Mike

“Too bad mum never specified what we needed to keep busy with,” MJ answered with a grin. There had been plenty of times where they kept themselves busy with making as big of a bonfire as they could manage and then flying over it. But they’d never actually burnt the house down, and apparently they’d learned enough growing up thus far – or kept busy enough, maybe – that they hadn’t burnt down the house they’d been sharing since Hogwarts. They’d learned enough to keep the house in one piece. But probably best not to risk it by leaving MJ to her own devices for an unspecified amount of time. She definitely needed something to keep from from spending more time overthinking than she already had been lately. She laughed at her brother’s retort and the conspiratorial wink when he suggested she would get his and Penny’s couch and the blokes could all go stay with Molly and her brood. “Molly won’t notice a few extra kids anyways,” she added with a laugh, never mind that each of the blokes would probably just stay with their girlfriends and MJ was the only one without someone else to stay with. That was fine. She was independent and she’d already spent way too much time hung up on a certain bloke she wished was easier to stop thinking about. Vaguely she wondered what he would think of her quitting auror training, but she pushed the thought aside quickly. She appreciated Mike’s words, and the reassurance that he would help her figure out whatever her next plan was after the temporary job. “Plan C for Circus has a nice ring to it,” she said, joking but only sort of. The circus idea really was tempting. She’d flown standing on her broom before, she could probably do a tightrope or something. 

Mike chuckled. “I think she might have regretted that a little too.” But it had been fine. They’d all grown up. No buildings burnt in the process. Now they just had to make sure MJ didn’t get so restless trying to figure out what to do now that she didn’t burn the place down. He chuckled again at her saying Molly wouldn’t notice. “They might be a bit more underfoot than the toddlers Molly has so dunno about that one.  Now Arthur….” He trailed off with a teasing grin. If anyone might not notice it would be him. “Oi! No, plan M is circus. Because it’s the most McKinnon plan,” he corrected her. Plan C for circus would have worked but only if auror training wasn’t plan A making temporary job plan B and actual plan Plan C. Besides he was right, the most McKinnon plan was the run off to join the circus plan. So it worked.  Really Mike was just happy to see MJ looking less stressed already. This would be good. He hoped. Quitting wasn’t something they had much experience in but they were McKinnons, they could handle set backs and this was really more of a set back than anything.

“I would have been fine….eventually,” she said with a laugh. If only things hadn’t gotten so complicated since those days. Though it was sort of a relief to hear Mike say he didn’t think their parents would be upset if she just stepped back from auror training without having some grand life plan B figured out. Their parents had always encouraged them to be spontaneous, but they’d also made sure they knew the importance of hard work. And not quitting. Though she felt a little better at how quickly Mike agreed that just finding a random job someplace was a good idea. MJ had been doing enough thinking as it was, the last thing she needed was a bunch of time to herself to think more and get even more confused. Maybe having something to occupy her time would actually help. And at least doing something would make it less terrible if she didn’t figure out what the heck she wanted to do with her life in the next few weeks. Maybe she’d just do whatever job she could find until the war ended and join the circus after all. She nodded. “Space sounds nice. I can’t promise the house wouldn’t eventually burn down if I’m left on my own too long,” she added, only half-joking. “Guess that wouldn’t be such a problem for you. Except you’d have all of us sleeping on your floor so actually it’d still be your problem,” she added with a teasing grin, still feeling stressed but surprisingly feeling better now that she had some idea of what she was doing in at least the next few weeks if not the rest of her life. And knowing that Mike wasn’t disappointed in her helped a lot too. “Thanks, Mike,” she added. 

MJ appreciated the way Mike humored her joke even after it fell flat, though truthfully the thought of running away to join the circus when the war was over sounded like a genuinely good one. A new city every week. Death-defying stunts. The war far behind her. She chuckle at Mike’s comment. “Me too. Remember how mad mum and dad got when we tried to make our own trapeze and set it on fire? Shame we never got to test that fireproofing charm you and Matt put on my shoes,” she said with a smile. MJ was still convinced she’d have been fine, but in hindsight their parents had probably intervened just in time to save her from a summer of burned feet. Her smile turned to a grimace at Mike’s comment about how figuring out what she wanted got hard when she had to actually do it. He was right, of course. But it was sort of reassuring to hear that maybe he understood a little bit, even if he clearly had things sorted out. She was surprised when he said maybe she didn’t need to figure out a plan right away. That she could just tell her parents she was focusing on the Order. “Do you really think mum and dad would be okay with that?” She asked dubiously. Only focusing more on the Order was not really something she’d considered. But Mike was right; if she dropped out of Auror training, of course she’d be expected to do more with the Order. And then it would be more of the same. Fighting every day, only worse, because the Order stuff was always worse than auror training. …Or she could lie to Moody. That was a bigger surprise, though maybe not so much after everything that had been happening in the Order lately. Moody couldn’t be trusted to look out for them anymore, and that was a terrifying thought. But it was a little less terrifying knowing the McKinnons still had each other looking out for them. “You think that would work?” She asked. Moody clearly had a lot of awful tricks up his sleeves. Not to mention, “Maybe I should just get a job at a shop or a pub or something. Or maybe see if Gid and Fabian actually need help with the firewhiskey. Just….something, I dunno.” Truthfully, MJ didn’t want to be left alone to her thoughts for that long. Especially not with all the blokes busy with their real jobs and their girlfriends and their lives being on track in a way MJ’s was not.

He chuckled at her memory.  “Yeah, we probably should have tested that charm on ourselves first but you were the only one light enough for the tightrope.”

Mike had a good point, she supposed. It was similar to what Max had said when they talked about this. Staying in training to be an auror when it wasn’t what she wanted anymore was worse. There were too many aurors who were making bad choices – Moody for starters. And some in the Order too, like that bastard who abandoned Bertie and didn’t get kicked out. There was someone who deserved to have his head fucked with. Not Dawn. MJ couldn’t quite the Order – and she didn’t want to, even before she knew that wasn’t an option – but she could choose not to fight more than she had to. Not to fight even after the war was done. She nodded, glad when he said he didn’t think their parents would be disappointed in her either. She hoped he was right. He was probably also right about the next thing he said, and any comfort MJ felt was replaced by dread. “Does survive the war then run away to join the circus count as a plan?” She asked, though her joking tone fell flat. Of course it didn’t count, though truthfully it sounded ideal. The more she thought about it, the harder it was to see herself staying put in London after the war was over. Working some desk job. The problem was, Mike was right. She had to do something. MJ sighed. “I dunno when it got so hard to figure out what I want,” she confessed, feeling like an idiot. If only she was just talking about jobs. All her brothers had things figured out well enough. Gid and Fabian had their firewhiskey business. And now MJ was even farther away from having things figure out now she was quitting the one plan she’d had. 

He chuckled despite her joking tone falling. “That’d be sweet. After dad took us to that circus I always thought it’d be cool to get shot out of one of them cannon things.” Though the clothesline turned tightrope was probably the reason they’d only gone to the circus once. Too many good ideas to be had. “They’d definitely like the sound of surviving the war,” he added knowing it wasn’t that helpful of an addition. “Probably when you had to actual do it.” Reality wasn’t really turning out anything like it seemed. Especially with how dark and gritty shit was getting.  “Maybe you don’t have to figure it out right way,”  Mike said,  trying to come up with something to help MJ out. Maybe take some of the pressure off. “You can just tell mum and dad you’re focusing on the Order right now. That’s plenty. Maybe once you get bored enough you’ll have something figured out.” He was mostly teasing about the bored part. But a break wouldn’t be a bad thing. In fact Mike wished he could find a way to give them all some kind of break. “We just need to make sure Moody thinks you have a job,”  he added realizing that Moody would just try and schedule MJ more, especially with the bit of auror training she had making her more useful than the ones without. “We can say you’re gonna help the blokes with the fire whiskey. Or something, we’ll figure something out.” Give MJ some time to sort out what she was going to do.  At the very least keep her from fighting all the time which was why she was quitting training to begin with.

MJ’s small smile came a little bit easier at Mike’s words when he moved closer to her. She knew it wasn’t just her who felt overwhelmed, but there was some reassurance in hearing Mike say it out loud. That it was okay not to be strong all the time. That maybe he wasn’t either, even though he’d managed to do the Order and Auror training and stick with both. And now MJ was letting him down. It felt a lot like letting him down, even if he wasn’t saying so. Being aurors was something special that had been theirs. And now Mike was moved out and MJ was giving up. Quitting. Probably the first McKinnon in the history of McKinnons to quit at anything. Was she making a mistake? It wasn’t often that MJ stopped to think her decisions through. Even the decision to become an auror, with all the difficulty involved just in getting into the auror training program, hadn’t been one she gave much thought to. She’d known it was what she wanted to do, just like Mike, and so she’d done what she needed to get there. The Order had been the same. She’d known even before she left Hogwarts that she was going to join, from the moment Mike and Matt told them about what they were doing. But deciding to quit felt harder. Scarier. Even if MJ was certain she didn’t want to be an auror when the war was over. At least not right after. Maybe one day she would decide to go back. “Thanks,” she said quietly when he offered to help tell their parents. “I’d like that.” Telling Max and Mike had been hard enough. How many more people was she going to have to tell she was a quitter now? How was she even going to explain it? No way was she going to be as honest with everyone who asked as she was with her family. “Aren’t you disappointed in me?” She couldn’t help asking after a moment. MJ couldn’t help feeling that if things were different, she wouldn’t be giving up on her dream right now. She wouldn’t have wanted to. Or maybe she’d have just found out being an auror wasn’t right for her and wouldn’t have had the war as an excuse to quit. Maybe she was destined to fail to follow in her brother’s footsteps.

If MJ had been surprised when Mike just asked her why she wanted to quit instead of telling her all the reasons she shouldn’t, she was even more surprised when he said he got it. In fact, she was pretty sure she must have misheard him, only the very next thing he said confirmed that she hadn’t. Maybe Mike did get it. Because that was what MJ was afraid of: if the war wasn’t over when she passed auror training – and who was to say it would be? – then fighting would be all she did. As it was, it was all she thought about going from the Order to auror training. Actually being an auror would be even more so. And even if the war did end before she finished auror training – MJ didn’t want to fight anymore after that. Being an auror was different from being in the Order, MJ knew that, but there was also a lot that would be the same. 

She appreciated Mike’s addition, his understanding. He was right; the war had changed things. Only Mike was doing it, wasn’t he? He’d been in the Order since Hogwarts, done auror training the whole time, and now he was working as an auror and he was handling it. So had Penny, and a couple other aurors in the Order. As it turned out, MJ couldn’t handle even a full year of being in the Order and doing auror training. Because here she was, quitting. MJ wasn’t sure she believed Mike when he said she was plenty strong. Being a McKinnon was brilliant, but it was also a lot to live up to. She mustered up a small smile. “Thanks,” she said quietly. “But I’m not sure I feel like it lately,” she confessed, surprising herself not just for saying it out loud, but saying it to Mike, whose footsteps she’d wanted so badly to follow in. It was true, though. MJ had never had trouble keeping up with her older brothers, but lately she felt more and more like everyone was so far ahead of her. And now she was quitting auror training. That was the right choice; even Mike seemed to understand that. But now what?

Despite Max’s reassurances, MJ had expected a bad reaction from Mike. The McKinnons had a dramatic streak, and they also weren’t quitters. Except that was what MJ was now, wasn’t it? Not yet. Not officially. But after talking with Max, she’d realized that she’d known for a while now being an auror wasn’t right for her. She was surprised when Mike didn’t immediately get upset with her. Though that didn’t mean she was in the clear yet. It just meant he wanted to know why. Of course he did. This was something else she’d talked through with Max, but everything felt jumbled now she was here actually telling Mike she wanted to quit the thing that had been a shared dream of theirs for years now. MJ took a breath. “I just…” There was a lot she could say. There was a lot more paperwork than she’d expected. A lot more rules, too. She didn’t connect with the other people. She wasn’t even sure the Aurors were getting it right anymore. But what came out, unplanned, was, “I’m tried of fighting.” Her voice was quiet, slightly shaky, ashamed of the admission. McKinnons were fighters, and MJ had always done her best to prove she was the toughest of them all even though she was the only girl. But being in the Order wasn’t cool or exciting. It was hard and it was scary and it wasn’t a feeling MJ wanted to last beyond the war. 

“And I know being an Auror will be different once the war is over,” she added quickly, because that was something she’d thought about too. It was what she’d been clinging to until just recently. But now not even that felt like enough. “But I just…I looked up to Moody,” she blurted, veering further off course from what she’d practiced with Max. “A lot. I thought…I dunno, I guess I thought being an auror has too many rules, but once the Order helps win by getting around the rules maybe that can change. Only we’re not just sort of getting around the rules anymore, are we? We’re supposed to be the good guys and he erased a whole year of Dawn’s memory and lied to all her friends about it and just left her here alone?” The was the Order, not the Aurors, but Moody was so heavily involved in both. And both were doing so many things wrong, it seemed like, just in opposite directions. MJ shook her head and sighed. “I’m just tired, Mike,” she said, her voice quiet again. “I don’t want this to be my future. I’m not strong enough” 

Fuck. Mike could have countered so much of what MJ said. They were right there at the tip of his tongue. He could even come up with a justification for the shit with Dawn. Tried to talk her into staying with the aurors. Got out that little pep talk he’d been working on while he waited for her to tell him why she wanted to quit. What Mike did instead was remember the conversation he’d had with his twin when they’d signed up for the Order. They’d done it without hesitation and all the bravado of eighteen year old Gryffindors. But after they’d left Dumbledore they’d had a very frank conversation with each other about what this meant. Not really for them but for their siblings, and the Prewett brothers. They’d known that the four of them would follow the twins into it. At the time they hadn’t really known what that meant. Once they did they talked more about it. But they’d realized that they couldn’t talk their siblings out of joining. All they could do was do their best to help them. Mike had shared every auror spell he’d learned with all his siblings, knowing the basic training the Order did was shit. The both of them had made a point to be around for the younger ones, especially after their first shit mission. They’d also made it a point to throw parties and encourage them to have fun. Burn shit. Play quidditch too hard. Anything to keep things from getting too dark. But they’d been over their head from the beginning. Sometimes it felt as if they were close to falling under. Like that devastating time when Matt was missing. The longer Mike was an auror the more he realized what a shit show the Order was. But it was so easy to just decide Dumbledore knew what he was doing, he’d defeated Grindlewald after all. He was more than a hero, he was a legend. And Moody was the most decorated Auror on the force. If it wasn’t for politics he probably would have been on track to be head of the department in his prime. It was hard to believe they didn’t know what they were doing. Even if it looked like that too often.

MJ was glad she hadn’t accidentally insulted Mike, though really if all it took was a comment about low expectations for his decor than she’d have been concerned about him going even softer than she originally thought. But she was only half-listening as her brother answered her, her eyes fixed on the records. Normally it was easy to talk to Mike about things that were actually interesting, unlike home decor, but usually she wasn’t trying so hard to avoid talking about something else. Now it seemed the only thing she could think of. Which probably meant she should get on with it. MJ tapped her fingers against her firewhiskey and sighed. It would be fine. Mike would understand. That was what Max had said, anyways. MJ looked over at her older brother. “So um…I need to talk to you about something,” she said slowly, each word difficult to get out. Just sit down and be honest with him, that was what Max said. Reluctantly, and perhaps a bit overdramatically, MJ sank down onto one of the cozy-looking chairs in Mike and Penny’s living room, a little annoyed at how comfortable it was. She looked down and tapped her fingers on the side of her firewhiskey again. “I’ve been…thinking, a lot lately.” Something MJ tried to avoid, if she was being honest. At least the kind of thinking she’d been doing about life and her purpose and where she fit in with her family and maybe a certain other bloke she really needed to get over. “And um, I’m not sure if I…” she trailed off. Be firm, Max had told her. You know what you want and it’s okay to want it. MJ took a breath, steadying herself. Just look him in the eye and tell him the truth. She looked over at Mike. “I want to quit auror training,” she finally blurted out. 

Oh thank fuck, she was finally getting on with it. Mike liked talking to his sister but chatting about his and Penny’s decorating choices was bloody weird. Not to mention he was worried about whatever it was that had her coming over here in the first place. He just hoped it wouldn’t make him wish for decor talk. Mike didn’t say anything, just tried not to look amused when she over dramatically sank into a chair. Easy not to be too amused since he was still worried about her. They weren’t off to a great start. She was still procrastinating and he wasn’t sure her thinking was a good thing or not. But he nodded and waited for her to continue. When she finally came to the point Mike was so surprised he thought maybe he’d misheard her. Only he was sure he hadn’t. “You want to quit? Why?” Mike was naturally jumping to all sorts of conclusions. But he managed not to blurt any of them out and instead let MJ tell him what was going on. Auror training was hard but McKinnons were not quitters. He doubted it was because of the hard work. Something had to be up. But there were too many possibilities for what that something could be. Not to mention MJ had busted her arse to get into training and he knew well how hard she was busting it being in training. It wasn’t for everyone but MJ had what it took to succeed, he was certain of that. And this had been something she’d wanted, so quitting felt extra odd. Maybe she was just being overdramatic about something. Having trouble with a certain part. Mike thought that she was there at the flat for him to convince her not to quit, give her a little pep talk and she’d be right back in there fired up. He could do that.

Visiting Mike shouldn’t feel as weird as it did. Except it was weird, wasn’t it? She’d never had to visit her brother before, unless you counted when she was still at Hogwarts and he and Matt were living in that flat they had before Fabian and Max also graduated. But that didn’t really count the same way this did. At least Penny wasn’t hanging around. MJ liked Penny fine – maybe she even begrudgingly thought the older girl was sort of cool, at least for a Ravenclaw – but this wasn’t really a conversation she wanted an audience for. She smirked at Mike’s retort to her comment about trashing the flat. At least getting engaged and moving out hadn’t totally ruined his sense of humor. “Sounds romantic,” she answered, not even entirely joking if she was being honest. “Yeah, I could use a firewhiskey,” she added before walking to his fridge and pulling it open, because even though Mike may have moved out, she refused to make herself anything but completely at home in his new flat. She grabbed a firewhiskey and tossed it to Mike – he was going to need one for this conversation too, even if he didn’t know it yet – and then helped herself to one, popping off the top as she kicked the door to the fridge shut. “Cheers,” she said before taking a large swig. Maybe she could just hang out and drink firewhiskey and she could tell him she was dropping out of auror training later. Or never. Only Mike’s flat wasn’t really a hang around and drink firewhiskey kind of place. There was nothing that looked shitty enough to set on fire. MJ glanced around trying to find some other sort of distraction she could stall with. “This place doesn’t look as bad as I thought,” was what she came up with, and she heard how it sounded a second later. “I mean I just figured it’d have a bunch of those dumb pillows that don’t serve any purpose and breakable shit,” she explained with an apologetic smile. Hopefully Mike would know what she meant. MJ had pictured something more adult, meaning boring. “This is cool,” she added, walking over to some records that were artfully displayed on the wall by their record player. 

“I thought so, saves having to find a present,” he shot back. If only that were really an option, Mike hated trying to shop, especially for others. Penny was about as hard as shopping for his mum. Harder really because they usually went in for a joint gift for their mum, there was none of that for Penny. Mike hid a grin as MJ made a show of making herself at home. Good thing Penny had left so she wasn’t around for that kick to the fridge door, he thought as he returned MJ’s cheers before taking his own drink. It wasn’t a surprise that MJ didn’t get right to it. He’d have liked if she would. Patience wasn’t really a McKinnon virtue. But he did his best when it came to the younger kids. The fact that MJ came to his flat showed she’d get to it eventually. He just had to wait it out. Mike laughed at her assessment of the place, her addition only adding to his amusement. “Penny’s a Ravenclaw, didn’t take long for her to realize that McKinnons and breakable shit don’t mix.” He didn’t mention he’d vetoed a few useless pillows. “Glad it’s not too below your standard,” he added teasingly. Even though he wasn’t entirely teasing. Maybe seeing that growing up didn’t mean turning into boring people would help MJ get over her issues with them all having girlfriends. “Penny’s idea.” Not entirely but Mike had no problem giving her full credit in the hopes of getting MJ to see she was pretty cool, even if she wasn’t a Gryffindor. “That area was sort of boring looking. Might could do something like that at the house. Your room definitely. Just gotta make sure you charm ‘em so they don’t get knocked down and broken. You know, like normal.” Anything you did’t want broken was charmed, the only way any of them managed to keep things half way decent. Something they all knew, and did.  Mike still did even though Penny hadn’t thought there was a need. But then there’d been that night they’d ended up knocking down a few pictures on the way to the bedroom and he’d been vindicated. Not a story to share with the little sister though so he took a sip of his fire whiskey and waited to see if MJ was gonna continue talking decor or get to the point. She was bound to run out of things to comment on eventually, their flat wasn’t that big.

joshaubrey:

ceneweardtooker:

Cene just laughed easily when the McKinnon twins explained away how they’d though he was some bad player. It was a fair assumption, given that he’d asked Josh not to tell the twins who he was, and he appreciated that his boyfriend had done a good enough job they hadn’t been able to guess. “I dunno, I think he’s catching on,” Cene couldn’t help answering with a light shrug when one of the blokes said Josh was impossible to teach about quidditch. He certainly never seemed to mind listening to Cene, a thought that had his grin widening as he glanced over at his boyfriend. And it only widened more at the next thing Josh said, his heart flipping over slightly at the wink he gave him. Before he could tell Josh that his being a fan of his was more than enough, though, he was reminded of the twins’ presence. Right. Bloody hell. Cene’s cheeks flushed slightly, but fortunately Josh recovered quickly. Cene just hoped it wasn’t only pointers he’d ever be able to give the McKinnons when it came to quidditch, though he tried his best to keep his mind on the conversation as the twins talked about a game he very much hoped he would be able to play again sooner rather than later. He squeezed Josh’s hand back tightly, grateful for the silent support, and kept the grin on his face. “I’m sure I haven’t,” he conceded to the both of them easily, amused by how much pride they took in their way of doing things but also by no means doubting what they were saying. Especially given the size of the fire they were creating and the story Josh filled him in on. Bloody hell! How were they all still alive right now? Cene didn’t mean for his surprise to show on his face, but it clearly did given the teasing from the McKinnons, and Cene just let out a sheepish chuckle. "‘Preciate that, but I think I’ll be okay. I’ve set myself on fire loads of times. …By accident, I mean,“ he tacked on quickly lest the McKinnons think he was some crazy person. Though actually they probably would have liked him more if they thought he set himself on fire purpose. Fuck. He could do this. Firewhiskey, that would probably help. And of course the McKinnons were going to throw it. Before Cene could lift his good arm to help Josh was already catching the one tossed in their direction, and he just smiled fondly as his boyfriend fumbled slightly in catching a bottle. Merlin, Josh was cute. “Thanks, babe,” Cene grinned when Josh passed the bottle to him, chuckling when Mike decided to just hand over the next bottle. “Thanks,” he added to the McKinnons. “Your yard’s great, I’m glad it never caught fire before I got to see it.” Bloody hell, did that sound as dumb as he thought it did? Josh’s mates were going to hate him.

Josh beamed when Cene sort of defended him to Mike, more out of being glad Cene thought he was catching on. He was trying. And he hadn’t been lying when he’d told them that Cene made it way more interesting then anything the McKinnons ever did. He didn’t care that he’d gotten sappy after that to Cene in front of the twins. Cene made being sappy way too easy. Not that he was gonna just let Mike make fun of him without hitting back. “Oi! At least half those falls are you two’s fault.” Cene knew he was clumsy as fuck so he wasn’t embarrassed that Mike had teased him about it in front of his boyfriend. All the teasing aside Josh liked the way the twins talked like Cene playing with them was a given. Hopefully he’d get the chance to. Though given the McKinnons habit of including explosions or fire in their matches Josh was torn on if that was a good thing or not. Something to worry over later. There was no way he was gonna ask the twins to go easy on Cene, they’d do the opposite, and if anyone could handle the McKinnons at their worst on a broom it was Cene. Josh was sure of that. Even if he was looking way too surprised at the story Josh told him about the fire. He chuckled when the twins started teasing Cene, so far they seemed to be liking his boyfriend. Something he knew would happen, Cene was too great. His smile grew again when Cene spoke up. Godric, he was cute. And holding his own nicely against the twins. “Don’t let them fool ya, at least half the time they’ve been on fire has been on accident. The other half, well if you were mates with them you’d set them on fire too.” Trying to juggle flirting with his boyfriend and teasing his mates was a new thing but already Josh was liking this. He even managed to catch the firewhiskey. “Thanks!” Josh didn’t want Cene to have to worry about catching one, or worse not catching it, so he popped it open and passed it to Cene with a broad grin. A grin that grew when Cene called him babe. “Welcome.” Josh had to resist the urge to lean over for a quick kiss, but he figured if he got too sappy too early the twins might call the whole thing off. He was grateful when Mike decided to just hand him another bottle this time, “Thanks, mate.” Cene was breaking the silence first and Josh smiled at him again glad to see he wasn’t too nervous to speak. “Afraid that’s not true. I’m pretty sure every inch of this place aside from the house has been on fire one time or another. Where we’re standing was on fire their first year here when we tried to toss the Christmas tree on the fire without cutting it first. We were too drunk to work out a water charm.” Josh laughed at the memory. There was so many fire related stories tied to his mates. Had they not been wizards they would have all been covered with burn scars, that was certain. “Told ya, babe, they got a thing for fire,” he added with a grin.

Matt just let out a snort of laughter when Tooker said he thought Josh was catching on. Of course he did, the pair of bloody saps. Honestly, Matt was pretty sure he was gonna start vomiting soon if Josh didn’t cool it with all the sappiness. He was torn between wishing Tooker wasn’t just as bad and being at least sort of glad for his mate that the other bloke was obviously just as into him. Matt just really could have gone without seeing how into each other they were, bloody hell. At least Josh was seeming to recover somewhat, and Matt laughed at his brother’s quip and Josh’s retort. “What’s your point, mate, you’re just proving how great McKinnon quidditch is,” he added on with a cheery grin, because it was true! Half the fun of the way they played quidditch was how dangerous and unpredictable it was, obviously. Matt still wasn’t sure what to expect from Tooker – obviously his impression from school that the bloke was way too quiet and timid for his own good wasn’t all there was too the guy if he was dating Josh now – but he let out a loud laugh when he started talking about setting himself on fire. “Oi!” He pulled a face at Josh, scoffing at his words about setting them on fire. “Accidental fires are some of the best kind, thank you very much, and the only times you’ve set us on fire on purpose were because we asked you to.” Or more like they’d asked Josh to set a fire much too close to one of them, but it was the same thing. And they were all fine! That was what magic was for, after all. Of course it was too much to hope that Josh wouldn’t go all sappy again, but fortunately for him the moment passed before Matt could start borrowing from MJ and making gagging noises. Completely warranted in this case, unlike when it was her doing it to him or Mike. More surprising was when Tooker was the one to speak up next. Matt laughed at his comment – as if the yard had never caught fire – and grinned when Josh answered for them. “We’ve got a thing for excitement,” he corrected Josh with a grin. “And speaking of which, since you ruled out quidditch we dug up some fireworks we wanna test before the Christmas Party, figured you two can be our guinea pigs.” 

With any luck this mushy shit was just temporary and the pair of them would learn how to fucking act in public. Mike could hope anyway, because while he was really happy for his mate this was not really what he’d had in mind. At least Josh was mostly himself. Had he gone completely mush Mike would have had to toss something at him. Or worse. As far as Tooker he supposed it wasn’t too much of a surprise that he was mushy, being a Hufflepuff and all. But there had to be something there if he was with Josh. Mike was willing to keep an open mind at least for now about that. He laughed at Matt’s addition, nodding his head in agreement. Unpredictability was the key to fun. And something Tooker was proving to be with his comment about setting himself on fire. Mike laughed along with his twin. Moving quickly from laughter to mock offense at Josh’s words. “The best kind, I’d say. What’s the point of having a fire if it’s just gonna be tame and stay in the fire pit? Sounds bloody boring to me. Besides you seem to forget the times you let us set you on fire, mate.” At least that’s the way Mike saw all the times they caught Josh on fire. If he didn’t like being on fire he shouldn’t agree to things like exploding quaffle catch. Mike almost felt for poor Tooker at his comment about the yard. Bloody hell, this bloke didn’t know what he’d gotten into clearly. Good thing for Josh and for Tooker that he and his brother were gonna make sure he left tonight knowing just that. At least Josh was describing the incident with the tree with the same enjoyment they all did. Even if there was an inaccuracy in his statements. They’d set things inside the house on fire a few times. He grinned as Matt corrected Josh and told them the twins’ plan for the evening. If Tooker had expected to just sit around a fire drinking firewhiskey he clearly didn’t know the same Josh they did. “Last chance for us to fireproof ya, mate,” he gave Tooker a grin as he brought that up again. No one could say the McKinnons weren’t good hosts. The strongest firewhiskey, amazing fireworks, and even an offer to fireproof in case Tooker was adverse to a little singing. They were the best damn hosts you could get.

joshaubrey:

ceneweardtooker:

Cene squeezed Josh’s hand tightly as they made their way up to the McKinnon’s place, still in mild disbelief that he was here at all. He was going to hang out with the McKinnons. With his boyfriend. Because Josh was their best mate. And as nervous as he was – it also felt good. Just like when Josh had met his family – despite the circumstances – this was another step toward the pair of them melding their lives together that much more. The McKinnons were important to Josh, scary as Cene couldn’t help thinking they were, and Josh had been obviously excited all day for Cene to meet them. Merlin, he just hoped it went well. The McKinnons were very important to Josh, and Cene was half-convinced they were going to decide he was nowhere near cool enough to hang around them or Josh anymore. A foolish thought, and maybe Cene knew it, but this was too big for him not to be nervous.

Though one thing to be said for the nerves was that they provided a good distraction from his injury. Cene had been too nervous over meeting the McKinnons to think about the fact that his lifelong dream might be lost forever today. It was an improvement. Especially now he knew the McKinnons weren’t going to try to get him on a broomstick, though in any other set of circumstances Cene would have preferred that. He always felt more balanced when he was on a broomstick. Or when he was with Josh. A thought that had him looking over at his boyfriend with a smile, warmth washing over him and Josh’s words and his kiss. He could do this. The McKinnons were important to Josh, and so Cene was certain he’d be able to get on well with them. “Ready.” He nodded, taking a deep breath as he followed Josh around the side of the house.

It was impossibly not to smile at the excitement in Josh’s voice, and Cene lifted a hand in an awkward wave as both the McKinnon twins turned to look at him. And look. And look. And then one of them – fuck, which one was which? – was saying something about him being a Tooker, and all Cene could do was keep the nervous smile on his lips and hope his being a Tooker was a good thing. They seemed to like Ann fine, at least she’d never mentioned anything different. Maybe it was just the shock that another bloke they’d gone to school with was gay; something that was less nerve-racking for them to know about him given that he already knew they were fine with Josh being gay. Still sort of weird though. And then they were giving him warm smiles as they moved closer, and despite his nerves Cene felt himself relaxing just a bit, his smile widening a touch as he took one of the McKinnons’ extended hands and smiled back at the other as he clapped Josh on the back. Except bloody hell, was being so tall a Gryffindor thing? Cene had never really felt short before now. His cheeks flushed a light pink when one of the blokes said Josh had been bragging about him, though he let out an easy laugh when they expressed their skepticism. Pushing aside the thought that they might not be so far off now, if his arm never healed. He let out another laugh at the nickname they’d given Josh, feeling a little overwhelmed but also appreciative of the fact the McKinnons really did seem to think he was a good player. Or he’d been a good player. Fuck. Not the time. “I think we can turn Joshy into a quidditch fan, yet,” he managed to answer with a grin, nudging his boyfriend lightly as he did so. 

Try as he might it was impossible to not smile widely as the twins looked at him and Cene in surprise. He chuckled at Matt’s question about him dating a Tooker. Clearly he and Fabian had good taste. “Yep, I’m dating a Tooker.” His grin only widened at how warmly the blokes were greeting Cene once the surprise had worn off some. Joshy had him cringing, he fucking knew it. Not that he really minded it but not in front of his bloody boyfriend geez. Their comments about Cene’s skills helped ease some of the embarrassment. “Oi! Fuck you,” he laughed out. “I have better taste in blokes then to be dating a hack, thanks. You bloody gits.” There was no part of him that was upset, even if he did have better taste then that bloody hell. Cene’s teasing took him by surprise. As nervous as his boyfriend had been he was afraid it was gonna take longer for him to warm up. “Not you too, bloody hell,” he commented, grinning way too wide to be upset. “I’m a fan of yours, that should be enough.” Josh shot Cene a wink as he spoke. A groan from Mike had him laughing even harder. “What? He’s a great beater. Maybe if you two gits are lucky he’ll give ya some pointers some time. He makes the game a whole lot more interesting then either of you two ever did.” Josh squeezed Cene’s hand, hoping all this talk about quidditch wasn’t gonna get him down. “I can’t believe you thought I was exaggerating, Matt,” he addressed the bloke in front of Cene with a shake of his head. “Good thing you have good firewhiskey. I might have to find new best mates. Guess I’m sticking with you two gits.” Josh’s teasing got interrupted by a loud pop from the fire. Seemed like a good time to change the subject. “Nice fire, mates. It’s nearly as big as that time we nearly caught the roof on fire.” He looked over to Cene to explain. “The wind shifted and the flames ended up kissing the house. The fireproof charm held up nicely, though.”

Bloody fucking hell, Josh was dating a Tooker, and Matt couldn’t help but wonder if he was missing something or if that was just bound to happen with a family that big. At least they were a nice lot, and if Josh’s Tooker was anything like Fabian’s they also came with loads of good food. Always a plus. “Oi!” Matt retorted to Josh’s words with a laugh. “We had nothing to go off, git, just that you wouldn’t tell us who the bloody hell your quidditch player was.” His words were teasing, a grin directed in Tooker’s direction so he wouldn’t take offense. If he was gonna hang with them he was gonna have to get used to this sort of thing, anyways. Though maybe this Tooker had a little more bite than Matt originally thought. He let out a laugh when the younger bloke shot their nickname right back at Josh, though it was quickly followed by a groan to join his twin as he pulled a face when Josh got all sappy with the other bloke. Bloody hell, that was weird to see. Not just because Josh was acting like that toward a bloke, but because he’d never seen Josh act like that period. And he’d prefer to never see it again, actually. At least Tooker seemed just as into Josh, grinning back at him all gross-like. Bloody hell. Fortunately Josh still had his head screwed on enough to realize he was being mocked, and Matt went along with the teasing with a look of feigned offense. “Oi! No offense, Tooker,” he addressed Tooker for a second before looking at Josh again, “But we don’t need any pointers. And no one makes quidditch more interesting than us, you’ll see that soon enough,” once again he looked at Tooker, figuring the younger bloke was gonna be ‘round for their Christmas party at the very least. Truthfully Matt was looking forward to the prospect of having another professional player around, even more so a beater. At the rate they were going they were gonna get all of Puddlemere to their matches at some point or another. Though suddenly Matt wondered if the no quidditch thing today had to do with that attack on Meadowes’ class. Fucking Death Eaters. “’Course you’re sticking with us,” he blew off Josh’s teasing with a snort of incredulity – as if he could find better best mates! “Thanks mate!” He answered Josh with a proud grin as he explained to the other bloke the time they’d almost caught the roof on fire, laughing at the look of surprise on Tooker’s face. “Aw, don’t worry, nobody got singed too badly. We can always fireproof you if ya want,” he teased the younger bloke, hoping it didn’t scare him off not only because that wouldn’t be any fun, but also because if he was gonna hang with the McKinnons he’d better not scare too easily. This was Matt playing nice, he wasn’t sure he could tone it down much more than that.

Another Tooker. Huh. Mike always figured if anyone else went with a Tooker it’d be Max. Course he supposed there was probably enough Tookers for that to happen. At least they were a good lot. “Wouldn’t even give us a hint, like what team you played for,” Mike chimed in with his twin’s defense of their assumptions. “Besides, mate, it’s not like you know much about quidditch. We’ve tried to teach him but he’s impossible.” Mike alternated between looking at Josh and Cene as he teased his mate. While he wasn’t too worried about what Tooker was gonna think about their teasing Josh he was surprised when the other bloke went along with it. Laughing before Josh ruined it with sappiness. Bloody hell. He never would have pegged Josh of all people as a sap. Maybe it was the Tooker. He certainly didn’t seem to mind it. At least Josh didn’t go all gooey. “I think maybe all those falls have given him amnesia, clearly he’s forgotten who he’s talking to,” Mike told Matt with a sly grin after his twin defended their quidditch to Tooker. “McKinnon quidditch is a thing of beauty, you’ve never played quidditch like us.” Nothing but pride n his voice at that. They took their quidditch seriously. It’d be great to have another professional in the mix assuming Podmore and Selwyn weren’t lame and actually showed up. Course Mike couldn’t help wishing they had fewer Puddlemere players and more Montrose ones. But Puddlemere wasn’t that much of a step down. Mike laughed at Josh’s words. “Please like you could find better ones! Your life would be bloody boring without us and ya know it.” Another laugh soon followed at Tooker’s surprised face. “Don’t worry, Tooker. We’ll be sure to douse you with water first. We don’t let our guest stay on fire too long,” Mike quickly joined in on the teasing. If Tooker couldn’t take it Mike wasn’t sure how the rest of the evening was gonna go. They were dialed way down from their usual. “Speaking of dousing, I’m ready for a firewhiskey. Anyone else?” Mike pulled some from the muggle cooler they had and tossed Matt one. Turning he tossed one to Josh and chuckled as the bloke tried to catch it. “Nice, mate!” He called out when Josh managed, albeit awkwardly. When Josh handed that one to Cene, Mike shook his head and just passed over another bottle. There was no way he’d manage to catch two in a row.