gryffinrebel (gryffinrebel) wrote in snitchers, @ 2017-10-24 22:45:00 |
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Entry tags: | char: adam savage, char: helen dawlish |
Who: Helen Dawlish and Adam Savage
What: Helen is stealing beer
Where: Adam's house
When: Backdated to Sunday, Oct 22nd
Warnings/Rating: Low so far
Status: Half completed in gdocs
After Malfoy's vicious decree the previous Saturday, his pardoning of violent criminals halfway through the week, and now flat out killing Rubeus Hagrid, Helen had spent most of her fuming. Thank Merlin she had the gym open, otherwise, she might have actually broken someone's face. And what also didn't help matters? The initial backlash she got from John and Adam. Honestly, whenever she so much as piped up, he was there to push her back down. Just who did he think he was? He wasn't John, and he most certainly wasn't her father, so why did he feel he had the right to tell her what to do and how to behave? In his eyes, it seemed as though everything she did was wrong, and Helen frankly wasn't capable of doing anything right. The constant lecturing drove her fucking mental, and she just wanted to scream at him until she was blue in the face. But hell, he'd probably enjoy that far too much.
Even now, a week later, she couldn't quite stop herself from grumbling over it all. She had skipped breakfast and lunch, only picking at a bagel at some point during the afternoon so there was something on her stomach. John's damn fiancee had been watching her like a hawk in that regard, though she had no idea why. Really, all she wanted was a damn drink. It had, unfortunately, become a bit of a crutch when she had been with the rebels, and more specifically, when she had spent so much time cooped up with Neville. Whiskey had been the poison to sing her to sleep, and get her through the day. Now though, she only really had beer. And after going through the only 3 bottles in John's house, she found herself desperate for more.
But being on probation, and 18, meant she had very little in the way of funds. A bar was out of the question, and she didn't exactly have many friends who weren't considered criminals. She supposed she could steal it, but… Helen had never been big on that. Plus if she got caught, who knew what the Ministry would do then. Sighing, she wandered around the kitchen, her cat right at her heels, brushing up against her legs and purring. Picking him up, she looked into his bright eyes for a moment. "What should I do, Choc? I'm out of ideas." The black cat meowed at Helen, purring even harder as she pulled him close, snuggling into his soft fur.
"Maybe…" the lightbulb went off in her head and she smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of the animal's head before setting him back down. "Be good. Hiss and Renee. I'll see you in a bit," she told him before grabbing a jacket and heading towards the door.
It only took a minute or two to get there, one of the perks of him living a block away. She had swiped the key out of John's office where she knew he kept it, and with that in hand, the wards didn't go off.
Letting herself inside, she toed off her shoes and slipped out of her jacket before she made her way to the kitchen. One beer, two beers, five beers later she had the lights to the kitchen on, lounging back on Adam's counter in a very sweet, happy drunken haze.
---
The last week or two had been fucking hell. Adam was out of bed before dawn and didn't get home until well after midnight. He was too old for this shit, too old to be pushing himself day in and day out. But, what choice did he have? Lucius Malfoy was burning the world down and it was Adam's job to report on that. He knew he had to be cautious, though. There was too much that they didn't know, too much left unanswered. Adam had to both push his reporters to find more and hold them back from sharing too much. It was fucking exhausting.
He had left early that day, hailing a cab and limping to his door once the car pulled up in front of his home. His leg had been killing him for days with all the running around he'd been doing. All he wanted was a long, hot bath, a few pain potions, and to fall into bed so he could fucking sleep.
Instead, he realized as he approached his door, what he got was someone in his house. Someone who didn't belong. Adam lived in a Muggle neighborhood and wasn't on any radar as far as he knew. The likelihood of it being some crazed former Death Eater come to seek revenge was slim. Which meant it was either Four, coming back to wreck something else, John, or… well, fuck he didn't know who else it could be.
Walking into his home, Adam stopped at the kitchen and all his questions were answered.
"You owe me ten quid," he told her with an annoyed sigh.
---
"Put it on John's tab. It's not like I have any money. Why do you think I'm here," She retorted with an eye roll, sitting up from the counter and letting her feet hang over the side. Giving him a once over, she grabbed another beer and held it up in his direction, an innocent look on her face. "Join me?"
Regardless of his response, she leaned back on her elbows, taking another swig and looking around his house. She had been so familiar with it when she was younger, but she was quickly realizing how long it had been since she had been within it's walls. At the very least, she had been in a training bra or some shit. Sighing at memories past she nodded her head in Adam's direction.
"You look like shit. Long day? I'd imagine so with the world falling to hell all around us. I'm sure you might have noticed. But then again, we probably shouldn't talk about it, right? Not the right place or the right time." She wanted the end of her statement to be biting, instead she just trailed off, more wistful than anything else.
---
Crossing over to her, Adam plucked the bottle from Helen's hand and opened it easily, drinking it back in a few large swallows. He never bothered much with spirits, always favoring beer. It was cheaper than even shit liquor and he could drink it longer without falling over drunk. It annoyed him that Helen had drank her way through such an impressive number of bottles, but he was too tired to argue with her.
"Long life," he said and leaned against the counter. His head had been throbbing all day and his back was killing him from hunching over his desk. All he wanted was to go lay down and sleep for a few hours.
At her snarky comment, Adam rolled his eyes. "Shut up," he said without any heat in his voice. "If you need someone to pick a fight with then go next door to Mrs. Wilkinson's house. She hates me anyway and always likes to yell. But I've had a shit day, I'm tired, and I'm not fighting with you."
----
She wanted to continue to pick a fight with him, she really, really did, but seeing him look so exhausted took it out of her. Letting out a long breath she set down her own bottle, slipping off his counter so clean up the mess she had made quietly so he didn't have to do it.
When she was finished she came over to him, reaching out for a moment but stopping short. "I'm sorry, alright? I can leave you alone if you want. I just…" she trailed off. Things hasn't been easy since she had gotten back, and with all her friends still on the run, and dealing with their own drama, she felt more alone than ever. Breaking shit off with Neville hadn't helped either, nor had her Uncle getting engaged, even if she really was happy for them. Everyone had their own shit, and Helen was just.. left behind continually.
"Do you want something to eat?" He may have just wanted to take a bath and pass out but fuck, didn't people need food? She realised then she hadn't eaten anything herself the entire day, but Helen wasn't nearly as concerned with that.
---
Rubbing the back of his neck, Adam realized that his hair was getting long again. He never did remember to get his hair cut, there was always something more pressing going on. It brushed against the collar of his shirt. A quick rub of his jaw and Adam discovered his day old stubble had become a full beard. Merlin, he must have looked rough. Grabbing another beer and opening, it Adam used the bottle to point towards the living room. His recliner was in there and putting his leg up sounded brilliant.
"Order a pizza if you want," he told her. "Menus are in the drawer under the telephone." He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and opened it, pulling out some bills and dropping them on the counter. "That'll cover it. Tip well, the delivery blokes are the only way I manage to get any food in me at all. Can't have them revolting."
Limping into the living room, Adam eased himself into his comfortable chair, reaching down and pulling the lever. He groaned out as the chair reclined, elevating his legs. Fuck, he was fucking tired. "No olives," he hollered back towards the kitchen.
----
Without hesitation, Helen snatched the money from Adam's grasp, only taking enough time to watch him settle in before making her way to the phone. Skimming the menu she decided not to get too crazy, phoning the pizza place and ordering a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese and breadsticks. After being told about 30 minutes to an hour she hung up, placing the money required on the table plus a hefty tip as he had instructed.
Swiping another beer from the counter, Helen wandered into the living room, grabbing the remote and turning on some mindless sitcom before taking a seat not on the couch, but on the floor next to Adam's recliner and stretching out. But not before she peeled off her t-shirt, leaving her in a thin camisole and sports bra from the gym.
Looking up at him, she couldn't keep the slight concern off her face as she got up on her knees, resting her hand and chin on his armrest.
"You're working yourself ragged, Adam," she said matter of factly, nodding in his direction. Noticing the grimace on his face she couldn't help but add, "and you hurt. Tell me how I can help."
---
Looking down at Helen, Adam raised an eyebrow at how… comfortable she made herself. Though, he suspected this home felt like an extension of her own. Adam and John spent far too much time together for Helen to feel as though she wasn't welcome. Though, he couldn't really remember the last time she was there. Still, she didn't feel out of place. More than anything, she felt as though as she belonged.
"Have you been talking to One? Working is what I do, kid. You have as much hope of getting me to work less as I do getting you to shut up. We'll both be bitterly disappointed." He took another pull from his beer and let his eyes focus on the actors on his telly, the laugh track a familiar, comforting sound. As many things as he'd given up from his Muggle life, telly wasn't one of them.
Rubbing his leg, Adam shrugged. "Nothing to be done," he said. "M'leg is dying and the arm is following. Nothing to do except let it happen," he said, having long ago accepted his lot in life.
---
"You like it when I talk, don't lie. Gives you something to bitch about," Helen told him with a shrug, actually quieting down for a while as the television kept them in a comfortable silence. Merlin, it had been forever since she actually watched something. Being here… felt so normal. For a moment, she was at peace, and that peace felt so utterly wrong.
Getting up She walked out of the living room and back into the kitchen, pacing for a moment, feeling her heart rate spike and she took deep breaths to get it under control. It was then that a knock sounded at the door, making her visibly jump. She figured Adam was too enthralled in the telly to really notice though. Grabbing the money off the counter she went to pay the delivery boy, locking the door behind her as she grabbed both of them plates. Two pieces and a breadstick for Adam, one piece and a breadstick for her, as she brought it into the living room and put it in his lap, settling back down to eat.
She managed to get through half of hers before she couldn't help but talk again.
"This still doesn't seem real to me. Being here. Feeling semi normal. Not constantly looking over my shoulder."
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