stay groovy

Sian’s laughter faded as she was asked about her family. “Uh…nobody’s died, so that’s a start.” She offered. When she knew Harry growing up, her mum and her rarely got along but she was close with her sister. Now… “Me and mum still talk, putting the Atlantic between us made us like each other a little more. And my sister, uh…same old, same old with her. How are Sherlock and Irene?” Sian quickly deflected off her sister and asked Harry about his parents. “Well, I think there was a Broadway musical about pirates in Penzance or some shite. I don’t know, I lived there before Hamilton made musicals interesting. The point is, drinking sounds like fun. But the first guy who grabs my ass will have a hook hand to match his accent.”

Jett smirked. “Aw, Harry,” she teased, biting her lip. She really had meant the compliments. This wasn’t something that anyone had ever done for her, an it was a nice feeling to have it, especially when she wasn’t feeling her best. “I can’t.” Sighing in mock sadness, she gave a fake pout, shaking her head. “I guess I can take care of myself,” she said in a mopey tone, but she smiled widely to make it clear that she was joking. 

harrison-holmes:

“Hey, that’s the spirit.” He cheered, giving her a gentle and playful nudge on the arm and sending her a smile when she linked her arm with his. “Anything as long as it involves chicken. God, I’m starving. Maybe we could grab a ‘cheeky Nandos’. I’ve never really had one of those before.”

“You have superhuman hearing and I’m a loud person, so the blind card isn’t working here, Holmes” She joked back. “Well, you know, I moved back to London and my family’s still my family. And a friend was moving back to her hometown of Harpoole and looking for roommates so I decided to try living in a small town. How much does it suck?”

“Good point.” Harry responded with a laugh, missing the girls humour. “Speaking of which, how is the family?” He asked, narrowing his brows as he waited for a reply. He knew her and her family had on and off days, but he hoped that after these years things had changed for the better. “Doesn’t suck that bad, except that the old people speak like pirates so I can never understand them. I’ll take you to the pub one of the nights -- I can never keep up with the Cornish. They really love their drinking games.”

“I-It…It’s alright…I don’t mind you knowing. I know you didn’t mean to,” Jude murmured. “It was seven months ago and yet I still feel like it just happened,” he explained to the other man before letting out a breath. “Really, it’s okay Har,” he promised. “Uhm…when you….lost your sight..did others treat you differently? Like family and stuff?”

Harry could understand where Jude was coming from. It took months, if not years to fully come to terms with someone’s death. “Honestly, if you ever need anyone to talk to then I’m all ears.” Harry said, offering his support. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, but I’m a great listener. I know it get’s better soon. And I know, that sounds like a stupid thing to say but it’s true. You’ll never really forget them, but one day you’ll just wake up and it won’t be as painful.” Harry rambled, trying to piece together some word that would hopefully make him feel better, but he could never guarantee it. “My mum and dad wouldn’t leave me alone, they got super protective. And my friends stuck around at first, but eventually they left. I was holding them back.” He told him nonchalantly with a shrug. “Had this one friend called Sian when I was a teenager, though. We got into so much trouble. Our favourite thing was to pick-pocket, no one expected the blind kid. We stole a shopping trolley too and she used to push me around in it.” He described, smiling at the memory.

As they walked, Jude watched out for Harry even though he knew he could do it himself. It made him feel more at ease. When the man asked his question, Judas froze, blinking rapidly. “Oh uh…” he continued walking, staring at the ground. “M-My….my boyfriend…Cory, he uhm,” Jude stuttered. “He was one of the three soldiers killed in the explosion,” he said.

Jett nodded. “Yes. We will look after each other. That sounds like a great plan.” She really wasn’t planning on going to any parties, but if it came to that, she was glad to know there was someone. The idea of going to another party and getting as wasted as she had scared her. Sure, this time it was a nice man who had taken her home and made sure she was cared for until she was sober enough, but next time that might not be the case, and Jett didn’t want to end up in a situation like that. “Ah, okay. Harry. I will remember that this time.” Taking the glass of water, Jett smiled before taking a sip. “You are wonderful. Amazing. I need someone to do this all the time.”

“I like that name. It suits him and I haven’t even met him yet,” he nodded. He flushed slightly at them getting together again, thinking about how it’d be nice, getting out and being with someone other than his tv. “Mm, I get that. Usually I don’t even think about it. Or I didn’t…I don’t know. I just kind of assume people like people,” he explained as they turned down another road.

“Same here.” He agreed, giving the other a warm smile. “I just like anyone, to be honest... as long as they’re human, and not insane. I literally have no choice but to go for personality anyway.” He chuckled, listening to the directions on his phone and turning a right; making sure to use his cane for guidance. “I can’t even remember the last time I was in a relationship, though. What about you? Or are you still in one?”

“What’s his name?” Judas asked, now outwardly happy, smiling much like a child. “I’d love to meet him, I’m sure he’s wonderful.” He complimented as they walked. He definitely felt happier than he had in a while. Maybe because he finally had a friend, or at least he hoped he did. He had acquaintances of course from having to work, but he’d not made any friends in the past half of a year he’d lived in Harpoole. “That’s cool. Piano is beautiful,” he nodded, blond wavy hair falling into his face. “Uhm. I’m gay? I mean…most people just kind of assume I’m straight but uh,” he shrugged, blushing. “If that was weird I can think of something else to say.”

"Parker." Harry then answered. He didn't need eyes to see that Judas obviously had a soft spot for dogs -- he could practically hear the grin in his tone. "That just gives us another excuse to meet again." He teased, knowing that the two had only met but he could already feel a good friendship forming. Harry paused for a moment when the other informed him of his sexuality. He suddenly felt dumb, thinking that they were going to talk about hidden talents or something stupid. "It's not weird." He assured him with a soft smile. "I'm bisexual. When I tell others they seem surprised too, which is weird because I never really meet someone and just assume their sexuality you know? Maybe people just judge on stereotypes."

Aubrey wrinkled her nose at the mention of spiders. She had never been the best at dealing with spiders – or insects – in general.  They freaked her out, and she knew there were lots of them in Australia, yet the idea of going and spending time there was so appealing to her that she almost forgot about it when she first agreed. She shot him a crooked smile at his suggestion, another sigh escaping her as she shrugged her shoulders. “You might be right with that, but they’re sort of expecting me to have this huge business set up by now, because when I started studying Interior Design, I told them I’d make something huge out of it, but I still haven’t achieved that, you know?” She bit down on her bottom lip for a brief second before adding, “I’d still appreciate you flicking holy water at them until they leave, though.”

"Hey," He began softly, his lips pulling up into a warm smile as he spoke. "You just need to give it time. You're still young. When you create a business, or even become apart of one, they expect you to have life experience. At least you've got your degrees, right? So now you can focus on doing the things you've always wanted to do -- like go to Australia, for example." He explained, trying to make her feel better. "If I need to, I will. Just for you." He smirked, a laugh escaping his lips. "Should we just ditch clothes shopping and go grab a bite to eat? I’m really in the mood for chicken anyway."

“Yeah, I used to have a thicker one but I lost it after being over seas for so long with so many different cultures,” Jude explained. “I….is it a boy or girl?” He didn’t want to seem to interested, but he kind of loved dogs. Loved them more than anything. And he wanted one badly, but he’d never found the right one. Judas watched with curiosity, smiling when the phone read the apps outloud. “That’s so cool,” he murmured, almost not realizing he’d said it out loud. “We shall,” Jude smiled widely. “So tell me something about yourself, something not many people know.”

Harry didn't know what it was, but he had a thing for American accents. Maybe it was because he had heard many English accents in his life and hearing American accents was a nice change. "Boy." He answered. He couldn't help but to smile. "Maybe you can meet him one day. Sometimes I end up bringing him to work, the kids love him." He explained with a slight shrug. He had to stop himself from grinning when he complimented the structure of his phone, no one had really said that before. It was refreshing to be around someone who wasn’t afraid to speak their mind. "Uh..." He started, trying to think but nothing really interesting came to mind. "I play piano." He finally said, "You?"

“Oh you’re from London? That’s cool. I’m from Maine in the United States actually, but uhm….being here in the UK is better, I think,” he said thoughtfully. “At least right now it’s better.” He listened to the other man and then perked up a bit. “You have a dog? And yeah…yeah I’d like that.” He wasn’t used to not being upset or angry at someone for this long, and it felt like a small relief, not having to worry so much.

“I thought I recognized an accent in there somewhere.” Harry smiled, finding it interesting that he was from the United States. He had never really met anyone from there before, only one person who he was close friends with. "Yep. A Labrador. My mother decided to get me a guide dog a few years back before I moved here. She worries." He explained with a small shrug, remembering how is parents thought that if they couldn't be with him all the time then it'd be best to get him a dog. It almost made him laugh. "Okay then, just give me a minute." He paused, pulling his phone out of his back pocket and unlocking it with his finger print. He dragged his thumb across the apps on his phone, the device reading the apps out loud as he went along. When he found his navigation, he doubled clicked on it to open the app. It didn't take long for him to find his recent searches, having the voice-over on his phone helped a lot. He plugged one ear phone into his ear. "Shall we?" He began, pushing his shades up the bridge of his nose and plastering a warm smile.

“I am never attending a party again. Unless you wanna be my keeper,” Jett joked, laughing. She shrugged, continuing to eat. “Nothing wrong with it.” She was more than grateful for him making her food. It was something, and anything in her stomach would be good. “Water, please,” she said, looking up at him. “I am Jett. If I didn’t already tell you that last night.”

“What about if I’m planning to get just as drunk?” Harry asked, narrowing his brows at her as he adjusted his shades by pushing them up his nose so they didn’t slide off. “I guess we’d have to look after each other.” He shrugged with a smile, grabbing a glass from the cupboard before feeling around for the tap, turning it and filling the glass with water. “Yeah, you told me last night. I’m Harry though, by the way. Just in case you couldn’t remember.” He told her, a chuckle escaping his lips as he passed her the water, waiting for her to take a hold of it.

“Good, good. I’m glad.” And he was. He’d only just met Harrison, but it didn’t feel like he was saying it out of just plain manners and politeness, he was genuinely glad Harrison was still around in Harpoole. “It’s alright,” Jude said quietly. He’d tried a lot for the past few months to not think about it. But he did every night, so it was no different now. “Fish and chips huh?” He grinned. “I could definitely go for that. You’ll have to lead me though, I have no sense of direction.” He paused before frowning. “Wow I hope that didn’t come off as like…super rude…”

“The best fish and chips you would have ever tasted! And trust me, I’m from London, and I’ve traveled around England a lot. I know my fish and chips, and nothing can beat Andy’s.” The male grinned, Andy’s being the name of the shop. Harry smiled sweetly and shook his head, “No no, it’s fine. I get it all the time and it’s understandable.” He assured him, knowing that sometimes people found it hard to adjust and sometimes accidentally let things slip without thinking. “I normally put the location onto the map on my phone, and I listen to the directions through my ear-phones. Then I just use my cane or Parker to guide me-- that’s my dog, by the way.” He explained, realising he was rambling. “I can still show you the way, if you like?”

Jake hoped so badly that robot eyes would be a thing in the future. Technology was just getting better and better so surely it was some form of a reality for people like the guy sat infront of him. “You’ll be a new form of superhuman,” Jake added with a smile, “anyone you don’t like…you can just lazier and you’ll be sorted.” Somehow, Jake couldn’t imagine the new friend wanting to do that to anyone, but he guessed that everyone had people they weren’t keen on. “But hopefully one day…I’ll hit up the science teachers and ask if they’ve got any science prodigies who might be up to the job.” Part of him wasn’t even joking, he genuinely wished that one of the scientists of the future could create such a thing, against all odds. “I bet it’s crazy expensive, though, isn’t it?” He shook his head, disapprovingly. “You’d think that shit like that which could make such a difference to people would be easily accessible…but y’know, that’s the world we live in.” Jake chuckled, realising that his friend had just cottoned on to the fact it was a kid’s rugby class. “Sounds good to me. Are you stuck in there a lot? I see a beautiful friendship blossoming here - you’re gonna’ find me at my door in a couple of days holding cans of beer and a freshly cooked pizza.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Harry agreed, a laugh escaping his lips. “I’ll be re-visiting a few jerks from high school, and probably my old PE teacher. They all thought I couldn’t do shit because I couldn’t see, but when I have my robot eyes and superhuman powers I’ll just rub it in their faces. Who’s the more advanced one now?” He joked, although in reality he would never hurt a fly. He was never really the violent type, unless he had a bit to drink and someone had tried to picked a fight with him. “Hopefully one day it’ll be a thing, but I think only the extremely wealthy could afford them. I’ll just break into the facility and steal them.” Harry shrugged, a simper growing on his lips. “It depends. I go to work, sometimes meet a couple friends at a bar. But I know the layout of my apartment, so it’s easier to get around. Plus I have a dog that needs looking after.” He informed the other with a chuckle. “Now that’s my type of friendship. I could never refuse beer and pizza. It’s the perfect combination.” 

“Shit…I’m sorry man,” Judas frowned. “But you’re cancer free now, which is good,r ight?” the man said, hoping he actually was cancer free or boy would that be awkward. “Ah yeah, I can see how that would be a little weird,” he laughed, shaking his head, his blond wavy hair falling around his eyes. “I lost three men that day….one of my best friends, but…yeah, thank you,” the blue eyed man smiled softly. “Uhm…I’m about to finish up here..do you wanna go get some food or something? Keep talking?” He asked.

“Yeah, cancer free now.” Harry confirmed with a gentle nod of his head. His face fell slightly when the male apprised him of what happened to his men. A smidgen of sadness grew inside him when he heard the news even though he hadn’t known Judas for that long. Losing someone was never easy, and he knew that. “Apologies, I shouldn’t have brought it up.” He said with a slight shake of his head. Harry was fine with talking about his experiences but he should have known others weren’t, especially when it involved losing someone dear to you. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He offered his condolences. He couldn’t help the warm smile that crept on his face when the other suggested they continue talking. "That sounds great. We could go to a cafe? Or, if you’re feeling up to it, I know this really good fish and chips place near the beach.”

“You weren’t always blind, so I’m going to assume an accident?” Judas questioned, leaning against the wall. He liked that Harry wasn’t shy about things, didn’t seem to mind questions. “That’s cool, getting to make up what others look like,” he said with a smile. He listened to Harry ask his question and then bit his lip, stifling a laugh when the man made the pun. “I was stationed in Iraq with my squad, I was a First Sergeant. We were going through the field when an IED went off. I tried to get my team back as much as I could, ended up losing my arm for it,” he said trying not to sound emotional about it all.

“Cancer.” Harry corrected, informing him on how he lost his sight. “Yeah, got retinoblastoma when I was ten. Long story short, I had to have my eyes removed before the tumor could spread. Now I just have these artificial eyes, but I usually cover them with glasses when I’m out. People get a bit weird when I’m talking to them and I’m unaware that my fake orbs at staring in the direction of their boobs.” He explained, a smile forming onto his expression as he said so. However, when Judas described to him how he lost his arm, he couldn’t help but to let his smile fade. “Ah man, that sucks.” He began, leaning his wight onto his cane. “Least you didn’t lose your life, right? And you saved other people’s lives -- not to mention fought for our country. That took some real guts.” He stated. He didn’t want to say anything that could upset him, but he couldn’t help but to admire his bravery.