Saint Patrick ☘ (shamrocked_) wrote in nevermore_logs, @ 2011-04-28 12:40:00 |
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Entry tags: | saint george, saint patrick |
Who: English!George, Patrick (with mentions of everyone else who came on grand trip to London)
Where: English!George's house in London
When: Thursday the 28th
What: Sooo, I hear you're creeped out by me. (Originally posted by George)
George was surprised by how much he was enjoying having so many people in his house. Normally it was just him, alone in the drafty old place. Now, with the Americans and Padraig all clustered inside, the entire place felt more alive. George had expected to be slightly irritated at tripping all over people, but apparently he didn't care about his privacy nearly as much as he'd thought he did.
Nearly everyone was gathered in the kitchen for lunch, a break from running around London and seeing the sights. They'd avoided the area around Westminster Abbey, since the entire block was packed with people. It had practically become a tent city, and George had no interest in wading through it.
He ducked out of the kitchen, partially to get some air and partially because he knew he was staring at Sebastian. He really had to get some control over himself when it came to that. He leaned against the hallway, listening to the sound of his American self's booming laugh. A small rustling noise caught his attention, and George peered down the hall, only to see Patrick round the corner. The two saints eyed each other for a moment. It was the first time they'd been alone together, which was probably for the best considering that Patrick was apparently feeling highly skittish about him.
George gave a little wave and said, "Hullo."
Patrick, who could tell the difference between his brother and George's English self in an instant by their mannerisms, immediately felt panic rise in his throat. English George had once held Padraig captive and even if Padraig was okay with it, Patrick wasn't. He didn't even want to stay here in George's house, but he felt like protesting was rude. He had plans with Padraig to stay elsewhere the next night so they could go over Patrick's notebooks without distractions. Patrick was looking forward to not constantly being on the verge of panicking that English George was going to lock him in somewhere.
"Uh...hi," Patrick said, his arms wrapping around himself. "Uhm...you have a nice house."
George could see the worry in Patrick's eyes, the way he drew himself up like a startled rabbit. It made him sad and a little irritable all at the same time.
"Thank you," he said, trying to slouch a little so he wasn't looming over the other saint. "It's nice to have you all here. Erm, are you enjoying London so far?"
Well, this was extremely awkward.
"It's...nice," Patrick said with a shrug. He had been to London before, of course, but his memories of those times were hazy. Except for his memories of his time spent in the Tower of London.
That thought was enough to make him frown.
"George and Sebastian are uhm...they're having fun. I don't really...belong, so-" Patrick kind of trailled off. Why had he let Padraig talk him into this!?
"Don't be silly, England's a huge part of your history," George said, trying to smile encouragingly. God, he felt like a giant lummox. "You've been all over it, although we spent too much time in the damp, monster-infested places. But that's beside the point."
Patrick chewed on his lip for a moment and then he said, "yeah, I...I meant at the wedding," or mostly he meant that. "And I'm not- Padraig's more- I'm just...not brave as he is. Mostly I kind of want to go home. I'm not that person who went after monsters with you. Padraig is."
"Nobody ever feels like they belong at a royal wedding," George said with a small smile. "They're generally designed to make people uncomfortable."
He fell silent for a moment, trying to decide if he should even broach the subject. He didn't want to make Patrick more uncomfortable than he clearly already was, and he also didn't want the American George to start making a scene. But maybe it would be best to just get it out in the open?
"And slaying monsters is far from the only measure of bravery. You came here, after all, even though Padraig tells me you feel a bit...uncomfortable regarding some of my past actions with him."
"Huh," Patrick said with a shrug. He didn't understand why anyone would do anything specifically to make people feel uncomfortable. But then again, he wasn't a member of the royal family.
"Oh. Right. Yeah, he...he told me some er...things, and I have some issues so I didn't really-" Patrick was rambling and he cleared his throat. "Please don't lock me in a room."
George rubbed the back of his neck, feeling terribly awkward.
"That, er, shouldn't be a problem. It's not something I make a habit of doing. I'm not sure how much of it you remember, but it was a very ugly time. I'm not proud of how I acted."
Patrick leaned back on the wall to try to appear like he was relaxed, even though he wasn't. "I was in America by that point but I don't...I don't remember much. I know it was an ugly time though. I-I get that, I just don't-" Patrick shook his head and he bit his lip. "I don't want to look at my brother and feel fear. But when I look at you, that's what I feel, and I can't help that."
It wasn't fair. It wasn't even something this George had done to him. It had been done to someone else, and it was still panicking him.
"That's all right," George said, shrugging a bit and trying to look encouraging. "It's not something you can help. I just hope that things will get a little better?"
Patrick swallowed and he shrugged a little. "It...doesn't matter, I won't be here for very long."
"True enough," George said, glancing down. He didn't mention that he really didn't like the idea of some version of Padraig think he was the bogeyman, as it would hardly help the situation.
Maybe he should just drop the conversation entirely. Forcing a smile, he said, "Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy the rest of the day. Excuse me, I'm headed upstairs."
Patrick chewed on his lip and then he forced himself off the wall. "George, I'm sorry!" He moved over to George's side and even though he was kind of terrified George would grab him and do something horrible to him, he swallowed his fear. "I- I'm not used to someone with your face being so...reserved. It's putting me on edge."
George stared at Patrick for a moment, and then he couldn't help but smile. A real smile, the kind he usually reserved for his brothers, animals, and members of the royal family.
It was often strange to imagine that this man, this short fellow with the huge, expressive eyes and wild red hair, was a version of his brother at all. George couldn't see any trace of Padraig when he looked at him. But in moments like this, he couldn't help but see Padraig.
"Don't worry about it, honestly," George said, still smiling. "You and Padraig have been through Hell, apart and together. A little nervousness is certainly warranted."
Patrick's smile grew a little more genuine then and he relaxed his shoulders a little. "I guess we have. But we aren't the only ones. George whatever you did, I'm sure it wasn't easy for you. Padraig said as much. And I suppose...if he's not afraid of you, I shouldn't be."