InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I've grown a second evil head."

Gideon Prewett (gideoned) wrote in anon_rpg,
@ 2012-06-06 21:54:00

Entry tags:

!06/1981, !thread, retired c: gideon prewett, retired c: sorin yaxley, retired p: jen, retired p: michelle

Who: Sorin Yaxley & Gideon Prewett
What: getting throug the night and dealing with potions gone awry
When: Wednesday evening
Where: Sorin's place
Status: incomplete, closed
Rating: tbd; mild for now

The entire time that Gideon had packed up his things for the night (with Sorin close behind him), he could only think about how they should've known that the concoction they had brewed up at work would be effective if inhaled. It only made sense. Yet it was something that they had failed to take into account. That is, until Gideon and Sorin made themselves unknowing guinea pigs by breathing in some of its contagious fumes. Who knew, standing over the cauldron to inspect the contents would have them physically bound to each other? The magic of the experimental elixir, they shortly realized, made it impossible to leave each other's side. They had a few feet leeway between them before it was like hitting a wall if the other didn't move with them or follow along. That wasn't the expected result, but that was the thing with researching magical potions---they were very unpredictable.

It had been more than a headache to deal with since it had happened. And the rest of the day at work had went to finding the antidote rather than doing the research they were initially there for. It all frustrated Gideon. But when he found out that it would take at least 24 hours to brew the liquid cure, he was especially upset. That would mean that the two were going to have to spend the night like this---no space between them, no privacy. He really didn't want to have Sorin at his place, but the thought of going to Sorin's was even worse. Gideon was used to his things, his ways, his home, his bed. He didn't want to deal with this now after such a stressful day. But there was no choice. So he dragged Sorin back to his flat in Diagon, and went to grabbing up the essentials.

That was less than an hour ago.

Now, they stood outside the door to Sorin's apartment. Gideon gave a frustrated but concealed glance upward and let out a silent sigh. He was not at all happy about this, in the least. In fact, he was quite distraught. It wasn't even as if he was here, waiting for Sorin to open the door and let them into his place, because he felt socially obligated to do so as a friend or coworker. Or for some other stupid reason that he couldn't make a good enough excuse to get out of. No. He was physically, magically stuck to Sorin. He didn't have a choice but to wait it out. Sorin was practically nonnegotiable when it came to who's house they would end up at for the night and so rather than wasting more time with an argument, Gideon gave in. With a satchel of things he would need for the night, he fumed silently on being out of his element with someone he disliked as much as Sorin and, again worried himself over questions about what the sleeping arrangements would be like.

"I can't believe this is happening," Gideon groaned. "...certainly mishaps... but nothing like this. Ever. Not before you!" Gideon rolled his eyes and rearranged the shoulder strap of his satchel because it was getting heavy to hold while just standing there. "You know that story you told... on your first day?" Gideon jabbed a finger into Sorin's arm as if he had to get his attention. "Well, here you go," now the finger was pointed at Sorin's face. "Here's my answer for you. Count this and never ask me that again." He was, perhaps, trying to make light of the situation. But Gideon wasn't even convincing himself. He was bitter and annoyed. And maybe even nervous. Maybe a lot nervous. But he wasn't entirely sure why other than the fact that he knew that he still wasn't sure he trusted Sorin. At least, he wasn't at complete ease with the other, even after being called out on it.

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sinful_sorin
2012-06-08 02:14 am UTC (link)

Sorin couldn't have been more pleased as Gideon first watched him strip with a speculative gleam in his eye, and then began to disrobe himself. He could almost feel the tension leaking out of the air with their strange, nonverbal compromise. Of course, Gideon did not face him directly, but even the peripheral view was enough to make Sorin take note. Prior to meeting him again, Sorin had no intentions of attempting a physical relationship to gather information--it wasn't a method he'd ever cultivated--but after their journal conversation, the idea took root. Knowing the other man was single, somewhat lonely, Sorin suspected, and gay had certainly helped alter the shape of their interactions in his mind. Gideon's trim torso, muscular thighs, and flexing back only fanned his smoldering hunger.

The clothes were extremely casual, almost domestic in Sorin's mind, and he only smiled when Gideon apologized for them. Comfortable and relaxing was exactly the point, and when Gideon lowered himself to the couch again, his body language was loose and graceful. Of course, the peace could only last an instant before Gideon began picking apart the exchange so they might put everything into its proper place once again. The recalibration was precisely Sorin's intention, however, so he had to bury his prideful grin when Gideon offered a truce.

"I'd like for us to start over. We can make the best of a bad situation."

When Gideon prompted him for something embarrassing or incriminating, Sorin wanted to pout a little because he'd tried that days earlier while Gideon was giving him the tour. Apparently, the potions accident hadn't sufficed. Searching his mind for something to make him vulnerable, because he knew very well what Gideon wanted, he had to fight his inner instincts which preferred to be seen as anything rather than weak. Knowing real emotion was the only thing that would seal this deal, he allowed himself to skim through the memories he usually kept locked away.

If Gideon was watching his face as Sorin stumbled upon the obvious truth, its obvious usefulness, and his absolute loathing of the idea, he would have seen Sorin's momentary anguish.

"When I was young ..." he said and felt a sinking feeling in his chest that threatened to steal his breath. "When I was young, my father used to hurt us. Me and my mother. He was a drunk and a bully, and by the time I showed up to Hogwarts, I was tired of being the victim. That's why I acted the way I did, I guess."

The momentary silence that followed felt unbearable, and any pains he'd taken to get them comfortable with each other seemed dashed. He couldn't have met the other man's gaze now to save his life.

Quickly, he said, "I've never told that to anyone. So, I guess I have to trust you, right?"

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gideoned
2012-06-08 02:58 am UTC (link)

Gideon was paying attention. He wasn't sure if Sorin was really going to agree to this proposal. After all, it put Sorin in a precarious position and left Gideon completely in his comfort zone. Yet, in Gideon's mind, it seemed like the only way that he could really move forward. He had no idea what to expect from Sorin's admission. No idea what direction it would take

However, he wasn't expecting anything close to what Sorin actually opened up about. The whole idea of it was horrifying and heartbreaking to Gideon. His family life wasn't anything like that... at all. He could hardly fathom growing up like that. And aside from feeling completely saddened for Sorin, he was shocked that he opened up in such a candid and real way.

Gideon was speechless. He didn't really have to say anything. The look on his face said enough. He was thinking about it though. And really, without knowing the details, Gideon could still believe that that explained a lot. He wouldn't say that though. He was sure that Sorin didn't need to hear that.

"I'm sorry," he breathed sincerely. A natural urge to reach out to the other had to be quelled. They weren't exactly at that point. Instead, Gideon shifted in his seat again, drawing his leg out from under him and bending his legs at the knees. He pressed both bare feet into the cushion of the couch and propped his folded arms on his knee to give his head someplace to rest. "You didn't have to tell me that," Gideon added, feeling as if he may have asked for too much. As he looked up at Sorin he tried to give him a smile that promised something reassuring but he could see that Sorin wouldn't really look at him.

"You can trust me, Sorin. Even if I come out of tonight wanting to use any combination of the three unforgivables on you, it's not my place to share that with anyone. It stays between us," he promised feeling strange now that they had something like that tying them together and building some sort of strange sudden camaraderie. Because really, only one minute ago, neither owed the other anything and now look what had happened.

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sinful_sorin
2012-06-08 03:29 am UTC (link)

Though it was exactly what he wanted--the purpose of the confession--he still flinched away from the sympathy in Gideon's voice. It sounded a lot like pity, to him. Forcing himself to get his shit together, he grit his teeth and raised his head. Of course, by that point, Gideon had turned to face him and his body language was exceedingly familiar, all warmth and restrained intimacy. Not even sure of his own mind, he pushed himself simply to speak.

"I told you because it's what you wanted," he said softly, leaving the slight resentment he felt from his tone. "You wanted power over me, so I gave it to you."

Not enjoying the echo his words called up, he braced himself to surge to his feet, desperate to pace if only for a moment, before he remembered he was chained to Gideon and the couch. Collapsing back against the cushions with a huff, he busied himself by rubbing his hands together in a nervous gesture.

"I wouldn't have confided in you if I thought you'd tell." Trying to explain the vulnerable action away for both of them, he said, "From what I know of you, you're almost annoyingly honest."

Trying to take any sting from the words, he shared a rare genuine smile, an acknowledgement between the two of them.

Needing something to keep his hands busy, he suggested, "Want to be my apprentice and I'll make us some spaghetti?"

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gideoned
2012-06-08 03:44 am UTC (link)

Gideon couldn't exactly argue with Sorin's statement. It did seem rather stupid now to say that Sorin didn't have to take it there. He did ask for exactly something like that.

"It's not a power thing," Gideon tried to explain but there really was no explanation for how this seemed to validate the other's intentions or trustworthiness. Gideon wasn't looking for collateral to dangle over Sorin's head, reminding him to stay honest. It was more of a show of faith, in Gideon's mind.

He recognized that Sorin was looking for some sort of escape when he moved around the couch. But it was pointless to attempt to get up and allow Sorin to move about. He wanted to distance from Gideon, Gideon could tell. And with him tagging along, that wouldn't exactly help. He stayed where he was though, resting his head and staring up at Sorin, trying to gauge if the other was really alright after the admission.

His analysis of the other man's feelings and current emotional state was overshadowed by the words that came from Sorin as he tried to brush it all off. "Annoyingly?" Gideon's voice was almost piercing as he scoffed at the idea and questioned the other man. "Since when is honesty annoying? That's not fair!" Even as he sounded incredulous, he was laughing underneath it all and standing up to join Sorin.

"You think I don't know how to cook?" Gideon asked curiously, only playing at being offended. It was weird finding out what Sorin thought of him and seeing how accurate he was or wasn't on certain things. Weird but also interesting, in a way.

Gideon was starting to feel better. The admission had worked and though it was a horrible thing for Sorin to have to go through and Gideon was sincerely sorry, he felt more at ease with the other. It really had worked in adding a certain level of trust between them. With a push from his palm pressed into the top of the couch, Gideon was quickly vaulting his body over the edge and was standing on the other side with Sorin in a few moments. "Alright, I'd be stupid to turn down someone else making me dinner."

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sinful_sorin
2012-06-08 10:25 pm UTC (link)

Sorin could have argued that it definitely was a power thing. After all, he understood the dynamics of power better than most, he felt, and he'd had Gideon looking at him warily since Hogwarts. It was perfectly natural for Gideon to need something to counterbalance that.

"I probably owed you an apology anyway," he said instead. "But apologies don't mean much, so ..."

When Gideon reacted to Sorin's half-joke, he could tell the man wasn't truly angry. Further, everything from his movements to his voice was bigger and more open, relaxed in a way that eased the tension and almost seemed friendly. As he'd always been extremely sensitive to the moods and emotional energy around him, the slackening of tension was a relief. Instead of saying anything that might shatter that, he grinned.

"I said almost annoyingly honest." Pushing forward, he added, "And of course you can cook. You're a brewer. But our movements are sort of restricted here."

With Gideon's exuberant bound over the edge of the couch, Sorin raised an eyebrow but smiled in genuine amusement. Unraveled and at ease, Gideon reminded him ever so slightly of Maggy, and the comparison both pleased and worried Sorin. Making sure they were both ready to move, they walked toward the kitchen.

As if his thoughts had called the dog, as soon as she heard them on the move, she was at their heels, running ahead to her food bowl and prancing about with excitement. Beside the cupboard, Sorin kept a little bowl with a blue bouncy ball in it; Maggy had a bad habit of jostling him as he fed her and making him spill the dog food all over the kitchen. He'd tried yelling at her for a few days, then he'd caved and bought the ball. Thinking that maybe he'd been a little defensive about Maggy, he handed Gideon the blue ball.

"Here. Keep her occupied for a few minutes, would you?"

He waited until Maggy went scuttling into the living room to quickly refill her bowl. Then, he began pulling the needed cans out of the same pantry. Tomato sauce, tomato paste, and vinegar were all set on the shelf.

"Do you like mushrooms?" he asked.

After he closed the pantry, he had enough room to move to his cupboard of spices. Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and oregano were all set on the counter beside the other ingredients.

Gideon was still occupied when he finished the task, and needing to get to the refrigerator, he came up behind the other man and lightly pressed his palm to Gideon's back without a whole lot of thought. When they managed to move together without much awkwardness, Sorin was relaxing into a good mood as he pulled the frozen solid package of hamburger from his freezer.

"Can you thaw this for me?" he asked and handed the meat off.

Inside the fridge, he gathered a tomato, onion, and bell pepper. Staring at the pepper for a minute, he said, "I cut this up real small, so you can't really taste it beyond the flavor. I don't like peppers, usually. But, I can leave it out if you want."

Maneuvering them back to the counter top, Sorin retrieved the noodles and the brown sugar and then stared at his ingredients for a moment, mentally checking and rechecking his supplies. When he felt momentarily satisfied, he gave a nod and then pulled the spaghetti pot from a cupboard at his feet. Thinking better of it at the last moment, he turned to address Gideon.

"Can you think of anything I'm missing? Anything else you'd prefer?" After settling that, he began to prepare the sauce base and asked Gideon, "Would you mind chopping the fresh ingredients?"

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