Sixteen Candles and One Heart PV Simon Kincaid Finished

Okay, Maybe NOT 16 Candles, @Simon Kincaid

Simon's 16th Birthday! And oh yeah, it's Valentine's Day

While she waited patiently for Simon to arrive, she took in the beauty of the area. Beauxbatons really was a magnifique château (magnificent castle), and the Pyrenees were absolutely stunning. She was not, however, prepared to say they were more beautiful than her homeland of Scotland and their famed Highlands. They were different from her normal so they felt a little more captivating to her for the time being. In any case, was there a more romantic country to spend one's Valentine's Day in than France? Probably not, but she and Simon had never been at a loss for romance anywhere they happened to find themselves, and there was something about being here on his 16th birthday that thrilled her down to her toes. Her English lad was becoming quite a world traveler. In addition to having Scotland and Austria on his list of countries visited, he could now add France. He just would not have a cool stamp in his Passport to show for it though. Ah well, someday probably.

Her gaze was fixed on the ice covered roses she had placed in the fountain. She had no idea how many times she had had to cast the Orchideous spell to leave him the rose petal trail, but it had been a lot. Red roses were his favorite flower, not a shocker there considering his English roots and the fact that he was a Valentine's baby... and a lover of love... but if it would have taken a thousand more castings of that spell 10 times over, she would have gladly done it. She threw some pink roses into the mix just to add some variety because why not? As she continued to look at the bouquet in the fountain, she marveled at the beauty of how the light sparkled in the ice crystals. It was these little moments she appreciated the most, even though she did do things in a big way, because it made her focus and think of details. Even if Simon would not be aware of the minutia in everything that went into this... or anything she did mostly... she knew it resonated in the big picture with him. He did not have to "see" it all to be moved by it all. Besides, it was not about him recognizing her efforts, but about him feeling cherished... because cherished he definitely was.

Everything was in place. She had checked and double-checked, and then she had double-checked her double-check. Now all she needed was her handsome hunk of a Hufflepuff. He thought she had been sleeping when he kissed her forehead before slipping off to the shower, but she had been wide awake. They had spent a good part of the night “talking” via their binding mark, and she happily had been the first to wish her boy his first “Happy Birthday!” of the day at the stroke of midnight. Some traditions, no matter where they were, would remain sacrosanct. She had even quietly snuck over to his bunk to deliver a midnight-birthday kiss (or 16). That was a first for the two of them, as neither would ever attempt to sneak into the other’s dormitory back at Hogwarts. It was a sweet series of kisses for her sweet 16 year old boyfriend, but it likely would take a few more years before it could be repeated on a regular basis and thus become a sacrosanct ritual as well.

Everything in its time.

She looked up when she heard one of the doors to the castle open. She had left quite a winding, and indirect trail for him to follow, part of which took him past the dining hall. Her stomach had been growling so she quickly grabbed a croissant for herself before continuing to drop rose petals. Priorities and all that.

When she saw Simon’s smiling face as he exited, she began to bounce step in place in her excitement. It took a great deal of self-control to not race over to him, but she wanted him to follow the rose petals to the end. It would be there he would find her and there he would also find his gift... eventually.

She was not exactly hidden, and he scanned ahead to see where the path was headed. He was not even off the porch before his smile grew wider upon seeing her. He shot off towards her, forgetting the rose petals altogether, and that was fine by AngelFyre. She knew an embrace and kiss were going to be her reward once he reached her. She was right. Much as she would have loved to stay like that for oh so much longer, it was still a school day and so time was a necessary consideration.

“Whatever you do, please do not tell Miles about the packaging for your gift. He is a great fellow, but I think he might disapprove... in scowling silence,” and she chuckled a bit as she tilted her head in the direction of his present sitting atop the heart-shaped greenery. Simon smiled as he laid eyes on the wrapped gift box.

“Oh, I don’t think he’d object to a little gift wrapping. He doesn’t seem that radical,” and he kissed her cheek while still holding onto her, but also reaching behind her for the gift. “I won’t shake it because it might be fragile, but I venture to say it is definitely smaller than a breadbox.” He self-assuredly smirked at his own comment and AngelFyre just nodded her head, posing one of the philosophical questions of the ages in response. “Can one ever be entirely certain of anything?”

By that point, Simon had removed the ribbon and had lifted the lid off to find... another wrapped box. This one was in blue and gold. He took it out and turned it around, looking it over before looking at her with curiosity lighting up his gorgeous caramel-colored eyes. The curiosity remained, thankfully, through a repeat scenario of another 13 gift-wrapped boxes. She knew Simon was no dummy and had probably figured the end goal would be 16 wrapped gift boxes, the last one of which would contain his present. He was not wrong, but he was not entirely correct either. The 16th box contained only part of his present. It was the 15th box that gave him his first surprise. It was a ghost key.

“Surprise! It is a ghost key and it will open every door at Babilstow!” she said cheekily. “Okay, maybe it will open exactly none of the doors at Babilstow, but it is a ghost key. If you listen clearly, you might even hear it say, ‘Boo!’” He just shook his head and chuckled, knowing the only way he was going to find out anything was to open the last box, but when he looked for the 16th box, he did not see it. AngelFyre remained quiet for a few seconds as she watched him mentally go over once again how many boxes he had opened. He still came to only 15 and looked to her, finally with a bit of confusion shadowing his face. She just watched him struggle a little over whether to tell her that she could not count properly to 16, or to simply thank her for the fun escapade of opening a bunch of useless packaging, only to get some silly key.

As it was not her intent to torture her fellow, she told him the box he still held had a false bottom. AngelFyre moved instinctively closer as his smile turned to relief and then to momentary shock after he got to the bottom of everything. Nested inside a bunch of cotton wadding for protection, Simon would see a small version of a blue, Honda motorcycle (an NC750X DCT to be exact). There was a note beneath it that said:

This is the real thing and it is all yours. Cast an Engorgio to see it in its full glory!

When he turned to her, he would see her holding the real key, swinging it from the tip of one of her perfectly manicured nails.

“Happy Birthday, my love. This is 100% the brainchild of AngelFyre McCubbin, but it is also 100% Aunt Maggie and Iain McCubbin approved. I, however, am more interested in knowing if it is 100% Simon Kincaid approved?” and she laughed as she knew it 100% would be.

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Simon's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he realized she had not simply given him a model of a motorcycle. When he still thought it was just a toy in those first moments, he looked content enough, but not particularly moved one way or the other. In fact, she thought he looked a little more delighted at the ghost key overall. AngelFyre scrutinized his every movement, however, as he meticulously examined each and every detail. The color, above everything else, would be the first thing she knew that would truly capture his attention. He almost immediately turned towards the early morning light, something his dhampir self would not normally do, in order to get a better sense of it. The blue gleamed and sparkled beautifully in the soft, amber light. He then held it flat in his palm at one point and hefted his hand a couple of times as one does when trying to guesstimate the weight of something. He looked as if he were about to say something when his eye caught sight of her note. She watched as he read it once and then read it again.

Crickets.

And then there it was. Whew! That dumbstruck silence followed by momentary disbelief that this was no toy... it was the real deal. "No!" he said tentatively. But then he rapidly followed on the heels of the first "No!" with another more exuberant one as the realized hope that his girl would not be so cruel as to play this kind of joke on him began to light up his face. Any lingering doubt was removed the moment he turned towards her and saw her holding the real key.

Now, she knew fact certain her boy had uber quick dhampir reflexes, but AngelFyre would have been hard-pressed to have a thought of a time when she saw him move any faster than he did in those seconds to get his wand out. In a flash he placed the cycle on the icy ground, making sure to put the kickstand down first, and then he moved back to quickly cast his "Engorgio!" on the tiny blue cycle. Within the blink of an eye it appeared before them in its full-sized glory. Simon circled it a couple of times, running his hands over it and just taking it all in, his eyes sparkling even more brightly as he did so.

Her Hufflepuff was always one to keep his cool, but honestly, this was as close to an equivalency of her bounce-stepping in place when excited that she was likely ever to see from her boy. She knew she had hit a home run, even if he was teasing her about not knowing quite yet if it was 100% Simon Kincaid approved. It was. It definitely was. Her merry laughter at his pleasure brightened and warmed the atmosphere even more in that chilly, early morning courtyard as he reached for the key dangling from her finger.

“Now slow your roll here a moment, handsome,” she cautioned just slightly as she dipped down to get the first of the two helmets from her enchanted satchel. “I struggled with whether to hold off and give this to you when next you were in London, because you could actually ride it then,” and she stopped for a beat as the bothersome thought registered with him that this beautiful, electronic beast would not work amidst all of the magic surrounding them in France’s renowned wizarding academy.

It was a bummer, she knew, but she had determined, from the day he had first straddled a motorcycle at her home during spring break of 2022, that this would be what she wanted to give him for his 16th birthday. She had figured they would be at Hogwarts at the time, but operationally, this was no different. Magic was magic no matter where they were.

Part of what moved her to hold onto this idea so steadfastly was her father. He had told her stories about how he had gotten his first motorcycle on his 16th birthday, and how thrilling it had been. AngelFyre knew Simon would find this thrilling, but it was still just a motorcycle. The boy was a broom racer. She doubted there was anything that she could ever give him that would match that thrill. But what her father had also told her was, more than anything, that cycle had represented a rite of passage for him. He was not yet a man at the time, but he was on the precipice. That was what AngelFyre wanted Simon to have... on this day... his day.

A rite of passage.

But would he see it that way? He may not. Or he may, and she might never know. “If I had waited until London, there was no guarantee that I could be there to see your reaction, and selfishly, I wanted to see it,” she chuckled as she handed his helmet over to him. “I am glad I did it this way. It would have been awful to miss seeing that gleam in your eyes.” And then she reached down for her own helmet and rested it on her jutted out hip while she continued.

“I have had this in mind for you for years,” and she chuckled. “I told Daddy about it last summer. I wanted, and needed, his expertise in picking out the right bike for you. The only three things I had in mind was that it had to be highly safety rated, dependable, and that I wanted it to be a good commuter bike for you when you started at St. Mungos. Daddy did most of the mechanical and ratings research for me and presented me with some good choices over this past Christmas break. I was checking out motorcycles with him in London on Christmas Eve before meeting up with you at the Cathedral for mass later that night. You should have seen him Simon. He enjoyed doing that so much, and he spoke at length with Aunt Maggie and Mark about it, so they are onboard with this as well.”

AngelFyre took in a breath and smiled deeply at him. “I know the man loves me more than his own life, but for a little while, he had a son, you know? Whether you knew it or not, and I know you did not, that was your real gift to him at Christmas.” She straightened her posture and then continued. “He let me choose which one, telling me they were all solid choices, so I picked that one,” and she nodded over at his cycle. “He said that was the one he would have chosen as well. It is not only a great commuter bike, but it is great for sportier adventures too.”

“My personal touch is the color. This model came in blue, but their idea of blue was more of a turquoise, and that I did not think you would be as crazy about. The good thing about your magical girl is that she knows a coloring spell or three. You have a bespoke color right now, but if you want a different shade, my feelings will not be hurt.”

Her incredibly good-natured boyfriend, whom she knew had to be a bit disappointed at not getting to ride his present any time soon, only smiled and took her other hand, twirling her around as he often did before pulling her in, up close and personal, for a delicious kiss. “Thank you, love. This is - beyond amazing." She knew she was blushing. She loved that, even after all this time together, the boy could still make her blush. Then her blush turned to delighted laughter as he got at least one motor running... hers... when he conflated one of the saucier scenes from the movie ‘Top Gun’ with her 100% approval speechifying from earlier.

"I feel the need, Miss McCubbin..."

“... the need for speed, Mr. Kincaid!!!”

AngelFyre finished the line enthusiastically, without missing a beat. She loved this throwback to their first night on the Great Lake and moved closer to the cycle, donning her helmet just in the nick of time to hide her hormonal appreciation... okay... mouth-watering gawking... at the sight of her very own Top Gun mounting his cycle. Dang her fellow was H O T! He had cast a Quieting charm on the cycle before she had reminded him that they could not turn it on, but as she mounted it and settled in behind him, wrapping her arms around is waist and pressing herself into his back, all she could picture was the scene in the movie where Mav and his girl were racing off in the sunset as Jerry Lee Lewis’ ‘Great Balls of Fire’ played in the Background.

Thinking on the riding off into the sunset scene again, she sat up and took her helmet off, hooking it to the tail light behind her. She reached in front of Simon and unclasped his helmet too, and removed it, marveling that as always, his hair never seemed to get messed up. "Go ahead and hook it to the handlebar," she suggested as she handed it over to him. "I find I needed better access to you and it was in the way, " and she chuckled.

“So, maybe if we wish hard enough, because, ya know, it IS your birthday, this thing just might take off anyway. Maybe all we have to do, Mav, is sing Great Balls of Fire. Or maybe... jusssssst maybe... that quieting charm you cast will work on my caterwauling that, ya know, I try passing off as singing.”

Then she leaned in closer and whispered in a breathy, sing-song cadence in his ear. “Or you can just sing and let me know if I shake your nerves and rattle your brain? Is too much love driving you insane? Have I broken your will? Was it a thrill? Goodness gracious....” but she did not finish as she was too busy nibbling on his ear lobe at that point, delighting in the goosebumps that had suddenly taken up residence on his delectable neck.

“I only plan to stop this torture if you can tell me why your invitation was an owl this morning,” she breathed as she then flicked her tongue just behind his ear. “So you see, how long this continues really depends upon you, Mav.”

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She smiled against the back of his neck as he teased that he may just fall silent, or give all the wrong answers, if giving the correct one would have her cease and desist her pleasurably torturous ministrations.

"Good answer, love," she relayed to him silently through their binding mark, "as I feel nowhere close to being done torturing you...." There was a but that was to have been tagged to the end of that sentence which would have put the brakes on everything, but she was a little too slow... or his motor was now revving a little too quickly. Either way, any thought of braking was long forgotten. All she knew was that he had turned around and was now facing her on the cycle, and mere talking was definitely not what his lips’ most directed purpose was in those moments.

And making any protestations about that fact was most certainly not hers.

She did briefly brush against amusement as he made the distracted attempt at answering her question about why an owl had been his invitation. Funny how his mind worked as he went all the way back to the first origami invitation... the dragon. "Yes, dragons are amazing and so are –" but her words of agreement that he, too, was amazing halted in their march to utterance when his moist kisses along her neckline were electrified with huffs of his warm breath, sending spine tingling thrills radiating throughout her body.

She was lost to responding to anything he managed to propose as an answer in those moments, but the idea that he thought the rabbit had been chosen because it represented fertility struck her as particularly fascinating, even while she was marinating in her hormonal fog, or who knows... maybe because of it. That misconception she would address with him later as it had had nothing to do with his musing whatsoever, at least consciously, but had had everything to do with those years being the year of the dragon and the year of the rabbit. The problem had been, however, that she had wanted to give him a fabulous dragon firework on his 14th birthday, and she did, but the inconvenient thing of it was that it was the year of the rabbit. She decided to go with the dragon in the year of the rabbit anyway because it fit her theme... and because Simon was absolutely enthralled with dragons. She used the rabbit the following year, in the actual year of the dragon, just to sort of even it all out. She called it the year of the 'drabbit', and even offered to be his snow bunny for the day, but he had the very bad timing of falling sick on his birthday, so there was snow fun there.

"And the owl, because, they're wise, and I'm.....sometimes wise. Now and then." Her thinking, the little of it she was doing in those deliciously heated moments, was rapidly giving way to other stirrings. "But nothing like you," he added. Unnnnnngggggh. Simon brought her to the edge of this wondrous, mysterious place often, and it was as frustrating to have to leave it as it was exhilarating to reach it. Yet somewhere deep... deeeeeeep... in the recesses of her heart and mind, AngelFyre knew he had stirred something else. Alarm bells. Whether it was due to her conscience or her faith or the wisdom he had just attributed to her having, AngelFyre reluctantly... very reluctantly... pulled back.

Placing both her hands on his chest and pressing him back, she mimicked the actions of a pushu-pullmi (distant cousin to the much rarer pushmi-pullu), forging a small distance between them. It was still probably not enough of a distance to make his nuns back home happy, but it was just enough to get oxygen to their brains and allow for more clear thinking. From both of them.

She smiled breathlessly at him, and said nothing. He smiled back at her with the same breathlessness. After a few deep breaths, he reached for her hand and simply kissed the back of it before lowering both of them to rest upon his thigh.

“S_o,” she started, but her voice dropped unexpectedly. She swallowed and started again. “So, I like your thinking on the whys behind all of the invitations. Quite clever you definitely are, but not at all correct.” She noted the jaunty cocking of his head to the side and the raising of not one, but both of his eyebrows as a playful little smirk was beginning to dress his lips. “I think I really must have rattled your brain,” she said with some degree of smug satisfaction, “as you once upon a time knew, but I have faith that it will come back to you,” and she chuckled, leaning forward just the slightest bit to kiss his cheek.

“I broke with the Chinese zodiac this year in favor of the owl, because, it just seemed so obvious to me. This is the year you got Perseus, for one, and that I know is a big deal for you... and for Percy... but really, Percy’s entry onto the scene was a serendipitous bonus. I had decided on an owl for your invitation this year... well over a year ago... because you are a 5th year and it is the year of O.W.L.S. per the Hogwarts zodiac,” and she chuckled again. “I wanted to give you an owl that you could look at without feeling any pressure, stress, or dread. Percy beat me to that, and for your sake, I am glad he did, but I stand behind my reasoning,” and she smiled brightly at him.

“Annnnnnnyway, I know we cannot really go anywhere on this blue beauty right now,” she said with an abrupt change of topic, “but I would not complain about just sitting here and holding you with my head resting on your back as you familiarize yourself with the controls. I could even supply the rumbling motor sounds and tire screeches as you peel into the turns. You have heard me sing. That I could make such noises should not come as a shock,” and she laughed before raising her hand between them while moving her index finger in a series of small, tight circles, indicating he should turn around.

“Sadly, the drawback to this whole plan is that the handlebars are behind you, handsome.”

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