Fiona Reynolds (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} moonflowerfi) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} 20somethings,@ 2022-04-15 17:47:00 |
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| Entry tags: | c: fiona reynolds, c: scorpius malfoy, d: 2028 04, ~ complete, Ω: rp |
RP: A Gorgeous Day
Who: Fiona & Scorpius
What: Scorpius joins Fiona and her pup, Spencer, in the park.
When: 15 April 2028
Where: A park
Warnings: Language
Completion Status: Complete
There was another really good day and Scorpius wanted to take advantage. The weather could turn at any minute, a fact he knew all too well. While he could always use a charm to repel water, it just wasn’t the same when the sun wasn’t shining on your face. With Albie working, he had felt so cooped up ripping up the floor on the second floor of the house they’d bought. That’s when he’d sent the message to Fiona, making the decision right then that he’d own up to his stupidity.
Luckily, she was free as well, and already at a park with her pup. He just had to show up, he could do that much.
Twenty minutes later, the blonde was apparating to the park. It was still cold enough that he had thrown his leather jacket over the red shirt he’d been wearing working on the house. The jeans were his usual work jeans, covered in old paint, a few screws stuck to the outside of a pocket that he’d stuck there with magnets. Muggles had good ideas sometimes.
It didn’t take long to find Fiona, she was radiant where she was playing with the pup. He hoped she understood why he was ridiculous about his name. Albie had made it painfully clear he needed to come clean, especially since Scor had already revealed so many personal facts. If she knew Albie at all, she’d know who he was. He was just lucky, she didn’t seem to know his best mate.
“Hey!” he called out, raising a hand to wave at her, while he started crossing the lawn. “How’s it going?” he asked with his dimpled smile.
The message from Jeremy had been a surprise, but a pleasant one, and Fiona had written back right away that she was at the park, not minding in the least if he wanted to join her. While she waited for him, she tossed a ball for Spencer, the pup nearly tripping over himself as he chased after it. He'd grown so much in the nearly five months since she'd adopted him, but he still didn't seem aware of his body.
When she heard him call out, she turned to look at him as she threw the ball, the throw going a bit wonky in her distraction. Spencer didn't seem to mind. Her smile was warm as she waved back at him. "Hi Jer!" she called back, though she waited until he was closer to answer him. "Things are going well! How have you been?" His dimples really were way too cute and distracting, even if she did just consider him a friend.
All of Scor's will power went to not flinching when she called him Jer. Gods, he really had bungled the entire situation, hadn't he? Now was as good a time as any to come clean, he supposed. "I've been well, the house is coming along," he admitted, proud of the work they'd put into it. There was still so much to be finished, but they'd made a difference. The roof was repaired, water wasn't falling through to drip on them. The bones of the place had been reinforce, and the foundation was beautiful. Things were definitely going well.
"I have to admit to something though, before uh... Ya know," he said with an easy shrug of his shoulders, one hand coming up to nervously rub at the back of his neck. "I lied to you about my name, it was really stupid, and I'm so sorry. I-I just, I'm Scorpius Malfoy," he said, wincing as he said his last name. "I got a bit of guff for it while in school, and I've found that when I find someone interesting, I tend to lie just in case they aren't a fan of the Malfoy family." They had sort of brought the Dark Lord back and all. His grandfather was a nightmare. "I'm really sorry," he finished, cheeks blazing. He was certain he'd never been so embarrassed, the usual women he lied to about his name were one night stands. They never cared to know his full name.
Her smile widened at the pride in his words. "That's fantastic!" she said, excited for him. Flipping a house was no small feat, and she was impressed he and Albie were putting in the work. Not that she'd let herself think too much on the possibility that his best friend was Jamie's younger brother. She didn't want to think about complicated, tangled webs, especially with how easy and simply her friendship with Jeremy seemed to be.
Though, apparently Jeremy wasn't his name. Her brows furrowed, and she tilted her head as she studied him. Scorpius Malfoy. The Malfoy name had a reputation attached to its history, of course, but she was hardly the sort to hold the sins of previous generations against a person. It did lend credence to the thought that Albie Potter was, indeed, his best friend. "I understand that. I've gone by Wright instead of Reynolds at times," she admitted. Of course, that was quite different from going by a different first name. "And Scorpius is such a unique, identifiable name."
She studied him a bit more, the tension breaking a bit when Spencer bounded up to them, dropping the ball at Scorpius' feet and then sniffing excitedly at his legs, his rump wagging along with his tail. She laughed a bit, shaking her head. "It's a bit strange, but I appreciate your sharing it with me." He could have just ghosted her because of the awkwardness of having lied.
There had merely been seconds, not hours or days, from the moment the words had left his mouth. Yet he found himself completely wound up, feeling it grow tighter until it broke. She sometimes used a different last name too? The rush of relief was overwhelming, he had built this entire scenario up in his head over the past weeks. The dam broke as the little bloke set his ball at Scorpius' feet. He let out a water laugh, a tear or two slipping down his cheeks, as he bent to scoop up the ball.
"Thanks," he said with a heavy sigh, letting the weight of the lie finally leave him. " 've been honest about the rest," he admitted, knowing he would never be able to keep lies straight. The name thing only worked because he used it for one night stands. Though, he supposed Fiona was proof enough that he used it for more than just one night stands. They had met in a pet store, not some night club. She wasn't a one night stand. He tossed the ball, watching Spencer race off after it.
Was he... Was he crying? She waited until he threw the ball to step close to him, one hand coming up to rest on his upper arm, rubbing lightly. "Hey, it's okay. I understand having famous parents and wanting to distance yourself from them. Or even grandparents," she reassured him gently. "I hope you haven't been agonizing over this? It's such a silly thing, a little white lie, and how could you have known you'd bump into me again or build this friendship with me? The important bit is that you felt comfortable enough with me to share the truth of your name now."
Scor wanted to hug her, they weren't close enough for that. He was certain of that. Instead he slipped one arm around her in an awkward half-hug sort of thing, as she was close enough. "Thanks, I think I had it all built up in my head," he admitted sheepishly, eyes glancing towards his feet for just a moment. "I imagined every scenario from you being outraged I had lied, to being outraged over who my family was." He was relaxing already, their day wasn't completely ruined. He hadn't ruined a thing, Albie would be shocked, he was certain of it.
"I'm glad I didn't ruin the day," he said, glancing towards Spencer. "It's so damn beautiful, it'd be a waste of a gorgeous day. He's getting big." He slightly regretted not getting his own pup, but his parents would have had his hide for that.
Fiona dropped her hand from his arm and slipped it around his back at the somewhat awkward half-hug, her inclination being to pull him in for a full hug. It seemed he was already a bit on the emotional side, though, and so she followed his lead, pulling back after a moment. "Our brains are experts at doing that to us, aren't they? I don't fault you for exercising caution when it comes to your family name, though I'm glad to know your true name now. Scor suits you better than Jer, anyway," she said decisively, nodding as if that settled it.
She followed his gaze to her pup, her smile relaxed and warm. "It is a gorgeous day," she agreed. "And I can't believe how big Spence is. He doesn't believe it either," she said with a snort of laughter when the dog tripped over his own paws again.
Scor suited him better? He wasn't sure he'd heard that before. He gave her that brilliant dimpled smile, nodding his head. "Thanks, it feels good to be Scor," he admitted with a chuckle. There was such a weight lifted from his chest. He couldn't wait to tell Albie.
He burst into happy laughter as the pup tripped over his own paws. "I can see that, he'll grow into them eventually. That or bust his muzzle trying to," he chuckled again, shaking his head. "How's he liking being home? Or does he think of France as home?" he asked curiously, as if the pup could tell her these things. He supposed there might be something in the way the pup acted, he was very happy as he chased after the ball, bringing it back to the pair.
"He's just a bit dopey, but I love that about him," she said affectionately, squatting down as the pup made his way back to him, scratching behind his ears. He was a sweet, enthusiastic puppy, a wonderful companion to her. "I think he's still young enough that he simply considers home wherever I am. He's adjusted really well to being back here, though," she said before standing back up and throwing the ball for him again.
Her arm was starting to get a bit sore, having been playing at the park with Spencer for nearly an hour already, but she didn't mind staying longer to spend some time with her friend. And it was comforting to know that she was capable of having a male friend like him. It was something she'd thought impossible even just a year ago. "Tell me about the house, though! Have you come across anything crazy or disastrous with it?" she asked curiously.
Scor was amused, he was almost certain he'd heard someone describe him similarly. "That's fantastic to hear, just in time for our good weather too," he said, stormy eyes lifting to glance towards the sky. Just checking on the clouds, he really didn't want to see any rain clouds.
His face lit up as he looked back to his friend, bending to snag the ball as the pup brought it back. "It's fantastic, we got the roof up. The bones of the whole thing is beautiful, it's some of the inner walls that didn't seem to stand the test of time," he said happily, thinking about the house they had bought. "There's definitely disasters though, we have a whole list of problems from worst to, could wait a minute." He gave her an amused look, it was a lot of work, but he was so very excited about it all. "Once it's a little safer, I'd love to have you by," he offered.
Following his gaze, Fiona looked up at the mostly clear sky, smiling. "We've been enjoying it," she confirmed. She knew the weather wouldn't be consistently nice for a while yet, and so the days that were as lovely as this ought to be enjoyed, in her opinion.
He looked so happy to have been asked that she had to wonder if he'd not had many people asking after the project. It seemed like a big deal to him, though, and so she couldn't imagine not showing interest in the development. "Oh, that's just lovely! Isn't it wonderful when you're able to preserve something of the original?" Because most things that had become weathered away weren't always bad. Her mind started to drift to Desmond, to how things had been with him in the beginning, long before they'd married, but she stopped those thoughts in their tracks. Desmond was a chapter long since closed, and it wouldn't do to dwell on it. "I'd love to visit sometime! You'll have to let me know when you've made enough progress for it!" she said cheerfully, happy to be pulled back from the darker thoughts, even if they did linger in her eyes a bit still.
"It really is," he agreed with her, bobbing his head in a nod. "There's some homes that we looked at that had so much potential, but we either didn't have enough, or we wouldn't have been able to do much with it. My absolute favorite was this little hovel that was made out of stone. We could have done some expandable charms, really opened the place up, but it just wasn't worth it for the price," he explained. "I hope that maybe once I'm getting my own place, I can get something like that for myself. Something all brick, made by hand. The history alone," he said wistfully.
The way he was talking made her wonder if he and Albie needed an investor, not that she had the sorts of funds for that at the moment. She did have a rather sizable nest egg, but she still hadn't made a decision about her career, and she was considering buying her own little house sometime soon, her eye on the cottage down the road from Tina's that was rumored to go on sale soon. A mortgage wasn't something she was interested in, and so becoming an investor probably wasn't in the cards. If he even wanted one, which he hadn't said he did. She really needed to stop overthinking things.
"That sounds lovely! I've always been more partial to stonework than brick, but the history of older homes is so fascinating! I can definitely see the appeal," she said agreeably. It seemed sweet to her that it was something that mattered to him.
And just like that, all of the things she'd been trying to distract herself from came rushing back, crowding her brain, and she wondered if he would mind if she used him as a sounding board. "I'm... prevaricating between two job offers right now," she admitted. She squatted down to give Spencer a few pets before throwing the ball for him again.
There was this sense of relief, knowing that Fiona had heard him. He was practically beaming, he was just thrilled that his ideas actually sounded good. Maybe he would find that little house with the exposed stone. Maybe Albie would help him fix it up, he could find himself a place that had an extra room for whenever Ori would want to stay the night. He was cool Uncle Scor, of course he had to have a room for the littles to hang.
He'd gotten a bit lost, until she was talking again about two job offers. He usually had to beg for one job offer, never in his wildest dreams would two places be waiting on his answer. Scorpius was impressed, it likely was clear on his face. He was easy to read. "Really? Have you made a decision between the two?" he asked curiously, unable to hold back any questions rushing through his brain. "That's bloody fantastic, are either of them what you'd hoped for?"
There was something in his expression that flustered her, her cheeks tinging a pretty pink. His flurry of questions amused her enough to chase the flustered feelings away, and she smiled at him bashfully. "Two yes, and they're essentially the same position, just with two very different non-profits: Belby and Fawley." She wondered if he would be familiar with either or both of the organizations. "I was honestly just looking to volunteer for a bit, but my resume earned me a job offer instead."
As much as she said she was prevaricating, Fiona knew which she was leaning toward. "I love the idea of Fawley, of working to improve children's lives," she admitted. "Belby does fantastic, important work too, of course, but... perhaps it dulls my shine a bit, but I'm just not passionate about werewolves. I care, of course, but..." She cringed, scrunching up her nose, feeling just a tad guilty about it.
Scorpius listened to everything she was saying, quietly letting his eyes take in minor changes in her expression as she spoke of both jobs. It really was fantastic! She had wanted to volunteer and was offered not one but two jobs, it was fantastic!
The debate seemed easy enough, even if he could sympathize with the werewolves a bit. "Forgive me if I'm over stepping but it sounds like you may have already made up your mind," he pointed out. "I wouldn't worry much about some stain on your shine, or whatever. That stuff doesn't matter," he said, using a hand to wave them away. Reputation didn't matter, because if they did, his family would still be black listed.
The reassurance was nice, but she couldn't help feeling like it might make her look like a bigot if she went with Fawley over Belby. But the truth was that as much good as she might be able to do for Belby, she would feel more passionate about her work with Fawley. "I might have, but it feels like the easy way out, even though I know the work won't necessarily be easy with either organization. I plan to take the weekend to make my final decision, but I feel you may be right," she admitted.
"I do hope you're right and no one will fault me for my choice," she said with an exaggerated sigh.
There was something so absolutely beautiful about her. She cared, she cared on a level that Scorpius wasn't used to seeing in many, if anyone. His heart ached for her, she was going to hurt no matter the choice she made. She was making the right decision, he was certain of that.
"Fuck 'em, you're a damn diamond. You deserve to shine and do whatever drives your passion. Anyone who thinks you chose one over the other for a malicious reason deserves to get fucked," he finished his small rant.
It flustered her that he seemed to think so highly of her, and her cheeks tinged pink all over again. For too long, she'd been plagued by insecurity and anxiety, feeling as though she'd deserved what Desmond had done to her. But that was how effective his manipulation and gaslighting had been, and between her friends and family and therapist, she was in a much better place emotionally. "Thank you," she said with genuine appreciation. "It helps to hear it from others." Especially as those sorts of thoughts tended to make her feel guilty.
Luckily, she was free as well, and already at a park with her pup. He just had to show up, he could do that much.
Twenty minutes later, the blonde was apparating to the park. It was still cold enough that he had thrown his leather jacket over the red shirt he’d been wearing working on the house. The jeans were his usual work jeans, covered in old paint, a few screws stuck to the outside of a pocket that he’d stuck there with magnets. Muggles had good ideas sometimes.
It didn’t take long to find Fiona, she was radiant where she was playing with the pup. He hoped she understood why he was ridiculous about his name. Albie had made it painfully clear he needed to come clean, especially since Scor had already revealed so many personal facts. If she knew Albie at all, she’d know who he was. He was just lucky, she didn’t seem to know his best mate.
“Hey!” he called out, raising a hand to wave at her, while he started crossing the lawn. “How’s it going?” he asked with his dimpled smile.
The message from Jeremy had been a surprise, but a pleasant one, and Fiona had written back right away that she was at the park, not minding in the least if he wanted to join her. While she waited for him, she tossed a ball for Spencer, the pup nearly tripping over himself as he chased after it. He'd grown so much in the nearly five months since she'd adopted him, but he still didn't seem aware of his body.
When she heard him call out, she turned to look at him as she threw the ball, the throw going a bit wonky in her distraction. Spencer didn't seem to mind. Her smile was warm as she waved back at him. "Hi Jer!" she called back, though she waited until he was closer to answer him. "Things are going well! How have you been?" His dimples really were way too cute and distracting, even if she did just consider him a friend.
All of Scor's will power went to not flinching when she called him Jer. Gods, he really had bungled the entire situation, hadn't he? Now was as good a time as any to come clean, he supposed. "I've been well, the house is coming along," he admitted, proud of the work they'd put into it. There was still so much to be finished, but they'd made a difference. The roof was repaired, water wasn't falling through to drip on them. The bones of the place had been reinforce, and the foundation was beautiful. Things were definitely going well.
"I have to admit to something though, before uh... Ya know," he said with an easy shrug of his shoulders, one hand coming up to nervously rub at the back of his neck. "I lied to you about my name, it was really stupid, and I'm so sorry. I-I just, I'm Scorpius Malfoy," he said, wincing as he said his last name. "I got a bit of guff for it while in school, and I've found that when I find someone interesting, I tend to lie just in case they aren't a fan of the Malfoy family." They had sort of brought the Dark Lord back and all. His grandfather was a nightmare. "I'm really sorry," he finished, cheeks blazing. He was certain he'd never been so embarrassed, the usual women he lied to about his name were one night stands. They never cared to know his full name.
Her smile widened at the pride in his words. "That's fantastic!" she said, excited for him. Flipping a house was no small feat, and she was impressed he and Albie were putting in the work. Not that she'd let herself think too much on the possibility that his best friend was Jamie's younger brother. She didn't want to think about complicated, tangled webs, especially with how easy and simply her friendship with Jeremy seemed to be.
Though, apparently Jeremy wasn't his name. Her brows furrowed, and she tilted her head as she studied him. Scorpius Malfoy. The Malfoy name had a reputation attached to its history, of course, but she was hardly the sort to hold the sins of previous generations against a person. It did lend credence to the thought that Albie Potter was, indeed, his best friend. "I understand that. I've gone by Wright instead of Reynolds at times," she admitted. Of course, that was quite different from going by a different first name. "And Scorpius is such a unique, identifiable name."
She studied him a bit more, the tension breaking a bit when Spencer bounded up to them, dropping the ball at Scorpius' feet and then sniffing excitedly at his legs, his rump wagging along with his tail. She laughed a bit, shaking her head. "It's a bit strange, but I appreciate your sharing it with me." He could have just ghosted her because of the awkwardness of having lied.
There had merely been seconds, not hours or days, from the moment the words had left his mouth. Yet he found himself completely wound up, feeling it grow tighter until it broke. She sometimes used a different last name too? The rush of relief was overwhelming, he had built this entire scenario up in his head over the past weeks. The dam broke as the little bloke set his ball at Scorpius' feet. He let out a water laugh, a tear or two slipping down his cheeks, as he bent to scoop up the ball.
"Thanks," he said with a heavy sigh, letting the weight of the lie finally leave him. " 've been honest about the rest," he admitted, knowing he would never be able to keep lies straight. The name thing only worked because he used it for one night stands. Though, he supposed Fiona was proof enough that he used it for more than just one night stands. They had met in a pet store, not some night club. She wasn't a one night stand. He tossed the ball, watching Spencer race off after it.
Was he... Was he crying? She waited until he threw the ball to step close to him, one hand coming up to rest on his upper arm, rubbing lightly. "Hey, it's okay. I understand having famous parents and wanting to distance yourself from them. Or even grandparents," she reassured him gently. "I hope you haven't been agonizing over this? It's such a silly thing, a little white lie, and how could you have known you'd bump into me again or build this friendship with me? The important bit is that you felt comfortable enough with me to share the truth of your name now."
Scor wanted to hug her, they weren't close enough for that. He was certain of that. Instead he slipped one arm around her in an awkward half-hug sort of thing, as she was close enough. "Thanks, I think I had it all built up in my head," he admitted sheepishly, eyes glancing towards his feet for just a moment. "I imagined every scenario from you being outraged I had lied, to being outraged over who my family was." He was relaxing already, their day wasn't completely ruined. He hadn't ruined a thing, Albie would be shocked, he was certain of it.
"I'm glad I didn't ruin the day," he said, glancing towards Spencer. "It's so damn beautiful, it'd be a waste of a gorgeous day. He's getting big." He slightly regretted not getting his own pup, but his parents would have had his hide for that.
Fiona dropped her hand from his arm and slipped it around his back at the somewhat awkward half-hug, her inclination being to pull him in for a full hug. It seemed he was already a bit on the emotional side, though, and so she followed his lead, pulling back after a moment. "Our brains are experts at doing that to us, aren't they? I don't fault you for exercising caution when it comes to your family name, though I'm glad to know your true name now. Scor suits you better than Jer, anyway," she said decisively, nodding as if that settled it.
She followed his gaze to her pup, her smile relaxed and warm. "It is a gorgeous day," she agreed. "And I can't believe how big Spence is. He doesn't believe it either," she said with a snort of laughter when the dog tripped over his own paws again.
Scor suited him better? He wasn't sure he'd heard that before. He gave her that brilliant dimpled smile, nodding his head. "Thanks, it feels good to be Scor," he admitted with a chuckle. There was such a weight lifted from his chest. He couldn't wait to tell Albie.
He burst into happy laughter as the pup tripped over his own paws. "I can see that, he'll grow into them eventually. That or bust his muzzle trying to," he chuckled again, shaking his head. "How's he liking being home? Or does he think of France as home?" he asked curiously, as if the pup could tell her these things. He supposed there might be something in the way the pup acted, he was very happy as he chased after the ball, bringing it back to the pair.
"He's just a bit dopey, but I love that about him," she said affectionately, squatting down as the pup made his way back to him, scratching behind his ears. He was a sweet, enthusiastic puppy, a wonderful companion to her. "I think he's still young enough that he simply considers home wherever I am. He's adjusted really well to being back here, though," she said before standing back up and throwing the ball for him again.
Her arm was starting to get a bit sore, having been playing at the park with Spencer for nearly an hour already, but she didn't mind staying longer to spend some time with her friend. And it was comforting to know that she was capable of having a male friend like him. It was something she'd thought impossible even just a year ago. "Tell me about the house, though! Have you come across anything crazy or disastrous with it?" she asked curiously.
Scor was amused, he was almost certain he'd heard someone describe him similarly. "That's fantastic to hear, just in time for our good weather too," he said, stormy eyes lifting to glance towards the sky. Just checking on the clouds, he really didn't want to see any rain clouds.
His face lit up as he looked back to his friend, bending to snag the ball as the pup brought it back. "It's fantastic, we got the roof up. The bones of the whole thing is beautiful, it's some of the inner walls that didn't seem to stand the test of time," he said happily, thinking about the house they had bought. "There's definitely disasters though, we have a whole list of problems from worst to, could wait a minute." He gave her an amused look, it was a lot of work, but he was so very excited about it all. "Once it's a little safer, I'd love to have you by," he offered.
Following his gaze, Fiona looked up at the mostly clear sky, smiling. "We've been enjoying it," she confirmed. She knew the weather wouldn't be consistently nice for a while yet, and so the days that were as lovely as this ought to be enjoyed, in her opinion.
He looked so happy to have been asked that she had to wonder if he'd not had many people asking after the project. It seemed like a big deal to him, though, and so she couldn't imagine not showing interest in the development. "Oh, that's just lovely! Isn't it wonderful when you're able to preserve something of the original?" Because most things that had become weathered away weren't always bad. Her mind started to drift to Desmond, to how things had been with him in the beginning, long before they'd married, but she stopped those thoughts in their tracks. Desmond was a chapter long since closed, and it wouldn't do to dwell on it. "I'd love to visit sometime! You'll have to let me know when you've made enough progress for it!" she said cheerfully, happy to be pulled back from the darker thoughts, even if they did linger in her eyes a bit still.
"It really is," he agreed with her, bobbing his head in a nod. "There's some homes that we looked at that had so much potential, but we either didn't have enough, or we wouldn't have been able to do much with it. My absolute favorite was this little hovel that was made out of stone. We could have done some expandable charms, really opened the place up, but it just wasn't worth it for the price," he explained. "I hope that maybe once I'm getting my own place, I can get something like that for myself. Something all brick, made by hand. The history alone," he said wistfully.
The way he was talking made her wonder if he and Albie needed an investor, not that she had the sorts of funds for that at the moment. She did have a rather sizable nest egg, but she still hadn't made a decision about her career, and she was considering buying her own little house sometime soon, her eye on the cottage down the road from Tina's that was rumored to go on sale soon. A mortgage wasn't something she was interested in, and so becoming an investor probably wasn't in the cards. If he even wanted one, which he hadn't said he did. She really needed to stop overthinking things.
"That sounds lovely! I've always been more partial to stonework than brick, but the history of older homes is so fascinating! I can definitely see the appeal," she said agreeably. It seemed sweet to her that it was something that mattered to him.
And just like that, all of the things she'd been trying to distract herself from came rushing back, crowding her brain, and she wondered if he would mind if she used him as a sounding board. "I'm... prevaricating between two job offers right now," she admitted. She squatted down to give Spencer a few pets before throwing the ball for him again.
There was this sense of relief, knowing that Fiona had heard him. He was practically beaming, he was just thrilled that his ideas actually sounded good. Maybe he would find that little house with the exposed stone. Maybe Albie would help him fix it up, he could find himself a place that had an extra room for whenever Ori would want to stay the night. He was cool Uncle Scor, of course he had to have a room for the littles to hang.
He'd gotten a bit lost, until she was talking again about two job offers. He usually had to beg for one job offer, never in his wildest dreams would two places be waiting on his answer. Scorpius was impressed, it likely was clear on his face. He was easy to read. "Really? Have you made a decision between the two?" he asked curiously, unable to hold back any questions rushing through his brain. "That's bloody fantastic, are either of them what you'd hoped for?"
There was something in his expression that flustered her, her cheeks tinging a pretty pink. His flurry of questions amused her enough to chase the flustered feelings away, and she smiled at him bashfully. "Two yes, and they're essentially the same position, just with two very different non-profits: Belby and Fawley." She wondered if he would be familiar with either or both of the organizations. "I was honestly just looking to volunteer for a bit, but my resume earned me a job offer instead."
As much as she said she was prevaricating, Fiona knew which she was leaning toward. "I love the idea of Fawley, of working to improve children's lives," she admitted. "Belby does fantastic, important work too, of course, but... perhaps it dulls my shine a bit, but I'm just not passionate about werewolves. I care, of course, but..." She cringed, scrunching up her nose, feeling just a tad guilty about it.
Scorpius listened to everything she was saying, quietly letting his eyes take in minor changes in her expression as she spoke of both jobs. It really was fantastic! She had wanted to volunteer and was offered not one but two jobs, it was fantastic!
The debate seemed easy enough, even if he could sympathize with the werewolves a bit. "Forgive me if I'm over stepping but it sounds like you may have already made up your mind," he pointed out. "I wouldn't worry much about some stain on your shine, or whatever. That stuff doesn't matter," he said, using a hand to wave them away. Reputation didn't matter, because if they did, his family would still be black listed.
The reassurance was nice, but she couldn't help feeling like it might make her look like a bigot if she went with Fawley over Belby. But the truth was that as much good as she might be able to do for Belby, she would feel more passionate about her work with Fawley. "I might have, but it feels like the easy way out, even though I know the work won't necessarily be easy with either organization. I plan to take the weekend to make my final decision, but I feel you may be right," she admitted.
"I do hope you're right and no one will fault me for my choice," she said with an exaggerated sigh.
There was something so absolutely beautiful about her. She cared, she cared on a level that Scorpius wasn't used to seeing in many, if anyone. His heart ached for her, she was going to hurt no matter the choice she made. She was making the right decision, he was certain of that.
"Fuck 'em, you're a damn diamond. You deserve to shine and do whatever drives your passion. Anyone who thinks you chose one over the other for a malicious reason deserves to get fucked," he finished his small rant.
It flustered her that he seemed to think so highly of her, and her cheeks tinged pink all over again. For too long, she'd been plagued by insecurity and anxiety, feeling as though she'd deserved what Desmond had done to her. But that was how effective his manipulation and gaslighting had been, and between her friends and family and therapist, she was in a much better place emotionally. "Thank you," she said with genuine appreciation. "It helps to hear it from others." Especially as those sorts of thoughts tended to make her feel guilty.