g o l d e n

“Whatever you’re interrupting me with better be worth it because you just scared that poor butterfly that was nesting in my hand away,” Hal commented furrowing her brows at the other. “That was prime Instagram material right there. I hope you’re happy.”

“Shit. I’m not sure anything I can say will be worth that happening to you.” He commented, having not realized the other had been wrapped up in such a pure moment. “How did you even manage to get that thing into your hands anyway?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“Yeah, but it was kind of a good distraction. When I’m overwhelmed I have trouble staying still or doing nothing. I need to be doing something,” she replied. “It was really weird though, y’know. Working while all this stuff was going on outside.”

“I get that, I went and did some laps in the pool when it was over rather then just going home because it helps me calm down. And well- just stop thinking.” He told the other. “I get it, but you were probably helping people out by giving them the news as it was happening.”

Aysun gave Brodie a tight hug, smiling. She let out a small chuckle to match his, and broke from their hug. “I’m just glad you weren’t alone, or with like a sociopath or something, they weren’t a sociopath, right?” 

“As far as I’m aware they weren’t a sociopath. She offered me food and something to drink and we talked about what would be best to eat in the shop if it came to not having any food.” He chuckled. “How did the rest of your day go, I heard they were still making everyone at the Prophet work?”

“It looks like it, huh?” Merle sighed, wanting to be angrier at him for not telling her but she knew it would look bad on her. “I wasn’t. I was still living with Piper, in the magical world, flooing home every morning after leaving your apartment,” she told him. “My time with you was my break from the wizarding world. And it was nice, while it lasted,” she shrugged, knowing it could have never been permanent. She was leaving far too much behind to forget about her heritage. “Why would you?” she let out a teary chuckle. “I left to stop thinking about Harry, and you didn’t know me before to know anything was up. And I liked that. Having someone not asking me every five fucking seconds how I was doing–… I could just be.” Thinking about those dark months still pained her now, and Merle didn’t ever think she’d get over how truly terrible and alone she felt. “I know you probably would have. I just–… I needed to leave for myself, and I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Brodie. But now you know the truth. And now we’re living in the same place… and I have a boyfriend. And it’s really serious,” Merle felt like she had to mention. 

“So I was an escape for you? Someone who could make you forget about your life and what was really happening. Something to numb the pain?” Brodie couldn’t help but ask, because if Merle’s answer was yes then he wasn’t sure if what they had was a healthy relationship. He was just as good as alcohol or drugs to her for trying to forget about her life and he wasn’t sure he was one hundred percent comfortable with that, even if Merle did claim that she loved him. “You needed to leave for yourself, but you weren’t the only person in that relationship, Merle. I was a mess when you left, I kept thinking it was my fault, went over months of us together trying to figure out what it was I had done.” He informed the other, not wanting to leave anything out, knowing that it might be a bit of a dick move but she needed to know the impact she left behind. “Ah. A serious boyfriend. Haven’t heard that before.” He commented before his face twisted, “Sorry, this is all still-.... I guess the best way to describe it is as though an old wound has been reopened.”

“Right… noted. I won’t bring it up again,” she nodded, knowing him well enough to know when he didn’t want to talk about a certain subject. “You could. And I would come back with the fact that I am a Rappaport. A member of the family that created the law that no-majs and wizards could not interact, let alone be in a relationship. The scandal that would have ensued had anyone known I was dating a no-maj… it would have ruined me, Brodie. I would have been the black sheep in my family.” As it turns out, that wouldn’t have happened if they’d simply confided in each other of their abilities. But neither of them were to know. “I wouldn’t have thought you were crazy. Even if I was a no-maj, I’d have believed you.” 

Merle sighed heavily as she braced herself to tell him the truth. “I never talked about my family with you, and there’s a reason for that. My twin brother, Harry–…” she began, pausing briefly, registering her heart drop into her stomach. “He died. A splinching accident. He was an auror– an incredible one. He and his best friend were in a tough spot on one of their missions and he apparated out too quickly and–… he died,” she said, sparing him the details. “It’s always been me and him. Always. And trying to navigate a world without him in… it’s been really hard,” Merle told him, trying to blink away the tears forming in her eyes. “Those first few months were the worst of my life. I was drinking a lot, I had to quit my job because I was not in the right headspace to work in the same building where my brother had been when he died, and I was such a mess. I needed a distraction. And that’s where you came in,” she admitted to him. “Initially that’s what you were. A distraction. But you and I both know it amounted to more than that, Brodie. We may not have been truthful with each other on a lot of things but that year was not a lie. I loved you. You helped me through the hardest time in my life without even knowing it, and I’ll always be thankful for that.”

“So it looks like we both have pretty good reasons as to why we didn’t end up telling each other what we really were.” Brodie commented, not knowing much about the others family but that small bit of information that the other had given him was enough to know that her reasoning was just. “I couldn’t have known, I didn’t want to risk what we had and most of the time whilst I was living in the States, I forgot I was a wizard. I was practically living a muggle life.” Brodie listened as the other told him the story of her brother, not knowing what to say in response to something like that. He hadn’t experienced a grief like that before, so how could he even go about trying to understand the pain the other had been in. “I’m sorry that you lost him and you had to go through all of that. I-... I had no idea you were going through all of that.” Brodie explained, because Merle had never led on that something was up with her, the girl he met was clearly not who she truly was but he hadn’t known any differently. “You know you could have talked to me about this, about your family and about wanting- or well needing to leave.” Brodie told the other with a frown. “At the end of the day I just wanted you to be happy, I would have understood. I would have let you go. I just wish you hadn’t left without more of a breath of a goodbye. I deserved that much.”

closed starter - aysun & brodie ( @brodiexmacgowen​ )

Aysun smiled when she saw the other. "Well, did you end up getting anything from Broomstix in the end?” she commented. Aysun was kind of still pretty freaked out about everything, but she was trying to hide all that. “Am I allow to greet you with a hug? Are we at that level of friend yet?”

“Let’s just say that once you’ve been trapped in a store for several hours, the merchandise sort of loses value.” He chuckled, “Not that I had gone in there to buy anything in the first place, just wanted to reminisce. Clearly I should have kept my nostalgia for a day when death eaters weren’t planning on causing havoc.” He commented, looking at the other before smiling. “Of course. i think after going through some traumatic like this, hugs are allowed.”

“The observant type, huh?” Arya couldn’t resist teasing after they had both done their share of pointing out the obvious. “The broomstick? Seems like it’d be hard on the teeth, but I can respect that. I don’t imagine much else in the store is very chewable… except maybe gloves? And I’m going to stop myself right there before I start breaking down the edibility of everything we sell at Broomstix because it is far to early in this lockdown to be losing my mind like this,” she laughed at her self-aware point. “Want anything from the staff room though? I think I’ll get myself a coffee. I’m Arya by the way.”

“Very observant, not a lot can get passed me.” He told the other with a small smirk, knowing that really wasn’t the case and most of the time he could be pretty oblivious to just about everything. “It would last longer though and you’d be working for it. I guess you could say it was beneficial in a way.” Brodie let out a snorted laugh at the others words, “Good call. We can talk about that at hour five when we actually need to test out how edible it all is.” Brodie nodded and smiled, “Yeah, sure. A coffee would be great actually.” Though he had a feeling he’d regret it later when the caffeine hit him. “I’m Brodie, it’s nice to meet you Arya.”

AYSUN: Checking out Quidditch equipment? Brodie, no...

AYSUN: I'm glad there's someone there with you. Stay safe, please.

AYSUN: I'm stuck in the Daily Prophet. I know I took this job to get more stories, but this wasn't exactly what I meant. It's fucking terrifying.

BRODIE: Brodie, yes.

BRODIE: I'm alright though, I'm at Broomstix with someone who works here and if it weren't for me they'd be there by themselves so it makes me feel better to know I'm there to keep them company.

BRODIE: Even if I am a complete stranger.

AYSUN: Hey, you’re not around diagon alley, are you?

AYSUN: I just want to make sure you’re alright.

BRODIE: Funny you should say that.

BRODIE: I picked the wrong time to come and check out Quidditch equipment. I’m not by myself though.

BRODIE: And I’m fine.

Aysun let out a soft laugh. “Maybe that’s why I hate the cold water thing, I hated ice baths, no matter how much people told me they’d benefit me,” she replied. “Ravenclaw up until fifth year, you’re a few years younger than me I believe, it’s no surprise we didn’t know much of each other. You might have known my little brother though, his name’s Eren.”

“You took ice baths?” Brodie questioned the other with a raised brow, “Why? You aren’t an athlete as far as I know and normally we’re the only ones insane enough to put ourselves through that kind of torture.” He chuckled, wondering why the other thought doing that to herself would be a good idea. “Actually now that you mention it, I think I remember him. I think we had a few classes together. I didn’t realize you had a brother though.”

“Should’ve known,” she muttered to herself, tossing aside the newspaper she’d just read. “Death Eaters are like cockroaches, aren’t they? Those fuckers never truly die,” Laurel complained. “So what are you going to do? Doomsday bunker your way out of this or prepare to get your duel on?” 

“So this is a pretty common occurrence these days, huh?” Brodie couldn’t help but ask the other, having read the news himself and feeling uneasy about the fact that they had been put on high alert. Of course he was used to these kinds of announcements in the muggle world if there had been a threat of an attack, but there was something about Death Eaters that made his blood run cold. “Well I was thinking about running back to New York, didn’t really have this problem when I was there living my life as an Olympic athlete, though I guess that’d be the cowards way out.” He commented rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Me?” Percy repeated, unsure at first if he heard the other correctly. He cleared his throat, then licked his lips before nodding in agreement. “Yeah, why not. I should have some free time and I suppose I don’t have any set plans,” he said, trying to sound casual.

“Yes, you.” Brodie chuckled, “I mean you’re the one standing in front of me right now and you’re definitely a face I remember, so why not.” He couldn’t help but shrug. “Well if I’m not bothering you or taking up any of your time. Then that’d be great, really. You’ve saved me from walking around aimlessly.”

“I think I let it all out now, but thanks I suppose,” he nodded at the other. “People rarely come here so it’s a place where I can just forget myself for a moment,” Chase explained. With how intense his job sometimes got, having a place like that was very much needed.

“Yeah, I sort of stumbled in here by accident. I was actually looking for the bathrooms but got turned around. Kind of forgot how big the Ministry is and how many floors there are.” Brodie commented, “So I kind of feel bad entering into your personal alone space.”

“I’ve decided to do this stupid thing that people call the polar plunge when I was like eighteen, so the lake and cold I’m totally not for since that whole ordeal, despite being a New York Native. Though because I’m from New York, I like to think I’m pretty good about the cold, so I can always cheer you on from the sidelines of the lake. Y’know, to like help with the staying accustomed to the crowds,” she joked. “Oh I went to Hogwarts too! Well, only for five years. What house?”

“I’ve heard and took part in one of those before, not sure if it had the exact name, but I know a few of us on the team did one for charity a couple of years ago. I also don’t blame you for not wanting to go near cold water again, I guess I’ve had enough ice baths in my time to not mind the cold water too much.” Brodie chuckled and nodded his head, “Thanks, I don’t think I’ll need an audience for my exercises, but nice to know you’d stand in the cold to cheer me on.” Brodie rose an eyebrow in the others direction when she mentioned going to Hogwarts as well and wondered if they were there at the same time but just missed one another. “I was in Hufflepuff, and you?”

73: How good are you at taking compliments?

I take them well, in fact I'm the kind who will try and fish for compliments in certain situations. I guess I like to hear praise.

76: What is your ideal date night?

I like being wined and dined, there's just something intimate about sitting across from someone new and getting lost for hours, just talking about yourselves and getting to know one another.

96: How do you spend your alone time?

Mostly exercising. If I'm not swimming, I'm at the gym and if I'm not doing either of those things I'm catching up on tv or cooking.

“Yes. The past few years have been filled with plenty of dangerous attacks on different places in the wizarding world, the Hogwarts castle being no exception,” he explained, sad that any of this was happening in the first place. “No problem,” Matthias nodded after the man’s thanks. “I have not left this place and come back after a long time, but I imagine you are right. I would probably feel that way about returning to places in France.”

Brodie felt his face fall as the other described what had been going on in his town and at his old school over the past few years, with him being in the muggle world he had fallen behind on all news that came to the place where he grew up and he sensed he now had a lot to catch up on. “That’s awful, I didn’t know-... Merlin, I feel like there’s probably been a lot that I’ve missed since being gone.” He commented, rubbing the back of his neck in thought. “Oh did you attend Beauxbatons?”