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Tweak says, "The Rock's name is DWAYNE??"

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Terry Aaron Boot ([info]dynamitebootsie) wrote in [info]sixdegreesrpg,
@ 2009-06-18 20:25:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:ernie macmillan, terry boot

RP: Hi!
WHO: Terry & Ernie
WHERE: Obscurus Books
WHEN: Thursday afternoon, July 18th
WHAT: Terry & Ernie catch up
STATUS: Started & Private


It was a slow afternoon at the bookshop, with just Terry and Logan working. Logan was doing inventory in the kitchen; Terry could hear the soft strains of the jazz station Logan liked drifting out front. There were a few browsers in the back, regular customers who liked to come in and look for hours and very rarely bought things. Terry didn't mind; he'd noticed more than once that Logan slipped them some bread and cheese and a thermos of coffee. Terry knew he'd led a pretty sheltered life, aside from Voldemort, but to see people down on their luck like that made him realize how lucky he was.

He hopped up on the counter, swinging his legs as he paged through the newest arrival from Bella Drake. It was a historical novel, set in 19th century Scotland, and filled with the swashbuckling adventures of two pirates. Two male pirates, and Terry flushed and looked around guiltily when he got to the more...intimate parts. Not that he was ashamed or anything, but did people really do...that? His mind wandered for a moment what it would be like to be held closely by a lover, and his blush deepened, especially when the phantom figure morphed into Ernie. He put aside the book, determining not to think like that anymore.

Ernie had been quiet over the past couple of weeks, not that Terry had been any better. He figured everyone had been busy with their own lives, which was why the journals had been quiet. It happened once in awhile, life and work and lack of time getting in the way of socializing. He'd been tempted more than once to go over to Ernie's, but for some reason he'd stopped himself each time. They'd kissed, but it had probably meant nothing. They'd both been a little drunk, after all, and he could admit to himself that he was afraid of rejection.

That had to change though, if nothing else Ernie was a good friend. And Terry had heard back from an editor who'd said she'd be happy to look at his book, offer some pointers. She'd also mentioned it wasn't ready for publication, but that it had a lot of potential and she'd like to see him succeed. Which had, at first, sort of depressed him, but he'd never been able to stay upset for long. He'd always been able to look on the brightside, and had taken her comments to heart and applied them, coming up with a much stronger manuscript. Well, the starts of one. He wasn't done yet.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the bell over the door, and therefore jumped and fell off the counter at the sound of his name being called from behind him, hitting his head on the corner of the counter smartly.

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[info]withearnestness
2009-06-19 01:50 pm UTC (link)
Crap. Ernie hadn't meant for that to happen, obviously, and he hurried over to Terry, kneeling beside him and automatically checking the back of his head for bumps or cuts.

"Hey. I'm so sorry," he said, keeping his hands gentle as he checked for damage. "Are you okay?"

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[info]dynamitebootsie
2009-06-19 01:58 pm UTC (link)
Terry blinked at Ernie, still a little dazed from the fall. "It's okay, I didn't hear you. Obviously. I really need to stop sitting with my back to the door," he said, not pulling away even though he was fine. He liked the way Ernie was checking for injuries, liked the way his hands were gently running through his hair, even if it was to find any unnatural bumps.

"Hi," he said, still not trying to move away, even though his position on the floor was probably less than attractive at the moment. "I really am fine. I've got a hard head. At least that's what my parents always said when I was growing up. I had a tendency to fall out of trees or chairs or bed a few times. Walking into walls was also common. I think it was mostly because I was reading all the time, and didn't want to put the book down even to climb down trees or get out of bed and whatnot."

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[info]withearnestness
2009-06-19 02:03 pm UTC (link)
"Well, it doesn't look like you split the skin or anything, so let's get you up off the floor," Ernie said after a moment, moving his hands from Terry's head to his arms to help him stand. "I never did anything like that when I was a kid, but I pretty much found a comfortable place to read and burrowed in like a hermit crab. Can't count the number of times the housekeeper would find me in the attic or one of the unused rooms."

It was odd, hearing his voice talking this much. He hadn't been saying much, the last couple of weeks, except when he was directly addressed at work.

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[info]dynamitebootsie
2009-06-19 02:19 pm UTC (link)
"Like I said, hard head," Terry said, grinning even as he blushed while Ernie helped him up. He really wished he wasn't quite so prone to blushing at the drop of a hat. It was really sort of ridiculous. "It was hard to find comfy attic spaces when my parents were always in Egypt or Greece or Argentina, which is why I learned how to read while walking." He grinned brightly, happy to be chatting with Ernie about nothing in particular. It was soothing, in a way.

"Actually, the reason they stopped curse breaking was because I walked myself right into an open grave and almost got eaten by a rotting corpse." He cocked his head and shuddered a little. "Well, I don't think I was actually almost eaten, but it felt that way at the time. And it wasn't so much a corpse as it was a skeleton." He laughed, though it was more of a giggle. "But you know me! I've got to make everything bigger and grander than it really was. Part of being a writer I guess." He leaned down and picked up his book from where it had fallen, and quickly paged through until he found his spot again, this time placing his bookmark in it.

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[info]withearnestness
2009-06-19 02:26 pm UTC (link)
"We do tend towards hyperbole a bit," Ernie agreed, leaning against the counter. "You travelled a lot as a kid? We never really left Inverness much, and my parents would usually leave me with one of my tutors if they had to go out of the country. They sometimes did, with Dad's work."

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[info]dynamitebootsie
2009-06-19 02:36 pm UTC (link)
Terry nodded, and hopped back up on the counter. Now that he knew Ernie was here and was paying attention to the world around him, the probability that he'd fall again was less. "My parents were Curse Breakers, so we went where their work took them," Terry explained. He'd loved as a child telling wild tales of mummies and dark curses. More times than not he'd been elaborating or making things up completely, but he liked to think he'd always kept people entertained.

"But after the whole grave and skeleton thing, they realized it wasn't really a good place for a kid like me, so they moved back here, bought this place and here we are, ten years later," he flung his arms out expressively, gesturing to the whole of the store. "I don't think they ever regretted it. Dad still does consulting work on the side, so he gets his fill of adventure that way. Mum, of course, gets hers through writing trashy romantic adventure novels."

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[info]withearnestness
2009-06-19 02:43 pm UTC (link)
"It must have been fascinating," Ernie said, a little wistfully. "Although you're right, it doesn't sound like the sort of environment that's really safe for a kid who gets into things the way you seem to've done."

He unconsciously followed Terry's gesture, looking around the store. It was a warm, open sort of place, almost homey. He could see why Terry liked working there; it was a completely different feel to working at the Ministry.

"My father's still DMLE; I don't think he'll ever give that up until he dies. I think that's enough adventure for the whole family, really; Mum certainly doesn't seem to want anything particularly thrilling. She does a lot of charity work, though, so I shouldn't complain. She's helping people."

And it wasn't their fault that they didn't notice what was right in front of them, was it? Not when he made excuses not to go back to Inverness, and not when he ignored it himself.

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[info]dynamitebootsie
2009-06-19 02:52 pm UTC (link)
Terry nodded with agreement. "It was fascinating," he said. "But I like it here. I made friends with the kids who came in, and got to read as many books as I wanted and have adventures in the children's section. I was never bored." He knew he'd had a sort of ideal childhood, at least for the type of child he'd been.

There was something a little bit off about Ernie's face as he talked about his parent's, but Terry couldn't really determine what it was. "It's good, isn't it, that your dad has found something that's more of a calling?" he asked, wondering if that glimpse of something he'd seen in Ernie's eyes. "Was he gone a lot, when you were growing up?" Maybe that was it, he thought. He didn't want to pry, but if Ernie wanted to talk he'd listen.

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[info]withearnestness
2009-06-19 03:01 pm UTC (link)
"I can't imagine ever being bored in a bookshop. Even if you're not the type who'll read almost anything, there's so much here. I used to imagine spending the rest of my life in the library, when I was a kid. I could read all day and I'd still never get through everything."

At Terry's question, he nodded. He didn't bregrudge his father having found a job he loved, or his mother her charity work. And it wasn't as if he could say he'd had a bad childhood, could he? Okay, so his folks weren't around much; so what? They were alive, and the family had never been without anything they needed or wanted. He wasn't about to spin some "poor little rich boy" story.

"Yeah, it's good for him. He loves his work, and it makes him happy. They were both gone a lot, but I was used to it by the time I figured out it wasn't the way some families worked."

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[info]dynamitebootsie
2009-06-19 06:03 pm UTC (link)
"There's the cafe if you're hungry, and an outdoor patio if it's nice out," Terry agreed, grinning. "And there's always some sort of musician or artist or something on the weekends. So no, even if you're not a reader, always something to do!" He knew he sounded like an advert, but he couldn't help it. His passion might be writing, but the bookstore was a very close second. He couldn't imagine his life without it, actually.

Terry nodded, but there was something almost lost in Ernie's eyes, and Terry could suddenly see the little boy he'd once been, left to his own devices more often than not. His heart went out to that child, to the man he'd become, and he couldn't help what he did next. He hopped off the counter again, this time more carefully, though there was very little space behind the counter so he ended up closer to Ernie than he'd anticipated.

That was all right though, be because closeness was required for hugs. He wrapped his arms around Ernie and squeezed tightly, holding on for a few seconds and glad that the shop was almost deserted. He pulled back, but left his hand on Ernie's arm. "You looked like you needed a hug," Terry explained, blushing deeply.

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[info]withearnestness
2009-06-19 06:17 pm UTC (link)
"It sounds like a fantastic place to grow up," Ernie said softly. "And I liked your parents when I met them. They seem like good people."

Not that his parents weren't good people. But they weren't his friends the way Terry's parents seemed to be his.

He was surprised at the hug; it wasn't something he'd been expecting. He didn't pull away, though, partly because he honestly didn't mind contact with Terry and partly because it just felt nice to have someone touching him like that. At Terry's remark, though, he looked down, a little self-consciously.

"Yeah. Sorry, I guess I'm being a bit of a downer today."

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[info]dynamitebootsie
2009-06-19 06:31 pm UTC (link)
"It really was." He smiled fondly thinking of his parent's, and somehow knowing that Ernie liked them made him happy. He shook those thoughts away, along with anything else it was far too soon for (his head knew that, even if his heart seemed to have missed the memo or something). "I was really lucky."

"Don't be sorry!" Terry exclaimed, not noticing that his hand was moving up and down Ernie's arm. "We all have those sorts of days." He smiled softly. "Even, if you'll believe it, me. It's natural." His friends had always said he was unnaturally cheerful, but Terry had his down days just like everyone else. They just seemed to come further apart than other people's.

"Okay, no more talk about parents, okay?" He grinned. "Have you eaten? I think I missed breakfast and lunch. I was too busy thinking about stuff. Books and writing mainly, but I guess I forgot to eat. Logan's got some sort of quiche on the menu today, or if you don't like quiche there's sandwiches."

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[info]withearnestness
2009-06-19 06:43 pm UTC (link)
"I... no, I don't think I have," Ernie said slowly, frowning a little. He couldn't quite remember if he'd eaten that morning, which meant he probably hadn't. "Do you want to get something with me? It's a bit cold to sit outside, maybe, but if you've got some time it'd be nice to talk."

It wasn't that cold, really, but he felt like it was. Staying inside was the better option.

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[info]dynamitebootsie
2009-06-20 02:53 pm UTC (link)
Terry snickered, amused at them both. "I wonder if we know anyone else who forgets simple things like eating," he joked, snickering. "And I'd love to. Did you want to eat here? Or go somewhere else? Logan can handle the front if you want to go out."

He wondered if there'd been a weather shift since he'd come to work, or if Ernie was just one of those people who got cold easily. "That's all right, we can eat inside, I don't mind," he said, really not minding at all. He realized then that he'd sort of stolen Ernie's attention, and that he might not have come just to see Terry. In fact, that was sort of presumptuous, and Terry blushed again, this time much deeper than the times before.

"Umm....I never asked, but did you come for a book or anything? I've been monopolizing your attention ever since you arrived, but if you needed to look for a book or anything..."

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[info]withearnestness
2009-06-20 11:36 pm UTC (link)
"No, here's fine," Ernie assured him. "And we probably do, you know, it's easy to forget if you get wrapped up in what you're doing."

At Terry's question, he shook his head. He'd been working that morning, but his manager had sent him home at lunch time, deciding that he looked like he needed the time off. Ernie wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, and hated the fact that he'd been so obvious, but there was no arguing with his manager when he'd decided something, so he'd come to the bookstore instead.

"No, I don't really need anything. It was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I realised we hadn't talked for ages, so..."

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[info]dynamitebootsie
2009-06-22 10:04 am UTC (link)
"Exactly, you're just so focused on whatever it you're doing, that simple things like eating or sleeping get forgotten," Terry said, grinning.

He blushed when Ernie admitted to not needing anything, that he'd just come because they hadn't talked recently. "Well, I'm glad you're here. It's been a quiet day, so this is nice." It was more than nice, but Terry didn't want to make things between them uncomfortable. He wished he was more sure of himself, more sure of whatever it was between them, but this was the first time he'd ever felt anything like this, so he wasn't entirely sure how to navigate.

"So, what would you like? There's the quiche I mentioned, but Logan can also do sandwiches, and there's some sort of summery stew bubbling on the stove," Terry said leading the way over. Logan came out from the kitchen, and Terry could tell by the amused glint in the older man's eyes that he'd been eavesdropping. Terry glared at him, but didn't say anything for now.

"What can I get you?" Logan asked, and Terry winced when he looked Ernie over obviously before giving Terry an approving wink. Yes, they'd definitely be having words later.

"I'm going to have the quiche and a Butterbeer," Terry said, avoiding looking at Ernie for the moment.

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[info]withearnestness
2009-06-22 03:29 pm UTC (link)
"I'm supposed to be off for the rest of the afternoon, so I thought it would be a good idea to visit," Ernie explained.

He didn't miss the look that Logan gave him; it would be pretty hard to, and he was usually fairly well-attuned to what was going on around him. He flushed a little, rubbing the back of his neck, and said quietly, "ah -- a salad sandwich and a glass of apple juice, please," without actually meeting Logan's eye.

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[info]dynamitebootsie
2009-06-23 08:46 pm UTC (link)
Terry gave Logan one last glare, barely refraining from sticking his tongue out. Logan could be so infuriating at times, and he really hoped that Ernie could forgive him. Poor Ernie couldn't even look at Logan, he was so embarrassed.

"Let's eat over here," Terry said, leading the way to a corner table, half hidden by a potted plant on one side, and a bookcase on the other. It gave them a bit of privacy, and would hopefully stop Logan from eavesdropping too obviously.

Once they were settled, Terry gave Ernie an apologetic look. "Sorry about Logan," he said softly, wrinkling his nose. "He means well but he's not at all subtle." He sighed, and rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you're an only child. Not that Logan's my brother, of course, but I feel like he is. I don't remember a time when I didn't know him. And he takes his position as 'older brother'," he made air quotes and rolled his eyes again as he spoke, "seriously. Which means, of course, he has to embarrass me at every opportunity. If we just ignore him, he'll go away. And probably leave us a couple extra pastries as apology."

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