lift between the pitfalls

*rolls his eyes before handing the coffee over* Rough morning, evening or both? *flops into a chair and spins around in it a bit* Had to fight my way through a sea of elbows to get a hold of that. Coffee shops are a bloody nightmare at this hour.

Both. -takes a looooong drink of coffee and exhales heavily- Cheers. 

Well, I had brought you a coffee, but I can tell from your chipper demeanour that you don’t really need it.

Listen, mate. I see what you’re doing, and I can nearly appreciate it in a way, but I’d be no friend of yours if I didn’t tell you here and now there’s really nothing funny about withholding coffee. Hand it over, Prewett. 

-looks at him a lil suspiciously- You’re lucky I have the exact amount of trust in you that I do, otherwise — -closin her eyes- I’d be very suspicious that this were some sort of prank.

All closed? -squints, waving a hand in front of her face- No funny business, right, mate? -does a lil jig even though he knows her eyes are shut bc she’s Honest- Okay, so, picture this: ice cold pistachio gelato; the smell of a frothy cappuccino; sunrise at the Trevi Fountain...

And what exactly are these replacement plans?  Lisa’ll have our heads if we don’t give a good reason for not showing.

What? But these plans have been in place for weeks.

Right, true. You’re correct. But— what if I told you I had replacement plans in the works? 

I will accept all suggestions except those influenced by my mugs. I’m very fond of them. And you have more than enough whimsical ones for the two of us, if my last peek into your cabinets has told me anything. -briefly smiles because joking a lil n proud of it, drumming her fingers against the countertop- It’s an understatement to say, but it must be awfully overwhelming at times — and a bit scary in more ways than one, too. -smiles a lil wider and turns to grab the coffee grounds- Well, as long as I’m contributing in some way, I can’t find much to complain about with this possible arrangement. Though I do have to request you leave Fred Astaire at yours. As entertaining as it may be, I can imagine my patience wearing thin rather quickly.

That may be true in theory, but in actuality I seem to be permanently short one. I’m thinking that means you’re likely short loads. -nods, rinsing a plate and setting it on the opposite side of the sink- I think she handles it with a great deal of grace, considering. My parents have no place in this world, but little need to enter it. Honora, on the other hand... Well, I’m right grateful it’s your brother she’s entered it with. -breathes through his teeth, squinting at her thoughtfully- What if it turns out you are able to stop his waltzing? Would you allow him on the premises then? He’s lost without me. I fear he’d act out — against one of us, probably. 

My flat could do with more art, now that I think about it, and I know I’m no professional but a nice macaroni piece could especially lighten up this kitchen. I’ve always thought it a bit plain. -bites on the inside of her cheek and exhales heavily but ~quietly, nodding- Some days Edgar and his work are all I can think about. Any hope, even if it’s not my own sometimes, brings comfort, you know? And I’m sure Honora would find a bit of comfort in hearing that, too. -smiles a lil, straightening bc let’s not talk about Stressful Things rn lol- Actually, she’s always been something of an artist, though she tries to deny it. That must be where the boys get it from. I wonder if she has any suggestions about the best types of pasta to work with. -sidles on closer and places her hands on the counter next to him, pressing her lips together, half to hide a lil grin, as she peers into the sink- Really? That’s the exact sort of talk that could make you my permanent dishwasher, if you’re not more careful.

I’m partial to your living room, actually. But the kitchen — gestures with a soaped-up cup- You’re lacking a collection of whimsical mugs. I daresay one or two macaroni pieces would spiff the place up nicely. -settles back into the water, finishing up some more things as you do and nodding- Some position she’s in, huh? Standing in the wizarding world as a muggle. I don’t envy her, that’s for certain. -clicks his tongue in that ~realization way before shooting her a little side-eyed grin- Well, we’ve already established I fancy your flat. And based on what I’m seeing, here, you have the decency to let your dishes soak. I might be considerably less careful, mate. 

You-ness. From anyone else, I’d probably be a little wary of the sound of that. From you, it’s… -shrugs a bit, looking at the mess on the table- It’s nice. A small form of proper acknowledgement, I suppose. -huffs a lil laugh, straightening the stack of papers she’s rounded up so far- I remember. And I was very impressed, I promise. It’s usually most other people’s concentration that I’m always a little worried about. -smiles lightly in thx, grabbin the papers he pushed over- They’re doing well. Lewis and Hamish have decided that making art from their food is far more preferable than actually eating it, so at least I did that small bit of cleaning up. This place would look less lived in and more like the inside of a bin, otherwise. And Honora… She’s worried — it’s her constant state of being — which I understand. It’s hard not to be. -pauses a sec- They miss you, too. -pushes the papers to the side and starts a lil when he heads to the sink, following after him- Oh — No, you don’t have to worry about that. You’re here for coffee, not to do chores. Besides, there must be a rule about never putting your guests to work.

That, I can understand. Imagine if wizard-kind took to apparation the way most muggles take to blinkers. -low whistles- We’d have limbs piled from one end of Britain to the next. -nods, smiling very big- This is the best time to get some priceless heirlooms out of them, mate. Next time they’re around, give me a heads up. I’ll bring a box of macaroni. Bit of glue. See if there’ll be a pair of artists in the family. -nods a bit- I can’t blame her. I’m worried myself, but... I feel hopeful. I do, honestly. The right people are in charge now. You can’t go wrong with fewer masked people and vigilantes in the streets. -glances over her shoulder at her and scrunches up his face like “psh”- Please. Mate, it’s nothing. You make the coffee, I’ll scrub up a couple of mugs, here. -makes a great show of scrubbing something that’s probably not a mug- Little-known fact about me: I’m quite keen on dishwashing. Really. It’s my secondary dream. If it weren’t for journalism, I’d likely be holed up in the Leaky Cauldron with a sink full of bubbles now.

I gave it more thought and I’ve grown to better understand what you were trying to accomplish and what that was is far from awful. I’m not sure I’ve done anything extraordinary in realizing that. -gives his hand a short squeeze bc not sure what else to say ahhh then kindly rolls her eyes a lil’ to detract from a blush, crossing her arms loosely- I’m sorry you find yourself so commonly eyebrowless, but I’d like for you to know that I’ve not lost so much as an eyelash since I was eighteen. So you can see how it’s become a safer option when I’m nearly mowed by a reckless driver once a week; I only have to rely on my own ability to concentrate. -smiles a lil’ and ~leads him out of the entryway and toward the kitchen- Sorry, it’s all a bit of a mess. -goes to collect some papers off the table, kinda embarrassed by the clutter all of a sudden- Honora brought the boys over for dinner last night, as the sink full of dishware can attest to, so I didn’t get to do much work until late.

You’ll understand if I take that with a grain of salt, won’t you? You tend to be maddeningly modest. I’d be willing to wager you consider your most honorable acts “above average” at best, Amelia. Someone’s got to give you proper acknowledgment, and, not to toot my own horn, but I reckon I’m the best man for the job, having been on the receiving end of your... -smiles a lil lopsided- you-ness. -follows after her into the kitchen, play-scoffing- I should think you’d have more confidence in relying on my concentration after all these years. I passed my exam on the first go, you know. -waves her off, stepping up to the table to try to gather some papers himself- It looks nice and lived in, mate. That’s all. -pushes the papers towards her- How are they? It’s been ages. I’ve missed them. -clears his throat a bit and steps up to the sink, turns the water on and starts at them dishes- 

You see, at the very least I don’t have to worry about any sort of collisions when apparating. It’s a miracle you can get anywhere in that thing without someone side-swiping you.

Ah. -blinks and curls her hand around his, tensing up a fraction- It’s — Well, I don’t want to say everything is entirely okay right now, but I know it will be in time. The world didn’t come to an end; the Ministry hasn’t crumbled; and my reputation will survive. I’m young and others have done worse, as you can imagine. It’ll take some work to completely regain my footing, but that sort of thing has never discouraged me. -gives his hand a squeeze back, relaxing a little- What I mean to say is thank you. I may have insisted that you didn’t need to say that, but I do appreciate it and — and I do forgive you. I know it took me awhile to get there, but you should know that I want you in my life more than I could ever be angry with you. -smiles a teeny bit to further ~reassure him that things r ok- And you’re already a step into earning back my trust by showing up at my door with the promise of coffee. Evidence seems to point toward you being the perceptive one here.

But it wasn’t your doing at all, and if the shoe were on the other foot — It just would’ve taken me loads longer to forgive a transgression of that nature. So I’m, y’know. -shakes his head a bit, smiling in a semi-bashful, semi-awestruck way- Humbled. Really, profoundly humbled.