Saint Patrick ☘ (shamrocked_) wrote in nevermore_logs, @ 2011-05-11 07:16:00 |
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Entry tags: | saint george, saint patrick |
Who: George and Patrick
When: Wednesday
Where: Patrick's place
What: Talking about Ireland and watching the dogs be adorable (Originally posted by George)
The Corgis were pure wiggliness and joy as George put their leashes on them. The dogs always liked going on walks anyway, and they whined now whenever they couldn't see George or Sebastian. They apparently didn't approve of their humans taking trips without them.
Basil the cat was playing it cooler, but George hadn't missed the way he insisted on riding around on his shoulders when he could. With a laugh, George kissed the cat on the top of its head and told it to go distract Sebastian while he tried to study. George loved their little family.
He'd missed New York. Seeing London again had been amazing, but it also made George realize that he'd started to think of the Big Apple as home. There wasn't anyplace like it in the world. Bruce and Kal-el evidently agreed, because they stopped to sniff at sign, doorway, and patch of weeds that they could. For such tiny dogs, they were surprisingly strong.
They finally got to Patrick's place, though, and George smiled as he heard Downpatrick barking. He knocked on the door, calling out, "Patty! We're here!"
Patrick pulled the door open as Downpatrick barked and danced around his ankles. "You're a menace," Patrick hissed at the dog, but the second the door was open, Downpatrick was wiggling with glee at his fellow canines and Patrick just laughed. "Hi, George. Hi, Bruce and Kal-el! You'd better come in before all the dogs on the floor start barking. We can go up on the roof if you want! They like running around up there." And it was perfectly safe for dogs, as there were waist-high walls with railings above that to keep happy dogs from just running right off the edge.
"Sure!" George said with a grin, leaning down to scratch Downpatrick's ears. "Man, how are dogs this happy all the time? They need to bottle it."
"They do," Patrick said, reaching out to hug his brother as well. He felt about as happy as the dogs were acting though, to be honest.
Patrick led George and the dogs up to the roof, stopping to grab some drinks and snacks on the way because he didn't feel like this day would be complete without snacks on the roof.
They headed up, and Patrick loped over to the corner, handing George one of the drink bottles as he sat down. "Isn't the world beautiful!?" Patrick said happily. "I think it's beautiful."
George laughed and pulled his brother into a hug. "Yes, the world is very beautiful. Mmm, pretzels! I have been starving since we got back." He grabbed one of the bags and pulled it open, scooping out a handful.
"Bruce! Don't chew on Downpatrick's ears!"
"Have you? Did you not eat enough?" Patrick said, suddenly worried because that is what he did. "I can make you something better than pretzels!"
"I'm fine, no worries," George said, flopping down into one of the chairs on the roof. "I've just been busy, unpacking and stuff. How about you? Did you and John have fun in Ireland?"
He only waggles his eyebrows a little on the word 'fun'.
Patrick snorted and he at down beside his brother. "It was wonderful. The second I set foot on the farm I could just...I felt whole again."
"What was it like?" George asked, curious. "Seeing the places you'd been when you were human?"
"It was..." Patrick wondered if he could get his thoughts straight on this. "I thought it would be horrible, but it was wonderful. That farm used to be a place of torment for myself and so many others. Now it's so peaceful there. I reclaimed it. And I remembered everything, George. In perfect clarity. Which means I remembered all the terrible stuff, but I remembered all the good stuff too. I remembered finding my faith and I remembered how everything was different after that. When I prayed, I wasn't cold or hungry any more because I had comfort in God. I had forgotten how that felt."
"So it was like going back to that time when you figured out what to do with your life?" George asked, reaching down absentmindedly to scratch Kal-el's ears. "When you knew that you were going to serve God."
"Exactly," Patrick nodded. "And gaining all those memories back was...indescribable. I still have a lot of stuff missing, but those six years are there in their entirety. And I'm not afraid anymore. Which is...I can't even explain."
"Do you think not being afraid of that place will help with some of the other stuff?" George said, unable to keep a little smile off his face at his brother's obvious happiness. "Like worrying about food, or being restrained?"
"I think so!" Patrick said happily. "John and I walked around, and I showed him where the slaves' quarters used to be, even though I didn't often sleep there. I was made to stay out in the fields with the livestock I was overlooking. But I didn't panic. I didn't even panic when I remembered where I had been given the scars on my back. I was usually too scared to act out at first and then I was too...Christian, I suppose. But at the very beginning I complained about the work and about the hunger and I was whipped for my trouble. That didn't panic me either. It's a part of me, but no longer something I have to fear."
George reached out and rested his hand on the back of Patrick's neck and squeezed gently, comfortingly. He didn't like the thought of Patrick being hurt at all, of anyone leaving marks on his little brother. But Patrick being able to talk about it all so calmly was reassuring.
"Did it look at all like it used to?" George wondered. "Where there sheep?" He smiled. "Did you glare at them, if there were?"
Patrick smiled at the calm reassurance of his older brother and then he snorted. "No, no sheep! It is a lot of empty land, and most of it does look the same, yes. The woods are a lot smaller than they used to be, and I didn't purchase all the land way back when I claimed it as my own. But the part that belongs to Padraig is pretty much untouched, except for the house. Which Padraig had stuffed full of food because he knows I'm a headcase and I think he was trying to make up for freaking me out."
"He's a pretty nice guy, when he's not making awkward passes at you," George said, nudging Patrick. "Are you two okay about that?"
"We are," Patrick nodded. "We talked and he mentioned that maybe I don't remember some of the things because I am afraid of those memories and he was right. I think Ireland made me come to peace with the things I did while I was busy spending two decades drunk as well. I just had to remember it's okay to get a little lost. I had people who found me." Patrick smiled widely at his brother, nudging George right back. "I don't need to sleep with random people just to feel close to someone any more and I shouldn't feel guilty that I did. I can't change it, but I can learn from it and keep the people I love close from now on."
"And we're going to stay close, too," George said, smiling. "There's no getting rid of us now. We love you too much. Don't we, Downpatrick?"
George scooped the terrier up and put him on Patrick's lap. "Your faithful hound will track you down and demand treats."
Patrick hugged a squirmy Downpatrick, burying his fingers in the dog's fur. "He's quite the tracker, alright," Patrick said with a laugh. "We should go back downstairs and I'll make you something nicer than pretzels and tell you all the details about Ireland. Well not the dirty ones. OH Look." Patrick grinned and he held up his hand to show George the ring John had given him.
George whistled and grabbed Patrick's hand to get a closer look at the ring.
"Well, well, he liked it so he put a ring on it," George said, grinning so hard his face hurt. "Is this just a ring, or is it..." He waved his own hand around vaguely.
"John and I don't really believe in marriage. But he said he wanted to share his life with me. This is like a symbol. So everyone else can see we're committed to this. He makes me so happy, Georgie."
George lunged forward and pulled Patrick into a hug, hopping to his feet so he could twirl his brother around in a happy circle.
"And to think I didn't even get to throw you a faux-bachelor party," George laughed, ruffling Patrick's hair.
Patrick squealed as he was pulled to his feet and twirled. He laughed and held tightly to George and when George put him down, he beamed at him. "So you mean we didn't get to drink and watch ladies dance around? I'm okay with that!"
Snickering, George said, "Considering the party probably would have been just all the other saints dancing around, it's probably for the best. Although me and Anthony can do the macarena in perfect sync. We learned that. This is really great though, Patty. We should throw a party!"