Graduation Beyond Naiveté

And they were back on the stoop, with only a book and some suggestions to help them along their way. Dom wished they had an actual answer, a diagnosis of sorts or some magic potion that could restore Declan. If it weren't so obviously eating at him, she wouldn't care. He could dye his hair purple and develop an odd whistle and she'd probably find a way to get over it. But he wasn't feeling himself, and that was not fair to him. He had been brave and selfless, and he was still being punished for it.

She wanted the best for him. And this wasn't it. She was going to stick by him until they fixed this.

She hoped he knew that.

He picked up Dom and turned towards her, and he pulled on a smile, surely for them, and she felt a warmth of rush for the man in front of her. Declan had hardly slept, had hurt himself, and had been vulnerable about his failings - and here he was, putting on a brave face. He was a better man that he realized.

There were a lot of things she needed to tell him more.

Her affection was probably shining through as she reached out to catch his hand again, giving it a squeeze as she drew near him and rested her head against his shoulder. "I wouldn't mind annoying Henry. We could do lunch. I think we've earned it."

When they arrived at the Ministry, Declan was hesitant to set Anette down at first. It was a big place, yes, but he was more anxious about the decision he'd just made. Maybe because he thought that Dom might actually fight him on it, or be disappointed in him somehow. As if he were giving up or something, rather than taking the path he least wanted to.

That thought in itself was enough to set his pulse racing. Why was he so against doing this? It had been... a week? A week and a day? This was so bad.

Predictably, Henry was not in his office when they arrived. Instead, he was down the hall, leaning into Maude's doorway as he asked something about some article or other. He glanced up when they approached, though, and told her he'd check in later.

"Hey," he greeted them, staring openly at Anette. Declan frowned but returned it as casually as he could. So it was into Henry's office that they went, Ant finally getting to touch the floor as they walked down the hall.

"Henry," Declan began, gesturing towards their little friend, "This is Ant." Henry's eyes widened, just enough for his friend to know that he was finally putting two-and-two together. It hadn't been more than a few days, as Dec had recognized earlier, but he'd somehow forgotten? Must have something to do with.. office politics or something. Definitely the Or Something part. "By the way, can I borrow a piece of parchment? I need to write something down so I don't forget."

Henry squinted a little but dug it out for him anyway, and Declan quickly got to work, folding the page and sticking it in his pocket. Then, he glanced at Dom as he spoke up again. "Dom was saying it might be nice for all of us to grab a bite. Got time, mate?"

Poor thing that he was, Henry had no idea what to think of all of this. But he did, indeed, have time. And he was hungry. So of course he was going to say yes.

Dom still wasn't all that sure that Henry liked her. Despite how far she and Declan had come, she could still remember the distrust in his eyes when looking at her, and her sinking feeling that he would never like or approve of her. In truth, he had more than a little right to have regarded her so uncertainly, and he had probably understood better than Declan just why she was so certain she was going to hurt their mutual friend.

But things had changed, time had passed, and she had accidentally grown up. She couldn't even remember the little decisions that led to this new Dom, not really, but somewhere between distancing herself from Roxi, trying to find a career she could find joy in, and falling head over heels for the right sort of man - she had stepped into a new skin that was slightly more adult, more willing to take a chance, less afraid of tying her destiny up with someone else's.

She questioned herself constantly. Dom was never really certain that she was doing anything right, and she still worried for the day when she messed up with Declan. But since she had more or less flopped into his life, he had been this point of strength, a pillar of certainty, even when he so clearly wasn't certain or strong. Because he always tried to be just strong enough, just certain enough to make up for her own failings.

He had seen Teddy. It was a start. They'd start there. She'd consider talking to Rose in vague terms to see if there was anything else for her to know. And they'd go from there. If he needed her to be strong for a little while, she could do it.

And if that meant telling Henry what for and getting him to trust her, she could do that too.

She shot Declan a curious glance as he pocketed the paper, but kept up with an air of confidence as she glanced around Henry's office, making an offhand comment about liking his office.

Lunch was a go, and Dom's hand found Declan's, lacing her fingers with him, hoping that he could feel her sentiment. He didn't need to be strong for her. She could be his pillar for awhile.

When they moved into the hall, Declan slipped the note to Henry, who tucked it into his jacket pocket. Now that he had set the problem of Ant's parents into motion, he felt more at ease. They passed by Maude's office again and Declan lifted an eyebrow, wanting to ensure that she would show up at the weekend for Henry's party. She blushed and looked away, which he took as an affirmative.

So they made their way down to eat, Ant bouncing along beside them. By the time they left, Henry had sneakily read it and gave his best mate a pointed look. He would look into things as soon as he could, if only to make life easier on Declan and Dom.

When night rolled around, Declan couldn't tell if she wanted to return home or not, but he did need to tell her what was going on. Clearly, she'd have noticed something was wrong by now. And hadn't he promised to be more open with her? The last thing he needed was for Dom to think that he was lying about something, or hiding even more problems. Particularly regarding his health.

So once Anette was snuggled in for the night, he drew her into his room and put up a silencing charm. This, much like their shouting the night before, was something she did not need to accidentally hear. He tried to behave normally, going about his evening routine of getting ready for bed. But he had to tell her.

"I know you saw that note I made for Henry," he started, glancing over at her. "I, uh.. I asked him to help find Ant's parents. He's got contacts at the Ministry, so he agreed. I'm.. concerned about it, admittedly, but I think we both know that this isn't the place she's meant to be. I just know that, with our plans for Christmas and what's going on with me and then with your courses... Nothing is working in her favor if she tries to stay with us, y'know? We've gotta figure out what's going on with her parents so we can get her where she needs to be."

Dom was finding that things weren't as different as she thought they would be once she and Declan had actually committed to each other. She wasn't sure what had given her the impression that everything would change but she was happy to find that she was proven wrong. At lunch, Declan and Henry joked and teased as usual, and her stories that revolved mostly around her recent embarrassments and failures had all of them laughing. Even the addition of Ant didn't seem so strange. For two people so seemingly ill-equipped for responsibility, she and Declan had a knack for handling the little girl.

Back at Declan's place, which felt more and more like home each day, it struck Dom just how much time she had spent with Declan, and how long it had been since they had been able to enjoy each other's company. She would be so glad once she was out of culinary school. Not just for the accomplishment itself, but because she missed these times with Declan. She had never considered her the sort to prioritize career or money over people, and she couldn't wait to get back to the people in her life.

Merlin, she wondered if Rose was worried about her.

As she pulled on a t-shirt for bed (yes one of Declan's old shirts he had wanted to throw out that she found too comfy to let him part with) he spoke, and the pauses in his words and the hesitation reminded her just how invested he could get into something when he really cared. She nodded. "Of course. Having the full story should probably be a priority anyway. I 'ran away' a few times as a kid - always because Victoire finished off all the strawberry ice cream." She offered a small smile. "Point is, we should know. And if she needs anything... we'll be here. Right?"