William Shepherd (william_s) wrote in freedomtownic, @ 2021-04-27 10:19:00 |
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Entry tags: | brian pritchard (dr_pritchard), william shepherd (william_s) |
Who: Brian and William
Where: The End Zone; Freedomtown
When: After this
What: Asking for an opinion
Rating: Low
Status: Closed; Complete
Since he'd arrived at The End Zone a little earlier than they'd planned, William hoped that Brian wouldn't mind if he got started on his first beer without his friend. He took a seat at the bar, dressed in tan pants and a white cotton dress shirt. While he was an imposing figure, for the most part he was as harmless as a kitten and radiated such warmth and kindness that it was hard not to be drawn to him simply for want of a good conversation. He took a sip of his beer as he perused the menu. He'd heard good things about the wings (mostly through Rachelle's shameless self-promotion on the network) and was tempted to give them a try. While he had no intention of drinking to get drunk, he figured it'd be a good idea to get some food in their bellies while they were there as well.
"Big Willy!" Brian yelled toward the bar as he walked in, a big gin in place at seeing his old friend. He walked right up to the bigger man, pulling him in for a big hug. "How's everything been, man?" He asked, before taking a seat beside his friend.
William chuckled as he hugged Brian back (as always, mindful of his strength despite it being such a simple gesture). "Things've been great," he rumbled. "We've really settled in well here." He and Edie had been together for so long now that he spoke in 'we's' rather than 'I's', sweetly enough. "What about you, Bri?"
"So good." Brian replied, giving a little lopsided grin. "I didn't really... handle Gertie showing up here very well at first." He admitted, as William was one of the few who knew about the feelings he'd harbored for the girl. "But damn... it was like one day I just looked at Tina, and it hit me what a damn catch I had, you know? She's beautiful, witty, fun, and just... weird in the most wonderful ways. I asked her to marry me and she said yes."
"Brian!" William clapped his friend on the back with an open palm (again, mindful of the strength but he probably still rattled him a little). "That's amazing! Congrats, bro." And funnily enough, that was one thing that William wanted to discuss while they were here tonight: proposing. "Have you set a date yet?"
"No... I'm kinda letting her take care of that." He admitted, blushing. "I want to marry her, but planning that stuff isn't anything I can do without giving myself an ulcer."
William let out a booming laugh. "God, knowing Tina... she could very well just want pink and unicorn zombies everywhere," William pointed out. "Still, that'd make for an interesting wedding." And he knew that Brian loved her so much he'd probably just go along with it.
"It would. Her craziness is one of my favorite things about her. I walked in on her once wearing a colander on her head. For literally no reason." He laughed, shaking his head. He almost reconsidered his next comment... but come on, if two guys couldn't talk about this stuff... "And god the crazy translates well to sex."
William took the wrong time to sip at his beer and ended up practically choking it, spluttering beer all over the countertop. "Sorry." He coughed. "I was not expecting that." Still, they were friends, and friends talked about this kind of stuff. "She must always keep you guessing." He grabbed a few nearby napkins to mop up the mess he'd made.
"You have no idea." He joked, although... if what people said about Edie and her "strong" personality were true... maybe he realized more than Brian originally thought! "So how have you and Edie been?"
"Perfect. Absolutely perfect," William rumbled, a content smile on his face. As soon as Edie was brought up in conversation, you could just see the pure love that radiated from William. "We've taken in a young girl named Kara as well, so our family is definitely growing." He paused and rapped his knuckles on the bartop. "And since... you mentioned proposals..." he started to say, blushing deeply.
"I'll be damned..." Brian said with a bright smile. "It's about time, brother!" He exclaimed, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Have you asked her yet? God, you've been crazy about that woman from the day you met."
He really had, actually. William and Edie had a connection from the very start. "Not yet," he admitted, "I was thinking on how to time it and... well, that's where your advice comes in. I'm not really sure where or when to ask."
"Well... I mean, I'm not sure. I know from what I used to hear about Edie, she'd want something big, elaborate, and just, you know - a spectacle." Brian laughed, shrugging. "But I know she's settled down a lot since getting with you. So part of me thinks she'd probably prefer something simple and sweet, like maybe on the beach in the moonlight or something."
William nodded, appreciating the suggestions. "I was leaning more towards the beach." It was always a part of who he was and they took strolls along it often enough that it would still come as a surprise to her when he finally popped the question. "I'll have to let Kara know just before. She should be a part of it too somehow."
"That's sweet, man." He said with a little smile. He loved seeing William this happy: the big man was possibly the kindest person he'd ever known. "Have you told Talia yet? You know damn well she'd want to help somehow. I plan on talking to her this week about me and Tina."
"No." He admitted. He'd have to talk to Gertie about it too, come to think of it, since she also happened to be one of his favorite people and should share in the joy. "I'll be sure to let her know after the fact." He didn't think for a second that Edie would say 'no', but still, his stomach was already full of butterflies just talking to Brian about it.
"Yeah... she's tiny, but she'll kick your ass if you don't tell her." Brian said, honestly only half-joking. Talia had always struck him as, while very kind, a very dangerous person to piss off. "I miss our little weird family, you know?"
William nodded. While they'd all arrived at different times, it was actually impressive that most of them were there at all. "Maybe for your engagement party we'll get the band back together," he suggested. "I still find it strange that Caitlyn and Jodi are older than the young women that we knew." Even though they were older, their personalities hadn't changed that much, which was nice.
"And yet, Jodi is the same nosy, super-inquisitive girl she was at 13." Brian laughed, taking a sip of his drink. "I'm happy to see them at that age though. It shows true love can last, you know?"
These two were both just true romantics at heart, weren't they? "We should all be so lucky," he rumbled in reply, raising his glass in salute.
"Agreed. One hundred percent." Brian said, lifting his glass. "We're both good guys, in a time where unfortunately we're a dying breed. It's about time we both get to have some happy in our lives at the same time." He finished, clinking their glasses together.