Got a Light?

[Brady Quirke]

He needed money, and he needed it as soon as possible. It was either pay the angry Indian he'd gotten his fix from last week - emphasis on angry - or he would be missing a significant number of teeth come Thursday. It wasn't that he'd stolen anything... Brady really did plan on paying him back! He was true to his word! The only thing was that his word was rather flexible, you see, and many didn't exactly care for that particular characteristic. But, hey, he'd survived this long in the underbelly of society, and he wasn't going to let a couple of sickles ruin his heart-winning smile.

The purpose of his lurking about the Hog's Head was simple: pickpocket a well-off looking stranger. If he did it carefully enough, they wouldn't even notice. Plus, there were enough delinquent types hovering around the pub that the chance of him being caught after the act was slim to none. Plans weren't his thing, but he'd done this enough in the past in Belfast to have the parameters down pat. Cocking up was a habit of his, sure, but this time, he had a rather personal reason to not cock up.

It was almost Christmas, and even though he'd been naughty all year, he wasn't asking for that much. Someone entered the alleyway and walked in his direction, now, most likely trying to get to the main entrance of the Hog's Head, a little ways ahead of him. Fishing for a cigarette in his coat pocket, Brady placed it in his mouth and rubbed his bare hands together for warmth, side-eyeing the person coming towards him. Merlin's fucking balls, he was a sight for sore eyes! And he certainly looked well-off enough to "lend" a soul in need some sickles.

"Do ye got a light?" he asked around the cigarette when the man neared, pushing himself out of his leaning position and off the wall. He couldn't help his wandering gaze trying to figure out what was underneath those layers, wondering what those lips would feel like pressed against his neck, moaning... This train of thought wasn't making it any easier to decide to rob the bloke. Actually, it sort of caught Brady off guard. He let his steely - or as steely as someone like he could get - facade slip, the corner of his mouth twitching into a half smirk.

  

[Levictus Lawrence]

Levictus honestly hated the winter holidays. Every year he struggled to find a place to call home or people to call family. He had last spent a Christmas with his family roughly five years ago. Possibly longer as he often opted to stay at Hogwarts. Now, he was back at Hogwarts but eager not to spend too much time there yet eager to not be alone. He was making things hard for himself and he could honestly say it was not deliberate. There was one factor of his life in the castle that played into the realities of why he was in such a mess of the mind; Mr Jameston, the boy he had been intimate engaged with when the curse had broken. So intimately engaged that Levictus was almost certain that what they had done was against the laws of reality. Levictus would not complain, he had enjoyed it, enjoyed the way sexual intimacy felt so incredibly different to that of a woman. It was these thoughts that plagued Levictus' mind when he nearly walked right through the young man speaking to him.

Levictus slowly let his eyes fall to the features of the smirking male before him, or down below him, considering Levictus' height meant he was often looking down to everyone. Levictus at first assumed the male was female, due to the height of the stranger. In all honesty Levictus firs thoughts were of what a pretty face the stranger had.

"The correct English would be 'Do you have a light?', and yes I do," Levictus pulled a silver lighter from his pocket, playing with it. He was amused by this peculiar fellow, who seemed to be trying to flirt? Maybe? "Yes, I have a light. What is it to you?" Levictus had time, enough time to play a game. Whether this stranger played along or not did not bother him in the slightest.

  

[Brady Quirke]

Brady was almost sure that is was a good idea to not rob the man; this sureness came mostly from the late realization that the man was actually really tall.

Tall. And fit as a fiddle, too.

He bit back a retort about not speaking the Queen's English, figuring he'd have a better chance with... whatever it was he was doing by giving another kind of lip. "Can I get a light, then, mister?" he asked, gaze flicking to the light for a moment before looking back, well, up. "Wha' it is to me is tha' I'm very much looking forward to a good, long... smoke." He drew out his words, removing the cigarette from his mouth with deft fingers. If the man were half as smart as his clothes made him look, he'd get the innuendo Brady'd hidden in plain sight for him.

It had been a while, alright? Even in the dim light of the alley, surprisingly empty of drunks vomiting up what they'd spent sickles on in the pub, he could tell that this man had something about him that made him attainable. "Ain't it... Isn't it only polite to share?" he scoffed, gesturing at the lighter with his cigarette.

  

[Levictus Lawrence]

Levi had enough experience in flirting to know that Brady was not doing this right. In fact, propositioning a man in public, even if it was a quiet street with only the two of them, was not a clever thing to do. For all Brady knew he could get killed just for the suggestion. The young man was in luck, however, because Levi was not about to kill him. In fact, he'd rather play a game.

"I do not share for free, kid..." Levictus felt himself smirk. "How about you make me an offer?"

Levictus pulled out his own cigarette, lighting it slowly and taking a long puff before blowing the smoke slowly out and into Brady's face. Brady was cute, incredibly attractive, rather. Levi was not ignorant to that at all. In fact, he could not help but notice it, causing him to bite very slightly on his lower lip.

  

[Brady Quirke]

Things were heating up quickly, and Brady reckoned it had very little to do with the lit cigarette between the other man's teeth nor the lighter he teased him with. Tease - yes, that was definitely a good word for this stranger! What the Irishman did, so brazenly flaunting his intentions, even alone in a dark alley screamed danger. His father had beat him for it, his mother had thought him possessed, and, hell, he'd even gotten in a fight or two because he winked in the direction of the wrong - or right, depending on how you saw it - man! But what else did he have to lose? His life? Brady had stopped caring about that some time ago, in the space between the daydreams and nightmares that haunted his every puff of breath.

"Ye want me to proposition ye for a light?" he said in a conspiratorial whisper, obviously feigning shock and returning to lean on the wall. He fanned the air in front of his face to get rid of the smoke the man had blown "I'm afraid I don't have much t'offer ye, really..." he trailed off. Brady looked down for a moment, finding an obscure piece of ground to focus on and running a finger slowly over his the lower of his parted lips. He hadn't missed the other man biting his own, not at all. If that was the game he wanted to play, with little subtle gestures and hidden meanings, Brady would try his darnedest to keep up.

  

[Levictus Lawrence]

Levictus would be lying if he said he was not incredibly turned on by the young man. His rebellious nature, his accent, it was all incredibly appealing. Levictus was well aware, however, that openly succumbing to this young man might mean getting caught. It could be a trap, therefor, Levictus could not be too safe. Too safe led to hands pinning you against cold walls as metal was adjusted around your wrists. Levictus had been unfortunate enough to have been arrested in Muggle presence a few times across Europe, and lucky enough to find his wand and apparate out of the rancid cell promptly. Although none of those times had been due to the acquisition of male company. No, that was far more recent.

Levictus approached the younger male, watching him, eyes dancing over every new movement, stepping closer to him as he went to lean against the wall.

"Oh, see, a businessman would have offered me so much, already..." Levictus breathed slowly, standing only inches away from Brady, peering down at the stranger. "So what does that make you? Street dirt? Slum rat? Or an innocent bystander, waiting to ask any man who walks by for a light, in hopes their pockets will be weighed down with Knuts, and Sickles, and if you are lucky some Galleons that you believe they do not need?"

Levictus blew his smoke once more down to the shorter male, however, this time it was more calculated, to dance around his lips and nostrils, to give the man an idea of what Levictus might taste like. Levictus turned, back against the same wall and leant, smoking happily away.

"Lord Levictus Lawrence, although Levi will do fine," Levi paused, neck angling to look at Brady, holding out his hand for the street dirt to shake.

  

[Brady Quirke]

Merlin's tits, was this stranger going to make a move already? Brady was kept in suspense until he came closer to him - was he going to...? - and blew yet another cloud of smoke in his face. He bet that the man tasted like it, too, and nearly commented something along those lines before rethinking himself. This was a game they were playing, after all; if he was to win, he had to keep his cards closely guarded and to himself.

He grew indignant at the accusation that he was a thief, though he was one, for all intents and purposes. That wasn't all he was though, not at all - he was Irish and charming and funny and a wicked good lay, and that had to count for something. "I reckon that makes me... Brady Quirke. At your service, m'lord." Taking is outreached hand and giving it a strong shake, he nodded in recognition at the man's greeting and smiled cheekily.

Figuring he'd basically been caught anyways, Brady took out his wand and muttered a charm to ignite the end of it, pressing it to the tip of his cigarette and watching as it lit. He stuck his wand back into the inside pocket of his coat and left his hand there while he inhaled and exhaled, removing the cig at the last minute to breath out a perfect 'O'. He had way too much plenty of practice. "And, really, should I expect any Galleons from a man who's teasin' me with his lighter when I ask for a light? I dunno." Even as he sassed the man, he couldn't keep a giddy smile off his face because this was flirting, and Brady was going to lay chatting up, arguably, one of the most attractive men in Hogsmeade. What a turn his night has taken...

  

[Levictus Lawrence]

Levictus settled on the thought of how much better that handshake would have felt if he had not been wearing gloves. Due to Levictus height everything about him was relatively large, although he had a nice sized nose, but his hand was large and so often engulfed the hand of whoever he shook. Levictus was enjoying this meeting with the thief.

As Brady's wand came out Levictus readied himself to have to grab his own, but was more than relieved when he didn't have to. In fact, Levictus could feel the corners of his lips twitch up, but held his face as straight as possible to avoid any awkward mistakes he may make. It was easier to reel it in when you were already holding back.

"It is starting to get a tiny bit chilly out here, Mr Quirke...something tells me we would be better off going inside..." Levictus was positive now that he knew what game Brady was playing at. The moment he had lit his own cigarette Levictus had been sure. Sure that he could play this game of cat and mous with Brady with no worries of getting caught.

  

[Brady Quirke]

Watching him carefully, he inhaled sharply once more and exhaled a ring of smoke. "Oh, is it?" he mused. The cigarette still slouched on his lips, Brady looked around the alleyway to see if anyone else was around to see them. Obviously Mr. Lawrence... Levictus, or whatever he wanted Brady to call him had a reputation to protect, what with a title and bearing such as his own. Brady had nothing of the sort, but had intentions to sully the other man's lips if only for the thrill of it, if only for the boost of confidence the rum he'd had earlier gave him.

"Lead the way, Mr. Lawrence, 'cause I could do with some warming up..." He shifted to trail just his fingertips along the other man's wrist, slowly moving down to his own fingers. Apparition required contact, and Brady had no doubt that that was in his mind and, even if he wore gloves, he was going to try his hardest to tease Levictus with touches the way he had teased him with words. It would be a sweet, sweet revenge.