Thomas Raith [Dresden Files] (vanity_thy_name) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-08-02 17:11:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, harry dresden, thomas raith |
Was that Me?
Who: Harry and Thomas
Where: Out at Mac's bar and grill
What: Talking, drinking, and discovering new things.
When: Late July, a little after this
Warnings/Rating: PG-13
Status complete
Harry had invited Thomas out to get some drinks and sandwiches to the bar and grill he knew of. It was just next to the cafe where so many interesting things had happened. He had invited the man out because they had not had enough brother time lately, and since that felt like mostly Harry’s fault, he had extended the branch, hopefully strong enough for them both.
He smiled as he settled to the table, and waited for Thomas to arrive, sipping a beer and glad this place was thematically old. It had both electronics and candles, torches and light fixtures.
It was interesting.
Thomas had been feeling very unsure of himself lately, when he wasn’t in front of a camera, playing a role that was already scripted for him. In real life, he felt as if he was stumbling over his own two feet, blurting out the wrong things at the wrong time, and fixating on trivialities that should be long over and done with. Wednesday’s barbecue had been great, but then just a few days later, he was wallowing again, and he hated it.
He hoped that some time with Harry might do him good.
Harry rose when he saw Thomas and smiled, even as he saw, without wanting to, the misery within his brother. Ever since the circle, he had felt more sensitive to both Elaine and Thomas, and he had a feeling the linkage had been even deeper than planned. So when he saw his brother, he nodded. This night might not be badly planned at all.
“Hey, Thomas. Pull up a chair.”
Thomas smiled a little, sinking into the chair across from Harry, and heaving a sigh of relief. He had to work at laying his mental and emotional burdens down, and not fretting over them, which was strange for him. He’d never used to have a care in the world. “Long day,” he said, by way of explanation. “How was yours?”
“Oh, the usual. Nate and Cora had a plan, before the aging up to go to Japan. Now, with, ah, things as they are, he proposed we all go to Japan together. Instead. So as to not see my pulse explode, perhaps.” He grinned. “Otherwise, had one appearance in court, and some work at the office.”
“Japan, eh?” Thomas nodded. “I guess that’s an acceptable kind of hot and sticky. Will it be just you, and Elaine going with them, or his parents as well?”
Harry snerked and handed over a beer, and then nodded. “I think the invite was just for the Dresden clan. I’m not entirely sure if he meant you and Neena as well, or not.” Harry chuckled. “Ever been to Japan?”
“I’ve been to Japan a few times,” Thomas said, “It’s a beautiful country. Good food. People are mostly polite. Have you decided if you’ll go?”
“We’re pretty sure we will, I think. It’s a nice offer, and we could use a day away, all of us, I think. And this way, he can still be there with all of us.” Harry sighed. “If I didn’t know he was ten, then eighteen, just weeks ago, it would make me a lot more uncomfortable, even than it does now. I feel caught by circumstances, not him, but this crazy life we lead.”
Thomas heaved an answering sigh, slumping in his chair a little. “Even knowing he was ten, and then eighteen, doesn’t help much when I can’t seem to forget that he was also twenty or thirty, and the father of Neena’s firstborn son.” He stared off into a corner of the cafe, scuffing the heel of his boot under the table. “How am I not supposed to care about their once and future history together when she won’t leave it in the once and future past? At least Corazon is actually yours and not what’s his name’s. What would you do if Elaine was still BFFs with her ex?”
Harry rubbed his face. “I don’t know. I’d like to think I could be cool about it, but I have no real idea if I would. I had a few not really girlfriends, but sort of, between high school and now, and I used to be jealous. Now? I am hoping I could get past it.” He smiled wanly at Thomas. “You two are pregnant now with a child that’s yours. Do you think that will help you, or her?”
He didn’t know what to say, really. How do you tell someone to chill out when you have no idea if that is the right advice. “Mind if I ask how she brings it to the present? I mean, do they hang out all the time or...?”
Thomas frowned. Obviously, the fact that Neena was now carrying his child had just made him more growly at anything male that moved. Losing his powers meant that he could touch her again, but it also made him feel less able to protect her, or the baby, from the threats that she and her friends seemed to attract like flies. That scared him, which made him angry, which--as Harry would know--was the path to the dark side.
“He’s always going to be around, Harry,” Thomas said, “Whether they’re working together, or he’s hanging out at family gatherings because of your daughter, he’s just always there, and they’re always going to have a connection. She won’t mean to rub it in my face, it will just be there. I can’t help it if it rubs me the wrong way, it just does. One moment, I think I’m fine, and the next, something pops up to remind me how messed up things can get, and bam!”
The lights flickered, and Thomas let out a startled curse as the candle on their table flared to life. Or did the candle flare after the expletive left his mouth? He wasn’t sure. “Shit,” he said, covering his mouth with his hand. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Harry stared up, then down and suddenly a realization popped in. “Well, stars and garters, you’ve got starter’s stress!” He stared, openmouthed at Thomas. Then he chuckled. “I think I know, a little of it.”
He felt relief sweep him. Maybe it wasn’t the entire answer, and then, maybe it was. But at least it was part of it.
Thomas blinked at his brother, then at the flickering, dancing candle flame, and back. “I...what?” He wasn’t quite sure he was following. “Was that me?!”
Harry nodded, and grinned. With a bad British accent, Harry answered in his own odd way., “Yer a wizard, Thomas.” Pride shone in his eyes, and understanding. He remembered his first days of waking up to magic. Even if it was memories from dreams.
“But...” Thomas sputtered. Well, okay, so he was aware that his dream self had a minor, minor talent for magic, passed down from his and Harry’s mother; but it had always been overshadowed and dominated by the White Court side of his heritage. “I didn’t think I was strong enough to give off electrical disturbances.”
“You weren’t but maybe that was because you were White Court. With that wiped out, well..., Nature abhors a vacuum. And you are our mother’s son.” He grinned wider. “I have a feeling Elaine and I had better start teaching you Wizard 101.” Before he blew out an elevator while riding in it, or his... oh heck. “Until we do get you in good control, you’ll need to get a different car.”
“And a different job,” Thomas said, realizing to his horror that wizards like his brother did not mix well with expensive movie equipment. Sure, they--Arturo Genosa and company--had managed to somehow make a porno with Harry on the set in one of his dreams but that was probably just a fluke. Most of the heavy magic-slinging had happened in the alley behind the building. “Dammit, I don’t want to change careers again.”
“No, you don’t have to do that. For that, since you won't be in close proximity, we can probably work a SHIELD spell. As long as you don’t have to operate it, it will work better that way. Just start having an aversion to filming equipment. Until we work out you and control. At least you won’t have my issues of carryover from the dreams in this part.”
Harry nodded. He’d do his damnedest to help his brother.
Thomas sighed, trying to relax and ground his emotions like he did when he was vampy. It seemed to help, some. “Okay,” he said, “I guess I’ll see what I can do about clearing my schedule.”
Harry nodded and reached out, gripping Thomas’s hand, and nodded. “I’ll help you brother, now as then. I swear it.” And ripples spread from their grip, making the lights shimmer, then go brighter. Wizardly oaths were not something said lightly, but Harry meant every word. He had but one brother and he would act for that brother, whatever it took.
Thomas nodded, feeling a strange, sort of tingling sensation as he clasped his brother’s hand--a very different sensation than he had experienced when feeding. He knew it was the sign of a fellow practitioner, but this was the first time he had ever noticed it, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Harry. I won’t let you down.”
~fin~