Tweak

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Tweak says, "Jacob put your shirt on."

George Weasley (bl_george) wrote in bloodlines_rp,
@ 2017-09-01 11:23:00

Entry tags:

!retcon, angelina johnson, dec 2002, george weasley, loc: weasley's wizard wheezes, type: rp

After the Punch
Date & Time: Friday, 27 December 2002 | morning
Post Type: RP
Status: Open: Private
Character(s): George, Angelina, Jeremiah (by history)
Location: WWW
Summary: Angelina brings food and learns about George's encounter with Jeremiah.
Retcon Info: retcon/extension of this thread, date moved up

George watched Cornhusk stalk out, biting back what had to be a mad urge to laugh, then waved Justin off.

"Don't touch me," he said, wiping at his face, then held out the towel. "I'm fine. Just conjure me some ice in here, would you?"

Justin sent a small avalanche of chipped ice into the towel, and George twisted it shut, then pressed it to his nose with a groan.

"Dickhead," he commented idly, glancing back toward the door, then laughed and shook his head. Because really, what else was there to do?

Nothing. Maybe he shouldn't have said what he had, but fuck it. George sank into the squishy corner of the sofa and settled the ice around his nose, closing his eyes and shutting out the room.

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bl_angelina
2017-09-01 05:02 pm UTC (link)

Angelina stood just out George's shop and inhaled slowly. Her heart rate picked up its rhythm at the thought of seeing George. Then she rolled her eyes, inhaled slowly, and told herself to bloody relax.

She balanced the carrier with to-go coffees as she pushed open the shop door. She smiled at Justin and shook the brown sack in her other hand.

"Hey, Justin," she said. "Brought mid-morning treats." She placed the bag of pastries and the cup carrier on the front counter. "Where's George? In the back?" Angelina tilted her head and studied Justin's expression. Her shoulders straightened. "What's wrong?"

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bl_george
2017-09-01 05:46 pm UTC (link)

Justin bundled up a bright bag of sweets and passed it to an anxious student before turning to Angelina. "Thanks for the sustenance," he said, taking the smallest cup - of course she remembered that he loved the strong, dark espresso. Angelina remembered everything.

He took a fortifying sip before answering. "Mer Weasley had a visitor earlier. It... it didn'tgo so well." Justin glanced at the scarlet curtain that blocked off the office and sighed. "You should talk to him yourself though.

The cup tucked neatly under the counter and he began to ring up another purchase, managing a smile. "Thanks for the coffee..."

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bl_angelina
2017-09-01 06:42 pm UTC (link)

A visit that didn't go well? That sounded ominous. An abundance of questions crowded her thoughts, but Justin was busy, and the shop wasn't empty. It wouldn't be professional for her to dig him for details when the bloke was just trying to do his job.

"You're welcome," she said, swiping the cup carrier and the brown bag off the counter. "There's a sugary sweet in here for you later when you're free. I'll leave it in the back."

Then she strode toward the curtain. With her hands full, she used her foot to push apart the layers, and then she stepped through.

"George?" she called, and then her gaze fell on him, sitting on the overstuffed sofa with half his face covered.

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bl_george
2017-09-02 01:39 pm UTC (link)

The throbbing of his nose had finally settled to an almost tolerable level, and he'd turned the towel twice to find a colder spot in the icy wet of it. Seriously... this day. He could hear Justin bustling around in the front, and the sounds of cauldron stirring from where Verity worked downstairs, and the only other sound was the heartbeat he could feel in his nose...

Was it broken? Shit...

George? Angelina's voice cut through the quiet and he groaned, opened his eyes and lifted one hand. "Present. Accounted for."

He lifted his head gingerly, still holding the ice to his nose, praying the bleeding had finally stopped. "Wasn't expecting you, was I?"

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bl_angelina
2017-09-03 01:08 am UTC (link)

George lifted his head and looked at her. A towel held against his face muffled his voice, and her breath caught in her throat. She rushed to the sofa and emptied her hands of the carrier and bag, setting them on the floor.

"What in Merlin's beard happened to you?" She reached out to pull away the towel but stopped. "Are you okay? Of course you aren't okay. What happened?" she repeated.

It wasn't as though she'd never seen George bruised or bleeding or knocked around before. They'd played enough Quidditch and he'd had brothers to have a few hundred rows with... But without his magic... Angelina's heart pounded in her chest. He's not some fragile bird, Ang.

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bl_george
2017-09-04 04:07 pm UTC (link)

He lifted a hand to stop her touch even before she hesitated. "I'm okay. Ish..."

He slowly moved and sat a little straighter as he peeled layers of damp towel and ice away from his face, wondering what sort of hell he looked like. "Don't touch me," he said; the same warning he'd given to Jeremiah and to Justin. "Don't touch anything with blood on it," he added, not sure where else he had bled.

He swallowed, grimacing at the taste of blood in his throat, then groaned at the pain the grimace had brought on.

What happened? The sixty-four thousand Galleon question.

Might as well lay it out...

"Had a visit that didn't go so well," he finally told her. "How're your healing spells? Is it just bashed about or do I really have to go to hospital with something this stupid?"

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bl_angelina
2017-09-04 10:00 pm UTC (link)

George lifted his hand to keep her at a distance, and her chest tightened with a mix of helplessness and worry. He sat up and warned her about touching anything. Her gaze darted around the vicinity, looking for signs of blood, and she slid away from him on the couch, wondering if she should get up entirely. Why the bloody hell would there be blood scattered around? Had something fallen on his face in the backroom?

Smears of blood started at his nostrils and flowed down his lips, across his cheeks where the towel had moved around the blood, and down his chin. The skin had already started to color a bluish tint where the bruising started. His nose looked relatively straight, but with the swelling, Angelina wasn't sure. She wasn't a bloody Healer.

Angelina's back went rigid, like someone struck by lightning. Had a visit...? Someone hit him? "What?!" Her voice registered both shock and outrage. "What happened? Who hit you?" Angelina pulled out her wand and immediately cast a spell to clean the blood from his face. She knew a simple spell to reduce swelling and bruising from her Quidditch days, but she couldn't set broken bones, and with George's recent medical diagnosis, she didn't know how much she should be doing without a Healer's training.

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bl_george
2017-09-05 02:24 am UTC (link)

He could swear the spell cleared blood from his mouth and throat too, and he swallowed again, then opened his mouth to breathe. Of course she'd ask, and he knew he had to tell her.

Shit.

"Think it's broken?" he asked instead of answering, and began to feel along his cheekbone and nose gingerly. It was painful but not excruciating, so maybe not... "Or just bruised. You can clear that up - you've done a million times on the pitch." He set the sodden towel safely aside and sat up onto the edge of the sofa.

He knew she deserved to know, but he really really really didn't want to tell her.

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bl_angelina
2017-09-05 07:23 pm UTC (link)

George touched his fingertips to his face, but he didn't make eye contact with her. She turned her whole body to face him on the couch. Her jaw clenched and released, and she lifted her wand again.

Angelina pressed her lips into a thin line, and inhaled slowly. When she spoke, her voice was quiet but the low volume did little to hide the threat. "George Weasley, I will clear up the bruising, but you will tell me what happened. Why are you avoiding the truth? Who. Hit. You?"

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bl_george
2017-09-05 07:30 pm UTC (link)

George sighed, looking acriss the room into the corner. "Look. I don't really want to tell you. But you should know. But not because I'm whinging about it, because I completely deserved it. And I wouldn't care that you didn't know, except..."

He sat back, an irritated expression across his face. "...except I've spent enough years lying to you, even if it was lying by omission, and you deserve to know the truth."

He touched his nose gingerly, then let his hand drop back into his lap. "Cornfoot came to see me. I guess you could say he wasn't entirely pleased about how the discussion between you and me turned out. I told him that I'd seen you happy, and I didn't think you were. He called me a prick and by the gods, I was. Am. Whatever."

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bl_angelina
2017-09-05 08:05 pm UTC (link)

George's already tired expression sagged, and he still wouldn't meet her gaze. For a long few seconds, she wasn't sure he was going to tell her the truth, not with the way he was stepping everywhere but toward it.

When his face filled with irritation, Angelina leaned away from him. His words came out clipped and waspy, but he sounded more frustrated with himself than with his attacker.

George's explanation continued until...until he told her what had happened, but the words wouldn't connect into sentences that made any sense to her. Cornfoot. Happy. Prick.

Angelina's forehead scrunched, pushing her eyebrows together. She tilted her head and looked at George. "Jeremiah? Jeremiah was here, and he...hit you...?" No way was this reality. Jeremiah had kept his cool in the most difficult cases, never lashing out, never losing his temper. How could he have hit George?

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bl_george
2017-09-05 08:17 pm UTC (link)

George shrugged. "He wanted to know what I thought I was doing with you. I told him I'd rather let you tell him. We... talked for a few minutes. I said that I'd seen you happy. I probably shouldn't have, and his fist found my face. Rather than start something I'd regret, or take the chance of bleeding all over half the people in the shop, I told him to get the fuck out, and he did."

George rubbed at his face, then instantly regretted it as a smear of blood stained his fingers. "Look... I'm sorry. This whole thing... he's for you to deal with. It's your relationship I seem to be hell-bent on destroying."

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bl_angelina
2017-09-05 11:24 pm UTC (link)

Angelina stood and walked to the center of the room, gripping her wand so tightly the veins on her hands stood out pronounced, traceable. She couldn't even voice the gush of words that rushed to her tongue. They wouldn't have made sense anyway because they were a tangled mess, caught in her too-tight throat, sliding around in her stomach like an uncoiling snake, only to burn like acid up her throat again.

Angelina covered her mouth with her hand. Tears pricked her eyes, and they felt angry and sick and sorry and... Her hand lowered to her chest, and she inhaled a slow breath.

"I—I...Bloody hell, George," she finally said when she lowered her hand. It dropped lifeless by her side.

She felt conflicted, wanting to comfort both men, because she cared about both of them. There was no skirting around this conversation with Jeremiah. He deserved a serious sit down with her. And George...? She settled on discussing the most pressing matter.

"You need to see a Healer. I can take you while Justin and Verity take care of the shop."

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bl_george
2017-09-06 01:11 am UTC (link)

Bloody hell, George.

"I know," he whispered miserably. "I just. Couldn't listen to him talking about how great he was for you..."

He reached for the damp towel and got to his feet, making his way to the sink in the corner to rinse it out, being careful to wash all the blood down the sink. He wrung it nearly dry as he peered into the mirror on the wall.

"I'm fine," he said at last, holding the towel open toward her. "Can you put more ice in here? I'm just going to take some of those paracetamol things. I don't think I need a Healer..."

He actually wasn't sure, but wasn't entirely sure he wanted Angie dragging him through St. Mungo's either.

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bl_angelina
2017-09-06 01:24 am UTC (link)

Angelina stared at George's back while he stood at the sink. The impulse to go over and wrap her arms around him or rub his back or to comfort him nearly overwhelmed her, but his words rooted her in place. Couldn't listen to him talking about how great he was for you...

And he was, wasn't he? Jeremiah was a great bloke, the best. He was good and kind and intelligent and loads of other wonderful qualities. But he wasn't George.

Angelina closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Then she rubbed the back of her neck. "You're not fine, George. Nothing is fine. Nothing!" Angelina pressed her lips together. Keep your shite together, Ang. Don't unravel. At least wait until you're alone.

She cleared her throat and cast a charm to fill George's towel with more ice. "I think you do need to see a Healer, but I'm not going to force you. You can make up your own mind. I'll take you if you want me to. Or...or I could just give you some space. Figure out what's best for you."

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bl_george
2017-09-06 01:44 am UTC (link)

He twisted the towel and pressed it gingerly to the bridge of his nose, sighing at the soothing cold.

"I don't need space," he said quietly, shaking his head. "And I know I'm not fine. I just..."

Why did everything have to feel so fucked? He lowered the ice and touched his nose hesitantly, feeling the shape of it and sighing.

"My mind is made up. I know what I want. You said you needed to think, wanted time, and I'm not going to be that guy. It's bad enough I mouthed off to Cornfoot and..." His hand waved vaguely.

"I know what I want."

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bl_angelina
2017-09-07 04:45 pm UTC (link)

Angelina took a step toward him. "You're not going to be what kind of guy? What do you want, George? This is already a right train wreck. We might as well make sure we're both clear on what the bloody hell kind of wreck we're dealing with."

Then Angelina shook her head. "No, you know what, this isn't the time. You're bleeding, for Merlin's sake. We don't have to have this conversation now." She leaned her head back and exhaled loudly. She looked at him. "Healer or no?"

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bl_george
2017-09-07 04:57 pm UTC (link)

"Not going to be the guy that pushes. You wanted to think. You needed time. Your head was too full." He turned the ice and put it back to his nose. "Not the guy who keeps telling you that I bloody love you until you give in to shut me up..."

He sniffled and instantly regretted it, but pinched his nose through the towel, determined to finish. And I want the same thing I've wanted since I was fifteen. You. Its always been you."

Warmth dripped onto his upper lip and he groaned, tilting his head back. "Fuck. Healer."

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bl_angelina
2017-09-07 07:50 pm UTC (link)

Angelina's breath caught in her throat. "No one would give in to your love just to shut you up," she said, her voice quieted by the truth. "That bird would be thanking the stars for you. No one settles for you, Weasley. No one."

She stepped toward him, careful to touch his arm and avoid the blood. "We're not done with this conversation, and I'm so bloody mad at you for baiting Jeremiah that I'd like to knock you across the pond. And I'm bloody mad at him for hitting you, whether you deserved it or not. You're both acting like a couple of prats."

She gave him a half smile. "But you could charm a hag with what you said." She waved her finger in a circle around his face. "Maybe not with this particular look, but you clean up right nice."

Angelina pulled out her wand. "Let's get you to the Healer." She rushed out front to tell Justin what they were doing, and then she returned to George. With a flick of her wrist, they Apparated out of the shop.

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bl_george
2017-09-17 11:34 pm UTC (link)

There was a small cyclone of activity that surrounded the pair of them when they hit the Apparition point at St Mungo's. George waved a hand and alerted them to his infectious state, and Healers surrounded them, ushering Angie from the room and George into a cubicle where many spells were cast to shield the staff from blood or bloodiness.

He lay back on a stretcher, submitting to prodding and poking, spellwork and another Muggle-type blood test beofre they'd allow him to sit up. "Bruise-minimising spells probably won't have much effect," the Healer finally said with a sigh. "Magical remedies seem to have the least effect on those that have the least Magic remaining. Sorry," he added, as an almost afterthought. "But we try them anyway, just in case." He cast another spell before putting a small plastic strip across George's nose and affixing it with tape. "That might help keep it still until there's more healing, and help with the swelling. Ice is always good, and paracetamol, although that's probably just a Muggle myth. I'm not sure it really works, but they say it does."

He gave George another small vial of potion, then cleared away the rest of the blood from his face with a combination of spell and gentle flannel wiping. "I'd like you to hang around for a half-hour or so, just to make sure you don't have any unusual side effects from the spells or the medications, okay?"

George shrugged. "Sure. Can... can my friend come in now?" He was sure Angelina was pacing in the corridor, and he was just as anxious to get this particular conversation over with.

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bl_angelina
2017-09-18 07:21 pm UTC (link)

Angelina paced back and forth, back and forth until a Healer stopped her and asked her if she needed anything for anxiety or if she needed to be seen. Bloody hell, Angelina thought. I could use a do over for this day or for the last few weeks. Say, Healer, can you give me a redo in your back of spells?

"No, ma'am," Angelina said with a half smile. "I'm waiting for someone."

"Aren't we all?" the Healer said and patted Angelina's shoulder before walking away.

Another male Healer walked out and made a straight course for her. "You here with George Weasley?" When Angelina nodded, he said, "This way."

Angelina followed him into a room and around a pulled curtain that divided the room in half. George lay on a stretcher, and just seeing him pulled a sigh from her lips. She stepped up beside the mattress and slipped her hands around one of his.

"You're definitely a bit cleaner, but how do you feel? Start with the physical details first. Nothing too deep for now," she said and tried to smile, but she felt a twist in her stomach.

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bl_george
2017-09-18 07:36 pm UTC (link)

Her hands were cool and he squeezed gently. "Like this." His fingers wiggled in hers and he smiled, but it felt more like a grimace. "Seriously, fine. It's broken but they fixed it. Sort of. The bones won't mend with the spell and the bruises faded, but came right back. Guess I'm stuck healing like a Muggle."

He wriggled and moved up on the pillow a bit. "They want me to hang around a bit to make sure the potions don't turn me green or something."

George sighed, reaching up to touch his face gingerly, grimacing at the swelling that remained. "So... what's new with you? And to what do I owe this unexpected visit in the middle of the day?"

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bl_angelina
2017-09-20 07:33 pm UTC (link)

Angelina sighed. Of course they couldn’t mend him properly because of the illness, because George’s magic… Like a Muggle. She was still getting used to George being like a Muggle. “There are worse things to be,” she said. “Like having your arse kicked by a girl, which is still a possibility.” She squeezed his fingers gently.

She nodded. “Sounds fair. Who knows? Maybe the green will be an improvement.” She leaned toward him and winked. Then she glanced away and shrugged. “My afternoon visit? Nothing so complicated as what unfolded. I thought it might be nice to bring coffee and sweets. For no reason. I…I suppose I only wanted to stop by and say hello.” To see you. To try and restore some normalcy to my life. “So, hello, then. What a day, yeah? Should I leave you so you can get some rest? I’ll likely need to swing by the office to finish up my open projects. Or at least get them to a stopping point.” She also needed to speak to Jeremiah, but, Merlin, she didn’t want to have another total shite conversation today.

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bl_george
2017-09-20 07:54 pm UTC (link)

"I've had my arse kicked by a girl," he informed her. "You've met my sister. So you don't scare me." But she did, just not for the reasons she suspected. She could hate him, leave him, refuse to ever see him again...

Coffee. And sweets. "I dont suppose it's still warm," he mused, mourning hot coffee. "But thank you. That's pretty nice. And hello..."

He touched his nose absently and almost instantly regretted it, sighed and dropped his head back against the pillows and squeezing her hand. "I guess. If you need to go... I can get them to stick me through the Floo later..." George didn't feel much like 'resting' but he supposed it was probably a good idea.

"For what it's worth, I really am sorry. About the whole bloody thing."

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bl_angelina
2017-09-21 01:02 am UTC (link)

Angelina didn't fancy leaving George, but she did has work to do, and she hadn't planned on spending the afternoon at St. Mungo's. She also hadn't planned on having yet another complication added onto what was already a right mess.

She sighed and squeezed his hand when he apologised. Then she let go and glanced down at her shoes. She knew he was sorry for making the situation worse. Whether or not he was sorry for riling up Jeremiah, she wasn't sure. And it didn't matter now. Now she had a mess to sort through, and she'd have to wade through the muck soon.

"I'll check in with you later, okay? Do you need me to owl anyone? Have someone take you home? Do you need me to come back and get you?"

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bl_george
2017-09-21 01:56 am UTC (link)

He didn't want to let go of her hand, but her fingers slipped free and he didn't try to stop them. She had things to do, and conversations to have, and he had to let her.

He shook his head when she spoke. "Sure, yeah. I'll be fine." He knew enough people here from sitting on their committees, he was sure he could get someone to see him home if he needed them to.

"I'll be fine. Someone will get me home, or I'll have them send for Verity. Just... I'll talk to you soon." He managed a faint smile, then lay back and closed his eyes, wishing she'd stay but knowing she had to go.

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bl_angelina
2017-10-08 12:46 am UTC (link)

Angelina nodded. "We'll talk soon," she said as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. It was such a generic response. Of course they would talk soon, but her energy for thinking much farther than one step ahead of her waned. "You...take care of yourself." She inwardly cringed. Then she tacked on a smile she hoped didn't look as forced as it felt.

She touched his arm one last time and then turned and left the room, feeling as though her heart had decided to stay in the room with George instead of leaving with her.

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