InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Peter <3 Andrew"

Seamus Finnigan (openbottle) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2014-10-31 09:02:00

Entry tags:

character: bryony capper, character: dominic chambers, character: ernie macmillan, character: seamus finnigan, character: theodore nott, character: viktor krum

This is Halloween!
Who: OPEN THREAD - Please tag as your characters arrive
What: Halloween
Where: Finnigan's
When: October 31st, 11am - Late
Rating: SFW?

Seeing as Wingbeat would be opening later, Finnigan's was presenting a more laid back option for Halloween this year. Dominic had magically dimmed all the rooms just a little, and they were lit with magical jack o'lanterns. A cauldron of Honeydukes' finest products waited by the door - charmed to let every customer take exactly one sweet and the bar was serving up themed cocktails, including Black Magic (Calvados, Creme de Mure, lemon juice and honey, warmed), Pumpkin Spiced Beer, Vampire Delight Martini and Departed Spirit Shot. Seamus had even cajoled Romeo into making colcannon and barmbrack for the occasion.

The roost was a little more elaborate, as usual, decorated to resemble a pumpkin field with pumpkin beanbags and cauldrons for apple-bobbing. There were apples strung up on strings from the ceiling, too, for games of snap apple.

The Den and The Corner looked much as they usually did, apart from the jack o'lanterns and a few spare 'cobwebs' in the corners. Everything was ready, and Seamus and Dominic were expecting a busy day.

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Re: Theo & Ernie

erniedtmac
2014-11-02 04:35 am UTC (link)

Theodore's reaction was the last thing Ernie had expected. Everything about Theodore screamed don't touch me and defend myself, and Ernie simply couldn't figure out what he had done or said wrong. Should he have not been honest, let the assumption slide? Probably, and if he could take back the words, he would. They were out there, though, and all he could do was go forward - and to deny or avoid the questions now would only tell Theodore he was untrustworthy.

"It means I think you're good-looking and intelligent, I have since the day we met." Ernie looked up from his hands and tried to express his sincerity with every fiber of his being. "And you're the sort of bloke that I wouldn't mind taking out for a romantic dinner one night. But that's just- if you don't want that, if you're not interested, then you don't have to worry because I won't mention it again. What I want is to be your friend, and anything else would just be a bonus, but only if you wanted it too. What you want is more important to me right now."

He wanted to reach out but he didn't. There was only one thing he wanted to know. "What do you want?"

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Re: Theo & Ernie

nottfinished
2014-11-02 09:17 pm UTC (link)

Theo winced visibly because the last thing he wanted was to be thought of as good-looking, to draw any attention to himself that would make people want to look harder and then want to touch, want to claim, own or have. His off-beat heart kicked around off-tempo in his chest in his panic just from the things Ernie was saying that he was finding hard to digest.

All this time, Ernie had seen him and liked him, the way he looked, from the first time they'd met and wanted to what take him out? If Ernie had come up to him and led with asking him out Theo would have declined and left and they would have never spent the time they had together. All this time though and Ernie had felt that way and had just been his friend, restrained to friendship, nothing that had made Theo uncomfortable (nothing that he'd continued doing once he'd realised it had made Theo uncomfortable). More than anything, he'd picked Theo up, taken him home, put him in his own bed where Ernie would have had the perfect opportunity to do anything he wanted if he'd wanted to, but he hadn't. When had what Theo wanted been more important to anyone else over their own needs?

What did he want?

"I don't want to be hurt." He said, the words coming out in a jolt, the 'again' at the end unspoken. He looked a little surprised that he'd even said that. What did he want? He pushed his bad hand up into his hair and anchored it there for a second before dragging it through, sitting back with a sigh, his wand still in hand but not about to throw a hex at anyone anymore. "I don't want this to be so difficult." he said, unable to even look up at Ernie. "But I kind of... I might be interested too." he confessed, even partially to himself. "So it can't help but be difficult."

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Re: Theo & Ernie

erniedtmac
2014-11-02 09:52 pm UTC (link)

Seeing Theodore wince one last time felt like someone had filled a bucket full of cold water and dumped it onto the tiny little flickering flame of hope that Ernie had in his heart. He should have known better, really, because for all his bluster, he knew he wasn't as desirable as half the wizards out there, and that was even if Theodore swung that way, which he likely didn't. He was happy being just friends - had been so for weeks now, and would continue to be if he were allowed.

He was ready to get up and go, give Theodore his space and apologize for having interrupted his evening, when the other man spoke. Every word served to fan the little ember that had remained after being doused, bringing it back to a flame that was larger than it had been before. As he was filled with hope, he tried not to let it cloud his view because he wanted to hear and understand everything Theodore was saying. While he was mostly in control of himself, he couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face.

"Lots of things are difficult, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth it in the end," he offered. "Which is kind of cliche, I know, but it's still true. I don't want to hurt you, I'd do anything to avoid it, and if there's anything I can do to make things easier for you, just say the word."

He clenched his fingers to stop himself from reaching out to Theodore, tempted as he was to make contact but knowing it wouldn't help, not now. This would be difficult if Theodore wanted to pursue his interest... but as Ernie said, it would be worth it.

"You don't even have to make a decision now. I've kind of put my heart on the line here, so take some time to think if you need to. I'll be here when you know what you want to do, and even if you're not as interested as you think you might be, I'll be happy just to be your friend, no matter what."

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Re: Theo & Ernie

nottfinished
2014-11-03 12:41 am UTC (link)

Theo hadn't expected Ernie to just accept what he'd said, without pushing or asking why or just telling him that he was being ridiculous over a not relationship that hadn't even started yet, but then he hadn't reminded himself that this was Ernie he was speaking to. There was a reason he'd felt the way he had been and hadn't just panicked at the get go, stunned the guy and Apparated out of the situation as he might have otherwise done, especially today. He believed the things that Ernie said, even as he told himself he was being stupid for doing so, even though there was a part of him reminding him how it felt to be held down and bitten and torn apart and that he was putting himself in a position for those exact things to happen again. Ernie wasn't his dad though, Ernie was no animal.

He wasn't expecting to hear Ernie say that his heart was on the line though. He reached out to his glass, turned it and then picked it up to take a sip, using his good hand which showed that his wand wasn't out and at the ready anymore. He put it down and nudged it towards Ernie a little, just in case he needed a little pick me up after all that. "So... what if I am... interested?" he asked, eyes on the tabletop and looking nervous. "What then?"

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Re: Theo & Ernie

erniedtmac
2014-11-03 01:23 am UTC (link)

Ernie hadn't felt threatened by Theodore - perhaps he should have, perhaps he could have feared an overreaction that would have had him on the other end of a hex or a curse. He hadn't, though. In all of their encounters, nothing Theodore had ever done had indicated that he would be willing to hurt Ernie in any way, and so Ernie trusted him. In a roundabout way, it was much like him and many of his patients - there were people in his ward that other people would look at as dangerous and unstable because they acted differently, but in reality would never hurt a fly.

What Theo did with the glass spoke volumes to him - no way could he refuse such a small invitation. He took the glass and lifted it up, touching his lips to the only-just-noticeable condensation that showed where Theodore had sipped, then took a short drink. The firewhiskey burned nicely down his throat and he returned the glass to the table.

"If you're interested, then I'd love to take you out to dinner one night. Anything else would depend on how we both feel and what we're ready for. I'm patient, and I would never push." He placed a hand on the seat between them, curling his fingers over the edge a moment before relaxing his grip and gently turning his hand over. An offer, if Theodore wished to take him up on it, but one that could also be easily refused without hurt feelings.

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Re: Theo & Ernie

nottfinished
2014-11-03 01:49 am UTC (link)

Theo noticed Ernie deliberately drinking where he'd drank from and that felt strange, a weird but not uncomfortable little swirl that he hadn't felt before, like an unmade smile. This was going to be strange, wasn't it.

Dinner was a bit of a touch and go plan with Theo, who had a turbulent relationship with food as it was, but even he knew that dinner was the lowest common denominator of a mature date and he knew what Ernie was offering with that. It was around people so he wouldn't feel isolated but it would be intimate enough to feel private and personal, quiet enough for them to talk and in a setting relaxed enough to feel conversational instead of interrogational. Public though, he didn't want to embarrass Ernie.

The movement of Ernie's hand on the seat caught his eye and he looked down as it turned over, a little questioning curl of body movement, a query, an opening that could be taken or left. Theo almost couldn't reach out but something about it made him do so, his fingertips just about ghosting over the edge of Ernie's palm and then his index and middle fingers curling around the tips of Ernie's, barely handholding but still something. He tried to pretend that even that small contact didn't have him trembling a little bit because that would have been too embarassing to bear. "I don't like to eat a lot." he warned, agreement to the date hidden in there somewhere even though he still couldn't look Ernie in the face.

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Re: Theo & Ernie

erniedtmac
2014-11-03 02:07 am UTC (link)

Ernie inhaled sharply at the touch of fingertips upon his palm. He held his breath as the fingers moved and felt it in more than just his hand. He was a very tactile person, and in some ways, a touch meant more to him than most words ever could. Touches rarely lied, and in this one he felt a loosening inside his chest, a reassurance, and again, hope.

"I don't mind," he said softly. "Food's good, but the company's better. And if your appetite's bigger than you expect, don't worry about it - I'm a healer, so I can afford it."

He shifted his fingers slightly, just the slightest bit of movement of his against Theodore's with no other purpose than to simply enjoy the touch. "You just let me know what night's good for you, and where you'd like to go, and I'll arrange it all. I just want the chance to get to know you better in a different way."

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Re: Theo & Ernie

nottfinished
2014-11-03 11:36 pm UTC (link)

Theo twitched a little when Ernie's fingers moved against his but they didn't move to grab and he didn't flinch away. Ernie seemed okay with all the ways that Theo was defective, or at least all the ways that Theo could admit for the time being, barely the tip of the iceberg of faults Theo had waiting to ruin any relationship. He wouldn't have used Ernie's money though, even if he'd been starving.

"I don't, I don't really mind. I'm pretty free any evening at the moment and I don't have any preference as to restaurants." He cast a shy look across to Ernie for the first time but couldn't hold it and dropped his gaze to the tabletop between them. "I could do Monday?"

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Re: Theo & Ernie

erniedtmac
2014-11-04 12:26 am UTC (link)

Ernie caught that shy look, only for a moment, and he could tell how much Theodore was trying. He had no idea why this was so difficult for his friend, what hurts lied in his past to make him timid and filled with obvious fear. All he knew was that he wanted to know more, whatever Theo would tell him, and he wanted to bring a smile to his friend's gentle face.

"Monday would be brilliant." Even if it weren't a good day, he'd do everything in his power to make it so. He wanted to recommend Bella's, one of the most exclusive restaurants on Monument Alley (the Maitre D' was the brother of one of his patients and had promised him a table whenever he wished), but his wish to dazzle Theodore was tempered with the knowledge that it might be too much and would just scare him off. "There's a nice little cafe on Diagon, Dip & Swish, that has a nice mix of food. It's mostly booths that come with privacy spells, so it wouldn't be too loud or overwhelming. Would six o'clock be all right?"

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Re: Theo & Ernie

nottfinished
2014-11-04 01:39 am UTC (link)

Theo hadn't heard of it but then he never dined out and had scant knowledge of any of the restaurants on the area. The cafe sounded good though, especially the privacy spells and the booths - he hated sitting in the middle of a room, especially when he couldn't have his back to a wall, even though the fact that he needed to sit in such a manner made him feel like he'd failed some universal test. "Six sounds perfect." he agreed, trying not to convince himself out of it already. It was just dinner and a chat and Ernie knew enough about him on the surface to not be scared off by him for the duration of one meal; he had picked him up off the floor after all, and if anything else was unearthed during dinner then at least they'd given it a fair go. It wasn't as though this was a marriage proposal, not that Theo thought it would get that far.

Ernie was kind. Theo felt safe with him, and Theo didn't even feel safe when he was on his own. Could he be blamed for wanting more of that? Yes, maybe it was selfish of him because there was no way Ernie would want anymore of his company after discovering what dark traps came with it, but then at least Ernie would be able to see that for himself and not be told by Theo and end up always wondering 'what if' - this was the better way for the both of them.

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