auror edward w. watkins (ingratiating) wrote in find_horcruxes, @ 2009-10-01 22:11:00 |
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Entry tags: | boyd macfusty, edward watkins |
rp log: edward & boyd
Who: Boyd MacFusty & Edward Watkins!
When: backdated to last Wednesday, 23rd September
Where: a Muggle pub somewhere in London!
What: BFFs go drinkin', see a couple pretty ladies, tease each other and talk about stuff... and so on.
Rating: PG-13? Something like that.
In the weeks following the King's Cross attack, Edward hadn't felt up to much of anything beyond what was required for his job and then some. He'd gone to Frank and Alice's wedding, but he'd been distracted the entire time (and not only because of who he caught snogging his sister). He'd been up to see Boyd and the rest of the MacFusties, and Nessie, but even seeing Boyd's face light up around Nessie wasn't quite enough to shake the low mood that had settled on Edward's shoulders. Drinking didn't help much with that either, but at least he was out of his flat and socialising; that had to count for something, didn't it? He was comforted slightly by how quiet everything had been in the aftermath. That there had been no further attacks should have been disconcerting, but Edward was just pleased to have a break. After ordering his pint, Edward headed to the nearest open table he could find and sat down. At least, he thought, Meredith was speaking to him again. Maybe it had been a touch out of line to write to their mother about Barty, but imagining the look on Meredith's face made him chuckle again. "Care to bet on how long it'll take those girls," Edward said slowly, nodding slightly towards a pair of giggling young women near the bar, who'd been eyeing them since they'd walked in, "to come over here and chat us up? I mean, chat me up?" The arrangement of the chairs at the table had been such that Boyd barely had to shift himself around to see the girls Ed was referring to. They were an easy bunch to spot, and swapping his expression of mild curiosity for a grin, he gave them a small wave. Predictable as ever, they exchanged glances before the shorter of the pair leaned in to the other to whisper in her ear --which caused the taller to slap a hand over her mouth to hide her laughter. "Can always time it if ye want," Boyd replied, looking over at Edward and easily leaving the set to their giggles and jokes. "Two at once, though? Christ, Ed -- ye're jus' movin' up in the world. An' what'll yer ma say when she hears what her darlin' wee Eddie's been sayin'." He gave Ed a smirk to top it off before lifting his mug to promptly start into his first round of the night. "Five minutes? Ten?" Edward joked, grinning at his friend. He didn't really think it would be that quick, but he was hopeful that he'd get some sort of distraction out of the night beyond Boyd. He desperately needed a distraction, as much as he wanted to be on the go all of the time. He knew that wasn't wise. "Hey, I'll just take one if that's all I can get," he pointed out, lifting his own glass to take a drink. "Mostly I was commenting on how you're probably not interested and would shoot them down, so then they'd turn to me as an obvious alternative. If they picked you first. Chances are, one of them's got her eye on me, and the other's agreed to talk to you just to be nice." His tone was light-hearted enough that it was clear he was still just teasing Boyd. "And you're not telling Mum. You know what she's like. Better that she's stuck on Mere's new... whatever he is than on me." "How 'boot I give ye 'til we're done here, an' if they have no' made a move, then..." Boyd waved a hand vaguely around, as he took a sizeable drain from his mug. "Any luck ye'll be pissed out of yer fuckin' skull an' it willnae matter," he finished, beaming almost too cheerily back at Edward. Optimism was definitely easier to tap into these days, and as a loyal friend, so had Boyd been willing to annoy the shite out of his mate with it. "Ye know, I think the short one likes me," Boyd continued as he sneaked a look up. Yeah, those two were still going at it by the bar. He shook his head, feigning pity. "Too bad I'll have t'break 'er heart." Edward rolled his eyes. He didn't plan on getting too pissed that he wouldn't be able to work if there was an emergency, but hopefully enough that girls wouldn't matter. If one of the girls hadn't made a move by then, he knew he was in for days of teasing from Boyd. But then again, it wasn't like he didn't have his own ammo to get back at Boyd after. "Yeah? If she comes over, who're you going to be tonight?" Edward began, his brow lifting slightly, his lips twitching a little into a smile, though he was fighting it. "John? Lachlan? Let me know so I don't ruin it all by calling you something else." That whole mess with Addie hadn't been as funny when they'd been fighting, but now? Well, now, Edward hoped that Boyd was ready to be reminded of it all of the time. Boyd levelled Edward with an impressed look, which would have been more effective if he wasn't still trying to shake off a grin. It couldn't be helped: Edward had right about brought up Addie -- and not that Boyd had stopped thinking of her in most of his waking hours, but he definitely had Banges on his mind again. The other girls across the bar were all Ed's with Boyd's blessing. "Whoever I am, ye're still a tosser," was the reply. And, after a pause, Boyd added with an air of triumph: "With a rash." Okay, Edward thought, he'd walked right into that. Still, he scowled across the table at his friend. "Mere and I might be on speaking terms again, but I'm still mad about that." Never mind the fact that he'd been the one to mention it publicly in the journals, not her, so everyone else knowing was his own fault. But if she hadn't said it in the first place, he wouldn't have brought it up again. "And don't you dare go repeating that bit to anyone," Edward added after a moment, "swear to God, Boyd, you're dead meat." A nod of feigned solemnity was Boyd response. "Ye look like ye're still mad," he smartly countered before nodding to the two girls at the bar. "Prob'ly closer t'constipated from their angle, though. Willna have t'repeat anythin' if ye keep that expression up." Boyd raised his mug, giving the drink within a raised-brow brief glance. "Jus' sayin', mate." Immediately, Edward's face relaxed -- although he looked somewhat horrified by what Boyd was saying. He hoped Boyd wasn't right, but just in case, he smiled at his friend -- and rolled his eyes. "Remind me again why we're friends?" he asked. Most likely, it had something to do with the fact that no one else would put up with the other like they did, not after so many years of friendship. It was a sappy thought -- and one Edward was not willing to share after the week he'd had -- but it was true. "Right then, change of subject," Edward continued after taking another drink from his pint. "How's Banges?" Boyd gave it a thought, then raised is mug to Edward with a grin. "Have no' the foggiest, but cheers all the same!" Ed was on the right track, in truth. Even for all the nagging and stupid arguments and teasing and punches... Whatever one dealt out, he received back in the next round. It was a brilliant system of checks and balances. Besides, maybe Hufflepuffs were the loyal-'til-the-bitter end types, but Gryffindors knew enough about that stuff, too. "Addie?" Boyd echoed, trying to catch back up to the conversation from where his thoughts veered off. His smile turned wistful with the new topic. "She's perfect." "Perfect?" Edward snorted lightly into his pint and rolled his eyes. Leave it to Boyd to say that sort of thing. While he knew Boyd was very fond of Addie, he wasn't sure what he really thought of her yet, beyond seeing her as his annoying younger sister's annoying friend. Then, there was that whole John-Lachlan-Boyd mess and how much she'd bothered his best mate over it (understandably so, of course, but Edward had to be on Boyd's side). Besides, if she could get past that, then couldn't he get past how annoyed he'd been with her? He really ought to make more of an effort to reach out to her after being so horrid to her in the aftermath of King's Cross. "You've got it bad, huh?" "Ah, laugh on, ye giant git," Boyd sent right back, although his expression was betraying the edge he'd tried to put on his words. No matter what it was that his best mate said of it -- kidding or not -- the fact was that finally -- finally -- Addie Banges had agreed to going out with him. Maybe Boyd wasn't particularly religious, but he liked to imagine someone was pulling for him. Someone a bit more possessed of cosmic powers than Gideon Prewett, that was. "One day, Ed, ye'll find yerself a girl --" He regarded Edward for moment, nodding solemnly as if something profound was being passed along from master to apprentice, and then shrugged. "I guess. An' ye'll know what it's like." "One day?" Edward asked, incredulously. "You guess? Thanks for your vote of confidence, mate, really means a lot. Cheers to me maybe finding a girl." He lifted his glass, nodding to Boyd, and tried to hide his grin behind the beer as he took another drink. He was just as good at making fun of himself as he was at making fun of his best mate, and if asked, he'd say life was too short to get upset over every little thing, especially when it was meant as a joke. That sort of mentality didn't always work, but that night, Edward was going to try his hardest not to let a little teasing bother him. "Cheers to Addie, too," he added as he set his glass down. "Took her long enough to figure out you're not a complete idiot. Just a bit of one, but not completely." Boyd lowered his mug, which was already at the halfway mark (for any proper MacFusty never wasted time when it came to anything with alcohol in). "All right. I take back the guess. One day, Eddie, ye will find a lass of yer own an' she'll... love ye as..." He looked uncertain for a moment. "Ye are," he finished a bit lamely. "Look -- if ye go sayin' this t'anyone else, I'll end ye, but... if I got a shot with Addie? Cannae see why ye cannae find someone, too." The girls over by the bar were more than forgotten by now by Boyd. "Long as it's no' Rosie." Edward laughed again. Of course any sort of sentiment about Edward's ability to find a woman would be expressed in that way, in a way that mocked his desirability. He probably deserved that one, too. It really would be quite a feat to find someone who wanted all of him, flaws and all, but he wasn't quite ready for that yet. "Thanks, but I think I'm good right now." He was only twenty-one, and he was in one of the most dangerous professions that existed in their world. A relationship was the last thing on his mind. "Hey, why not Rosie?" Edward asked, despite the fact that it churned his stomach to think of making a move on Rosie. "She'll be old enough in... seven years!" Boyd narrowed his eyes across the table at Edward. "And ye'll be in the ground if ye even dare," he sent back with a rather illustrative hand gesture. "She's ten years-old, Ed. Bad enough she'll be goin' t'Hogwarts next year. Christ if I want t'think seven years inna the future from now." And that was when the duo at the counter started to roam over. Trying for a subtle way of alerting Ed, Boyd decided on the bright idea of kicking Edward in the ankle under the table, and jerking his head a bit to signal. Luckily -- for both of them, and Rosie (although she'd probably disagree) -- Edward was joking around. It was one of the easiest ways to get a rise out of Boyd when he wanted to, and Edward had no doubt that if he ever even thought about it seriously, he'd have the entire MacFusty clan after him in a split second, which was almost as frightening as having a Death Eater after him. Almost. "Fuck, that --" Edward started, gaping at Boyd for the seemingly random kick... but then he noticed the head-nod and the girls, and it all made sense again. His ankle was still throbbing, but it was worth it. He'd hate to have someone think he was serious about picking up a ten year old. "Can we join you?" the shorter girl asked, and after scooting his chair over a little to make room, Edward glanced at Boyd again, a grin on his face, brows lifted as if to say 'see, told you so.' He hadn't lost his touch, not completely, and he hadn't even needed to say anything! He just hoped that they hadn't come over because of Boyd. If only there was a way to surreptitiously check his wristwatch in that moment, just to see what they clocked in at, but Boyd decided -- begrudgingly -- to let it slide. "Yeah, sure," he returned, catching Edward's grin. "'Cause, ye know, Ed over here's been tellin' all night that he was hopin' fer the chance t'talk with ye. Right, Ed?" It worked like a charm if those smiles meant anything, at least. As the girls were busy fetching chairs to pull over, Boyd levelled a quick look at his mate. 'Ye owe me, Watkins' was the general message that he silently mouthed out. "Right!" Now there's a good mate, Edward thought, and really, he owed a lot to Addie for taking Boyd off the market -- more women for himself! Understanding what Boyd was trying to say, Edward nodded and leaned over. "Next round's on me." It probably wasn't enough -- Boyd was, after all, going to sit there while Edward flirted with two women and tried to figure out which one of them liked him best -- but hopefully it would do. |