Who: Johnny Five & Harry Dresden What: Catching up When: Sometime after Johnny finds Wally Where: A cafe of Harry's choosing Warnings: n/a Status: complete
Once upon a time, a somewhat younger Johnny had sought legal counsel from a certain law firm, concerning the matter of contacting his estranged siblings. A certain young man, son of the senior partners of the firm, had expressed some strong opinions on the matter--and John had taken an immediate liking to him for his insouciance and his boldness. The two of them had shared a long and animated conversation, and kept in touch off and on as Johnny’s career in the performing arts had begun to take off.
He’d been thrilled to learn that Harry Dresden had moved to Orange County, and he’d wanted to catch up, but making time to escape his busy schedule had taken some creative planning.
Harry had done his best to keep in contact with the man he had met, and instantly liked, that one stormy day. Today, after a few months of planning, they were finally managing to get together, and Harry was not about to waste it. A small restaurant, the best of foods, and drinks, albeit non-alcoholic, and he felt the day would go well. When he saw Johnny coming, he rose, grinning, and extended his hand.
“Johnny! It’s good to see you!”
“Hey, Harry!” Johnny exclaimed, pumping Harry’s hand with enthusiasm. “It’s been far too long. How’s life in the OC treating you?” By the look of him, Harry didn’t seem to be faring too badly. Johnny just hoped that his own success hadn’t gone to his head without his realizing it.
Of course, if his ego had become inflated, he knew he could count on Harry to put a pin in it. And that would be just fine with him.
Harry grinned, meeting his enthusiasm with his own, then gesturing to the other seat, and settling himself. “It’s good to see you, too.” He smiled wider. “It’s good. Work is going well, and I even caught up with my old high school flame.” Harry felt... bouncy. With Johnny here, things seemed even brighter.
“How are you? How is work? It’s been entirely too quiet in life without hearing that quiet voice of yours.”
“Good, good,” Johnny said, grinning as he sat down. “You look well. And I see all that lawyering hasn’t dulled your sense of humor!” That was very good. “Work is really taking off. If I’m not in ADR, I’m appearing at conventions, updating Tumblr and Twitter and YouTube. Basically, I get to play all day. Though I do try to make time to rest my voice when I get. Things got a little scary there, with that respiratory virus going around.”
Harry nodded. The virus had been pretty bad and he had avoided most of it, but it had still been scary. “I hope you managed to not get sick, or, at least, to not suffer too badly. I know some kids who would be devastated if one of their favorite voice actors was ill.” And Harry would care, too, of course. The waiter came by, and he ordered coffee, and some bread to start. “I was worried for a bit, when I came down with the sniffles,” Johnny confessed, “But it was just a common cold. Still...” he adopted a congested, nasal affectation as he added, “ <i>it bade smeakig bore work.</i>” Then he shrugged. “But I’m good as new now.”
Harry laughed at his silly sick voice, but nodded. “Good. I mostly missed it, and was glad for it. Even when things were locked down there were cases to be won.” He smirked as he shook his head. “What are you working on now? And any new leads on your quest for not looking for someone as a girlfriend?”
“I am actually in talks for a role on an animated series,” Johnny said, his face showing his excitement. “I can’t really say too much yet, because it’s still in development, and I don’t want to count my chickens before they’ve hatched, but it could be a really nice gig. And I’d still be able to do films on my off season.” He shrugged his shoulders. Time would tell.
“Oh, and speaking of quests, I’ve been meaning to tell you--I found my brother Wally, right here in Orange County!”
Harry grinned widely. “Awesome! That is great news!” Harry smiled at his friend. Johnny deserved good luck. The guy was a real honest good guy.
“Really? That is cool! Congrats! I know how it feels to find someone you have lost. I found Elaine here, too. Somehow, it all just fell together.” He smiled dreamily thinking about Elaine.
“Oh-ho!” Johnny caught Harry’s expression, and pointed at him. “I know that look! I’ve seen it a hundred times on animated faces.” He grinned. “And in chick flicks.” He was happy for his friend--absolutely, he was. But that didn’t mean he was going to pass up a chance to give him a good ribbing. “When’s the wedding?”
Harry laughed. “Hey now. We aren’t talking about weddings yet. Not anytime soon.” He didn’t think so, anyway. “We only just got to girlfriend and boyfriend levels! It’s going to take time. Especially since there is a daughter by her first marriage to deal into the situation. A great girl, but it means we have to think about her, too.”
He loved Corazon, but he did not want her to think badly of him, or be hurt because he and Elaine moved too fast.
Johnny sighed, perhaps a bit melodramatically, but he nodded. “I understand,” he said, “Believe me, I know all about blended families, and the complications thereof. It is good to see you happy, though.” He smiled. “How old is the daughter? Is she handling the change okay?”
Harry chuckled, smiling at the other man. “Thanks. It’s strange, but it feels really good having this change.” He liked Elaine and Corazon a lot. and this was turning out to make him more cautious and helping him to enjoy life a lot more.
“She is eight, and seems to be taking it well, though I am not sure how much of a talk Elaine has had with her just yet. She and I get along really well.” Most of the time.
“Such a fun age,” Johnny mused, “At least, from what I remember of being that age. But then, I’m still just a big kid at heart.” He grinned, and drew a DVD in a slender, paper slipcover from his pocket and slid it across the table. “Maybe this will come in handy. It’s my latest family feature, brand new on DVD. I do the voice of a clumsy juggler called Dexter who wants to be a great magician.”
Harry laughed and then blinked and peered at it. “Johnny? Holy moley! She loves the story and wanted to see it!” He grinned at the guy. “I owe you man. This will win me major points.”
Johnny grinned, tapping his temple. “See? It pays to be in touch with your inner child. I know things.” He laughed. “I hope the three of you enjoy it. It was a lot of fun to do.”
Harry chuckled, and nodded. “Thanks. I heard it might even get a nod at the awards, from the early critics reviews. I hope it does.” He slid the dvd into his inner coat pocket, next to his gun.
“And how are your own romantic prospects going? Found any lovely young voices to bedazzle?”
“Oh, I have no shortage of dazzling young talent with which to surround myself, my friend,” Johnny assured him with a laugh. “Though not necessarily in any romantic context. I’m sure, when the right person comes into my life, you will be among the first to know. Until then, I’ll just have to live vicariously through my characters.”
Harry nodded. “It’ll happen. A guy like you will never exist in this place without being drawn to someone.” He nodded.
“And you make some awesome characters.” Harry chuckled.. Johnny’s work might be mostly for kids, but it was entertaining. And Harry was still half kid himself.
“I have good friends,” the actor replied, shaking his head. “As long as that holds true, I really can’t complain. And if something more comes out of that...well. That’s just the icing on the cake.”
“Good.” Harry nodded. “That’s the best way to go, I think. My own romance grew out of my oldest friendship. And I feel like it’s the better for it. Elaine knows me, sometimes better than I know myself.” He chuckled.
“I think, sometimes, that’s the best kind of romance,” Johnny agreed. “Not that you can’t ever find true love in a whirlwind, like the movies, but having a solid foundation to build on, I think the chances of building something lasting tend to increase exponentially. But then, I don’t claim to be a relationship expert.” He shrugged. “All I know is, I had a pretty good example of what not to do.”
Harry nodded. “I think you’re right. And I hope you find your own good time.” He grinned.
Then he blinked. “What happened?”
“Nothing new,” Johnny said, “Just the same old story. They’ve got all these television shows now, like The Big Love, and Sister Wives, that sort of glamourize the drama of a plural marriage home--and I mean, maybe it really does work for some. But I’ve seen first hand what can happen when it doesn’t. I guess sometime I’m afraid that I might be carrying excess baggage into a relationship without realizing it.”
"We're all carrying baggage, my friend. The trick, like a song once said, is finding someone with baggage that goes with yours. ” Harry nodded.
Johnny nodded in return, running a hand through his already crazily tousled hair. It always looked like he’d stuck his finger in a light socket, not matter what he did. Probably because he always talked--and acted--with his hands, even when nobody was actually going to see his hands. “Like I said, if sparks fly...”
He shrugged. “But right now, I think my focus is to work on repairing my relationship with my brother. If it can be repaired. Seventeen years is a long time.”
Harry nodded. “I hope so. You will find a way. Just trust in what you know and who you are. Somehow, it will work.”
“You’re right,” Johnny agreed, clapping his friend’s shoulder. “It’s served me well thus far. Why mess with a good thing?” He grinned, to show that he was only half serious. He wasn’t too big of a star that he couldn’t still poke fun at himself. “Seriously, though, now that you’re a California Dude, we’ll have to do this more often.”
Harry grinned. He grabbed Johnny’s hand and gripped it. “I think that’s a solid plan. You have to meet the miss, after all, and your fan.” He smirked. “It’s good to be here, and I hope we can do this a lot.” He hoped so. It could be a lot of fun.