InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I haven't slept in six years."

waynecymraeg (waynecymraeg) wrote in finnigans_rpg,
@ 2014-09-29 19:49:00

Entry tags:

character: ernie macmillan, character: wayne hopkins

Who: Ernie and Wayne

What: Catching up dinner

Where: McDonald's, then other places possibly

When: Monday night, 9/29, around 4

Rating: TBD

Four o'clock Monday rolled around, as it does. Wayne had left when Dennis was asleep - scrawled his number on a scrap of paper, as was the custom - and had just enough time to sleep a couple of hours, shower, and change for work. Four A.M. shifts were no joke.

But many things are possible when you have endless coffee on demand, shit though it may be, and Wayne was plenty awake for his shift, and his afternoon of making money drops.

He checked the time on his mobile and looked around - Ernie should be here any minute. Then he could take his friend on what would be, if he imagined correctly, Ernie's first McDonald's meal.

The bar would be set either very high or very low, and it was probably going to be funny.

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erniedtmac
2014-10-07 03:04 am UTC (link)

Ernie shrugged, trying to be compassionate. He knew he was luckier than some and usually tried his best not to shove it in people's faces. "Well, it's a start at least. You have to start somewhere, and it sounds like the only way to go is up. If you ever want to work somewhere else, there's always shops along Monument Alley who're looking for employees. Maybe you can look there? Would help buy some of those shoes you like."

Because Ernie naturally assumed the shoes were for Wayne, and he could empathize there - he did love a nice pair of leather shoes.

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waynecymraeg
2014-10-07 03:29 am UTC (link)

Wayne laughed nervously at Ernie's sensible yet inaccurate assumption that the shoes were for him. It made sense to think that, after all.

Wayne bought himself some time by eating without talking simultaneously.

Well, he figured, he had been looking for a segue.

"Actually," he blurted, "not for me. There's, um. Someone who goes through shoes faster than me, who ah, happens to just look a lot like me." Wayne dug out his wallet, fished out the well-worn school photo from last year, and held his breath.

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	erniedtmac 2014-10-07 03:37 am UTC (link)
	"Oh?" Ernie was curious now, and his conclusion-jumping brain jumped to yet another one, though nowhere near as bad as when he'd concluded that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin. "You have a brother I didn't know about? And why would he go through shoes fast, is he one of those sprinters I've heard about? Does he do competitions? That would be fun to watch, I bet." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	waynecymraeg 2014-10-07 03:42 am UTC (link)
	"Actually," Wayne began again, clearing his throat and blushing. "He's, um. Mine. My son." Appetite paused, he picked at his chips and looked away. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

erniedtmac
2014-10-07 03:55 am UTC (link)

"You have a son?!" Ernie's face showed full-blown shock, but that quickly melted into a strange mix of happiness and envy. "Merlin, you have a son. How old is he? Where is he? I bet he's adorable. Does he eat all his vegetables? Because that's really important, you know."

Though as he babbled, one thought kept running round and around in his mind - Justin's going to go spare.

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waynecymraeg
2014-10-08 06:11 am UTC (link)

"It's crazy, right?" Wayne took back the picture and tried to figure out how to word his responses to the eight thousand questions Ernie asked.

"That's last year's school picture," Wayne began. "We don't have this year's yet. Um, he's with his mum, unless something has gone horribly awry," he joked, resuming chip consumption.

"His birthday's November 27th." It wasn't that he was trying to keep Rhys's age from Ernie, exactly, but it rather stated the entire story right there.

Actually, that might get him out of telling the story. In that case...

"He's nearly eight. So, yeah."

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erniedtmac
2014-10-08 06:06 pm UTC (link)

Ernie looked at the picture and definitely noticed the resemblance to Wayne. "Crazy isn't the word I'd use, but it fits enough," he joked. "You weren't kidding when you said someone who looked a lot like you."

He handed the picture back and nodded when Wayne mentioned his son's date of birth and age. "Eight years already, so much happens in eight years. I can barely remember what I was doing eight years ago..." It took several moments for Ernie to think on that, and when he did, something about the math didn't seem to make sense until a figurative candle lit in his mind. "Is that why you left school?" he asked bluntly.

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waynecymraeg
2014-10-09 12:25 am UTC (link)

Wayne shifted uncomfortably and darted his gaze around. He'd been hoping he wouldn't have to say it in so many words.

Not to misunderstand: he was proud of Rhys and loved him. He just never really banished the idea that he was a mistake.

"Yeah," he sighed eventually. "It was over the Easter hols fifth year, and when I got home for the summer...I knew I wouldn't be coming back."

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	erniedtmac 2014-10-09 03:15 am UTC (link)
	This was one of the few moments in Ernie's life where he was truly at a loss for words. What could he say? "I'm sorry it happened that way," he started when he eventually found his voice again. "But I can see you're proud of him. I hope you're happy, at least, with the way things turned out. You are happy, right?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

waynecymraeg
2014-10-09 08:17 am UTC (link)

How could he possibly answer that? Wayne had to stop and think a moment.

He wasn't happy, not exactly. But he wasn't unhappy about it.

"Yeah," he said, even sounding unconvincing to his own ears...until he looked at Rhys's photo again.

"I think so, yeah." Probably.

"What about you?" He asked, glad to be able to shift the focus away from himself, finally. "You seem pretty chuffed with your career and everything. Are you happy?"

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erniedtmac
2014-10-10 12:16 am UTC (link)

Ernie's concerned eyes never quite left Wayne's face. He hadn't seen Wayne in years, but even then he could tell the other man was lying from the sound of his voice. Ernie didn't want to prod him too much, not when they were only just getting reacquainted, so he allowed the subject change - though that didn't mean he reserved the right to address it again some time in the future.

"I'm happy with most things, yeah," he replied after another bite of his hamburger. "I've still got my mates, and a job I love. And my Mum is brilliant, checking on me and all. My Dad and I haven't spoken in years, he doesn't care for having a queer son, but other than that, I'm happy."

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waynecymraeg
2014-10-10 06:34 am UTC (link)

Wayne winced. "Sorry about your Dad. He's missing out on having a kickass son, for what it's worth," he told Ernie.

It was easy to be unhappy if you didn't think about it that much, Wayne had discovered, but having it brought to light like that, even obliquely, made him sorely want a drink.

Dammit.

"Well, here's to all the queer Hufflepuff guys suddenly living on top of each other again," he improvised, raising his coke and 'clinking' rims with Ernie's matching paper cup.

And as is custom with toasts, he took a long drink. It had less rum than he'd like for a coke, but whatever. He'd resolved to try the wagon thing again.

"May the powers that be have mercy on all of our souls."

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	erniedtmac 2014-10-10 02:49 pm UTC (link)
	"Hey, don't get too far ahead of yourself," Ernie teased. "No getting on top of me until you've bought me a drink first. I'm not that easy." He tapped his cup against Wayne's and chuckled. However the last few years had gone, it was nice to have Wayne around again. "May they indeed." (Reply to this) (Parent)

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