowly. Part of why he'd broken up with Gen was to keep her safe. Samuel and Calliope may have adopted him and taught him right from wrong over the past year but Phineas was still his biological father and Kit knew that he had his father's violent streak. He'd lost his temper quite a few times and lashed out in ways he was ashamed to admit. With the news of Phira, he'd become more angry, more violent and he was so scared about lashing out at Imogen that at the time he'd decided it was much safer to break up with her and keep her away, even if it hurt them both. His violence was also why he kept Mandy at arms length, he didn't want to hurt anyone and he needed to focus on getting out of that violent streak before he even contemplated dating anyone.

Once he had a grip on Imogen and she began to fight him, Kit resisted the urge to roll his eyes and deliberately tightened his grip on her, she'd already nearly fallen over a few times, he didn't want her to actual stumble and fall. "I'm not letting go of you Gen." He said calmly, before snapping his gaze to her and raising his brow when she started giggling again. Despite trying to keep his game face on, the edge of his lips curled up slightly as she went on to announce that she wasn't dangerous but that she could hurt him. Kit wouldn't lie, he knew that the blonde would often fight him if he did something wrong or pissed her off and normally he ended up on the receiving end of some form of hex, so he was kind of relieved that she'd lost her magic so that hadn't happened but he'd also been punched by her once and he knew that she'd probably be able to do it again... if he stayed still long enough to let her. "Uh huh. Of course you can Gen, why don't you show me that you can take me later on when we get you home, yeah?" He asked, his tone of voice almost patronizing but he had never had to handle Imogen this drunk so he wasn't quite sure how to approach it. 

Imogen hadn’t intended to drink so much but then again, how often did people really intend to drink so much when they went out. She didn’t drink that much and when she did, she often knew how to control how much she drank. At leas when she had had her magic she had the benefit of having hangover cure potions with her. But in the absence of her magic, there was no telling if they would work or not. However, she knew that she near a whole bottle or maybe even a whole one or more than that. The quantity didn’t matter now but rather the fact that her ex fiance was walking her home. She wasn’t surprised since Samuel had drunk too much to take her home himself and she too wouldn’t want Calli coming back on her own. At least they knew that Kit could head back on his own and he didn’t have the danger his father around. Phineas had been out of his life for months now and Kit was lucky in that sense but when it came to the two of them being alone, he may not be so lucky. She was unsure how this trip back to her penthouse was going to fair. The two of them could just be silent the whole way or there could be a screaming match in the middle of the street.

Personally Imogen hoped it was the former, however she was the one who had drunk too much and therefore wasn’t in complete control of keeping her mouth shut the whole way home. It had been nice to be there tonight when Calli and Samuel had broken the news that there was soon going to be another copeland on the way. When she was a little more sober again she would realise how that news was going to impact on Kit. She knew that for a long time he had felt insignificant to his own father but now that he had Calli and Samuel for parents that feeling was a little subdues, Imoge knew that neither his mum or his dad would ever forget him even if they were having another baby.

She knew about this other girl he was friends with or whatever. She had felt jealous weeks ago but that was natural, or so she thought. She was going to be without Kit for a whole year and that other girl had him with her but she had done wrong by Kit too. Even if Kit had come back to her, Imogen would want him to be involved in the baby’s life. As they had gotten engaged, the image in her mind started to change and she started to see herself and Kit having children together. All that felt so long ago now. They were over.

When he had turned up at Avalon last week, he had been the last person she expected to see where she danced. He had really surprised her. Imogen wished he had owled or something but he knew that would have easily given her out and she could have left before he showed. He had had the cheek to say that her dancing was improving. Imogen knew very well that her dancing was improving. It was perhaps one of the few things she could do without magic. He was lucky, he still had his and so did Samuel. It wasn’t fair. Why hadn’t she been so lucky?

Imogen didn’t want Kit to have his around her whether was there giving her affection or because he was trying to steady her. The blonde witch was certain she would be able to walk home on her own. Kit did not need to have his arm around her. She looked away sneering as he spoke of not letting her go. How wonderful she thought to herself before she laughed again. ”Are…..you….enjoying yourself? Because I’m not..” she said coughing a little. She wanted to ask if he was going to tell his girlfriend about this. She would probably find Imogen getting tipsy very funny if Kit went back to Hogwarts and told her that he walked her home because she was unable to get home on her own.

”You want me to show you what I can do? Fine! You’re on Copeland!” she said looking up at him before frowning and looking away. He didn’t have to walk her home and yet, here was doing just that. He could have said no to Samuel and then just apparated home but maybe he really did still care for her, even if as a friend. Imogen’s mind was foggy at present but she was seeing that Kit did care for her on some level. ”So...a new baby huh….what do you think Calli will have?” It was far too early to tell the sex of the baby even as wizards and witches but it never hurt to ask.

Kit was trying to wrap his head around this news from his parents, he was happy for them and he loved them dearly, but there was a part of him that was worried. What if his parents forgot about him? What if they decided that now there was going to be another baby he didn’t need to be part of this family any more and would make him leave. Those worries hurt him way more than he’d admit but he was trying to hide it and keep it to himself, he didn’t want them to feel guilty or anything like that. He’d mastered pretending everything was okay from a young age and with his drinking finally under control, he didn’t want to relapse into dealing in the worst way possible.

He didn’t move from Imogen, no matter how much she wriggled and fought in his arms, Kit was expecting her to fall the minute he let go and he wasn’t going to let that happen. He’d rather argue with her then let her get hurt, his dad would kill him if he found that and he felt some responsibility to keep her safe until she was at home, it was a small thing to do but the world was big and Kit knew all too well how dangerous it was for a girl alone at night, and the fact she was so drunk just heightened his concerns. He’d always worry about Gen, but if she had magic it wouldn’t be as much. She’d have been able to defend herself, he’d still want to protect her and keep her safe, but he wouldn’t feel as much urgency as he did right now.

Kit glanced down at Gen when she spoke to him and this time he didn’t fight the urge to roll his eyes. ”Of course, I’m having a whale of a time.” He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He loosened his grip when she started coughing and stopped walking, to give her a chance to get it out of her system and he hesitantly rubbed her back. He didn’t like having to baby Imogen so much right now, but he wanted and needed too. He loved her too much to just overlook how she was right now with both the alcohol in her system and the flu. Kit made a mental note not to tell Mandy about what was going on right now, he wasn’t sure how that would end. She’d probably kick off at him and throw insults about Gen to him and he wasn’t in the mood for that, not now they were finally on slightly friendlier terms. It frustrated him when Mandy called Gen names but he just ignored it and let her vent, he understood her reasoning. In Mandy’s eyes, Gen had stolen Kit from her and to some extent she was right, but he was also his own person and he didn’t like hearing the insults. It’d be the same if Gen said anything about Mandy, but his ex was very good at keeping her thoughts to herself. Part of him admired how Mandy never worried about hurting people’s feelings but it also caused concern for him, if she said something to the wrong person it could cause trouble, but the Gryffindor was headstrong and she didn’t like to be told what to do and so Kit let her do what she wanted; he wasn’t her parents after all.

”Fine, show me.” Kit replied, letting go of Gen and holding his hands up as he stepped back before crossing his arms across his chest. Putting up a fight would annoy her more so he just let her vent and say what she needed, and if she did try to fight him; Kit could defend himself and then, of course, there was the fact he probably deserved it for hurting her. When she calmed down, he went back to her side and placed his hand, flat on her back; guiding her along and shrugging when she mentioned the baby. ”I don’t know… part of me hopes it’s a daughter because mum is so outnumbered right now.” He laughed, ”It may even it out a little. Three and three.” He continued, it was no secret that Calli and Samuel both saw Gen as a daughter and that she was part of their family, whether they were a couple or not. Tonight proved that they didn’t have to invite Gen for dinner to share their news, but they had and she’d come so, to Kit, the family bond was clear. ”What about you?” He asked, relieved that things were slightly less hostile for now.

Imogen knew now that drinking may have not been the best idea but it was far too late to correct her mistake now. With Kit being there for dinner, she knew she had to have some coping mechanism. Naturally, as she and others would in that situation where you ex-fiancé happened to be eating at the same table as you, you drank. There was no other reason why she had tortured herself as so. She had assumed that Calli and Samuel would just call a taxi for her so she could head home. Though, she knew it would have been hard to explain to the taxi driver why they were dropping her at an abandoned warehouse because that was what her building looked like to muggles. As far as Imogen recalled she couldn’t say she had ever met a taxi driver who had been a witch or wizard. Most magicals did undertake a job of magical persuasion, it was easier for them. She had forgotten, well no, she had not forgotten, she had merely pushed aside the fact that Kit had that internship. She knew that he had come by to Avalon one afternoon.

It had been of the few times she had called him Christopher. In the current state of her mind, she wasn’t sure she had ever called him by his full name before but that was not what they were here to work out. She would have killed to have had her magic for that meeting but hadn’t got it back by then and she hadn’t had it for tonight either. There was little she could do. If she wanted to hurt him, she could have punched him or kicked him. Imogen had been tempted but she didn’t want the risk of doing that while drunk and falling over or hurting herself. Once she got home she was heading straight to bed. She was going to get away from Kit as fast as she could. He didn’t deserve to be in her presence. Imogen knew it wasn’t just him who was at fault when it came to their relationship ending but she was easily going to square all the blame on him. He had been the cause of her drinking, the cause of her heartbreak and the cause of all her tears. Imogen was going to make him pay for what he had done to her.

The witch was not normally this revengeful, at least not nowadays, but she knew it was important that she put her foot down where Kit was concerned. He had been a jerk after all. There were probably stronger words she could have used to describe him but they weren’t coming to her mind right now. ”A whale? I wish a bloody whale would come and squash you! You...you prat…..” she looked up at him narrowing her eyes. She knew that was not going to happen but she could dream. She had hated being but she knew her coughing fit just now had been a result of her drinking and not thanks to the epidemic. She already had a lasting reminder of that, she didn’t need anything extra. Imogen had been sure she had felt his hand on her back but maybe it had been the alcohol playing tricks on her mind.

Imogen knew she had a perfect aim and she stayed steady, she could have hit him. In fact, she was certain she could have punched him square in the nose. She would laugh if she managed to break it but then she remembered he still had his magic, the bloody lucky git! Imogen looked up at him and stepped back before slumping against a parked car before looking over her shoulder at it. ”Oh sorry, didn’t see you there” she excused herself and went to standing as steady as she could on the pavement. Soon she felt Kit next to her. She could have kicked herself for asking him to guess if Calli would have a boy or girl. It was that dumb bitch’s fault that Kit was not a dad now, well it was Imogen’s fault too but she had to blame someone else first before she blamed herself. ”A girl would be nice…..Jem would make a great big brother…..of course he has..” she sighed before continuing. ”He has you setting an example…” she said frowning as they walked.

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