InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Sealing. Sealing."

erniedtmac (erniedtmac) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2014-11-03 23:16:00

Entry tags:

character: ernie macmillan, character: theodore nott

Who: Ernie and Theodore
What: An actual date
Where: Dip & Swish cafe, Diagon Alley
When: Monday, November 3 - 6pm
Status: Closed / Ongoing

That day, Ernie's professionalism was the very thing that saved him from being a complete mess. All right, it wasn't that bad, but he'd felt nervous flutters in his stomach all day, every time he thought of his plans for the evening. After work, he was more than happy to toss away his ugly healer's robes and find something a little more... flattering, like some Muggle denim trousers that he'd bought on a shopping trip with Justin and a nice, dark purple jumper.

He showed to the cafe with minutes to spare, not wanting to be late and knowing he'd need a few minutes to calm down. He didn't really know why he was so nervous, he'd had plenty of dates before, but this one just seemed a little more important. Maybe it was because Theodore was so elusive in his own way, and that Ernie felt lucky just to be given a chance. The other man didn't seem to trust easily - Ernie hoped he was worthy of it.

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nottfinished
2014-11-25 10:35 pm UTC (link)

Art for art? Theo liked the way Ernie had with words and turn of phrase - it was something that he liked to play with himself and sometimes, when he was having a bad patch or back in the Janus Thickey ward, it had been the only way he'd been able to communicate, word play and hidden meanings.

"I don't." Theo agreed on the cooking point. "I can, if I have to, but not very well and I don't, don't really make anything that requires much cooking." he could live on cereal. "Draco... you know, I'm not sure. He was always good at Potions and he works in a similar field so I have no doubt that he could, but I'm not sure if he does." Once again, cereal tended to be a staple of Theo's diet and he tended not to eat very often when he was at home. Lunch happened at work and he grabbed breakfast but he often couldn't bring himself to face dinner.

"But you cook? You seem to know a lot about food."

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erniedtmac
2014-11-26 05:43 am UTC (link)

Ernie had been eating his pasta when Theodore replied and started talking about his friend, whose name he had not said until this moment. At the sound of Draco's name, he breathed and swallowed at the same time and started choking on his food. He coughed and lightly pounded on his chest, then reached out for his tea, needing to drink something to get his food down.

Malfoy?! He'd known Theodore had been in Slytherin, but he'd never actually thought about the fact that he would have known Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle. He really should have thought of it before, but the vision he had of his friend was so different from what he had in mind for the others in that House.

"I'm sorry," he said, voice raspy. "Went down the wrong hole." He took another sip of tea and forced the fact from his mind, for now at least. He'd have to think on it later - he knew that anyone who dated him would have to accept his friends, and he'd always known the opposite was true as well, he just had never imagined having to accept Malfoy.

"I do. Sometimes just baking something sweet, and others its making a dish to bring to a friend's. It's fun, relaxing, sort of like making potions actually, except it tastes much, much better." He tried for a smirk. "Maybe if you're lucky, you might get to taste my chicken pot pie."

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nottfinished
2014-11-28 05:50 pm UTC (link)

Theo was startled when Ernie choked, not sure what to do and pushing Ernie's tea closer when he reached for it. He had no idea what he'd done but the panic in him rose until Ernie managed to speak. "Are you okay?" he queried, first and foremost worried about Ernie, reaching out to him across the table.

He watched and still worried when Ernie calmed down and answered him. He tried to smile back at Ernie's smirk but it didn't really work when he was so concerned. "Maybe... are you sure you're okay?"

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erniedtmac
2014-12-01 04:17 pm UTC (link)

Ernie first tried to wave away Theodore's question, but the hand reaching out to him combined with the note of concern in his voice had Ernie pausing. He reached out himself to place a hand on Theodore's, trying to ward off the worry.

"I'm sorry to worry you," he said in a voice that was much more normal now that he wasn't coughing. "I'm fine, I just breathed and swallowed at the same time. I promise you, I'm okay." The smile he offered was bright and comforting and affectionate as Ernie tried to relay only positive emotions. He would think about Malfoy later, but bad feelings and memories from Hogwarts didn't have any place in this tentative first date.

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nottfinished
2014-12-01 06:49 pm UTC (link)

The little touch was electric and Theo's hand twitched under it. He was relieved to hear that it wasn't anything stupid and Ernie seemed okay - if Theo had inadvertently killed him on their date he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself, that and paranoia ran rampant through Theo's mind even on a good day.

"Morgana..." he swore softly under his breath and then smiled back. "It's okay, as long as you're not choking." He sighed and drew his hand back, albeit a little reluctantly, to fork up a chip and nibble at it. "Is chicken pot pie your signature dish?" he asked, much more relaxed now that he knew Ernie wasn't dying.

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erniedtmac
2014-12-03 08:39 pm UTC (link)

"Choking on a first date would definitely be bad manners," Ernie said with a chuckle. "I promise, no dying today."

He went back to eating - tentatively this time just in case - and nodded at Theodore's question. "At least it's the one me Mum likes best, so I've probably made it so many times I could do it in my sleep. I like to try new recipes all the time, though. Seems everyone has a favourite, and it's nice to make it around their birthdays or other occasions."

Which reminded him, in a way, that Christmas was coming soon enough - he'd have to get started thinking on gifts if he didn't want to end up running around at the last minute.

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nottfinished
2014-12-03 10:19 pm UTC (link)

Once he'd been reassured that Ernie wasn't about to keel over, Theo was able to relax a little more.

He smiled a little to hear that Ernie cooked like he did for his mother, even though he wasn't really able to relate, not when his mother was a gap in a lot more than just his life. "What's your favourite?" he asked, curious. "Is your favourite dish to cook the same as your favourite dish to eat?" he queried next, thoughtfully, intrigued as to this factor. He barely liked anything he cooked or ate and so he couldn't apply the question to himself.

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erniedtmac
2014-12-04 04:56 pm UTC (link)

He shook his head, and he grinned as he thought about food and what he enjoyed most. "While I enjoy my own cooking, Mum's is what I enjoy the most. She has this recipe for pork pie that I've never tasted anywhere else and is just so juicy and delicious. And every Christmas and St. Andrews day, she'd make a steamed treacle pudding that we'd have after we'd finished our goose."

The memories were bittersweet as they also reminded him of his father, and he tried to push them aside, preferring to concentrate on the man opposite him in the booth, at least for now.

"And you? What're your favourites?"

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nottfinished
2014-12-05 01:03 pm UTC (link)

Listening to Ernie talk about his mother's cooking was like seeing it for himself and the fact that these were clearly happy memories made Theo smile. It was strange that when Ernie spoke about food it didn't make Theo feel as sick as when he thought about it; he'd quite like to try that steamed treacle pudding for example, although heavy, warm, sweet foods were easier for him to eat than anything too savoury or strange.

He nibbled another morsel of fishfinger that he'd divided off and swallowed before he spoke. "I suppose it would be porridge." he said, a little awkward about saying so. "With salt and just a little bit of sugar. I like breakfast food more than anything else, but it doesn't really require much in the way of culinary skills." It was like eating a hug, it went down easily and it tended to have the added advantage of filling his stomach so that he could go longer without having to eat again.

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erniedtmac
2014-12-06 11:10 pm UTC (link)

Ernie liked hearing Theodore talk about things that were a little personal, even if they were something as small as what food he enjoyed eating most. "It doesn't matter if it doesn't take skill, as long as you enjoy it," he offered. "It sounds nice, like comfort food."

He finished the last piece of his chicken and then tackled the last of his pasta. "Is there anyplace in particular you like for a good breakfast? We could always go, meet up early one morning and go out for breakfast. If you like."

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nottfinished
2014-12-07 09:50 pm UTC (link)

Comfort food? He supposed that made sense, like he was trying to reassure something about himself, by himself. Yeah, comfort food. He nodded a little bit, his fork speared in a chip that waited in a state of stasis for him to eat it as he paused in thought, broken out of his reverie by Ernie again.

He ate the fated chip and smiled at Ernie's suggestion. "I've never eaten out for breakfast." he admitted. "I wouldn't mind trying it though, if you'd still want to go?" This date wasn't as bad as he'd feared it would be.

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