RP: Jive Talking in the Jacuzzi

[anon_george]

Date: 19 June 2003
Character(s): Fred and George Weasley
Location: WWW Redux
Status: Private, me thinks
Summary: Fred and George go hottubbing
Completion: Incomplete

Comments

[anon_george]

George was becoming flabbergasted. It was as if Fred wasn't hearing what he was saying and even worse, it sounded to him as if Fred actually thought he would have never come back if there was a chance. The thought angered him but he calmed himself once more, sinking back into the water again. "You know I would have been there for her, no matter what. I left to clear my mind, not permanently, Fred."

He tried to keep the bit of rage he felt out of his voice but he knew it had seeped through. George couldn't understand why Fred was doing this, pushing him out the door. It made him feel unwanted and he thought that maybe they were better off not talking about issues anymore because something had changed between them. His brother seemed scattered, all over the place and paranoid. But he knew that paranoia was partly due to him, even if it was unwarranted.

"I was coming back that night and I was arrested in London." George sighed. He really hadn't told anyone other than Katie because it was embarrassing and he didn't want to deal with all of the 'I nevers' and 'I told you so's". I was in jail for two days and my wand was at Katie's, so I had no quick way out." His voice had a hint of a growl and he looked over at Fred and then said emphatically, "I said I'd live here and I will." He bit his inner lip and then tilted his head as he continued. "So when did you stop trusting me, Fred?"

[anon_fred]

Fred turned his head to look at George. He was confused, but didn’t say anything. George had been arrested, and he hadn’t said anything to him about that. With a deep sigh he ran a wet hand through his hair and began pulling off the floaties on his arms. They just felt downright stupid right now, like Fred himself did. “It’s not that I stopped trusting you,” he said and dropped the floaties to the floor behind him, before he looked back at George. “About the same time you stopped really talking to me, and everything started revolving around Katie.” He shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame you. I’d probably do the same, if it was me. You’d do anything for her, and that’s how it should be. Just doesn’t change the fact that it’s not only you and her that affects.” He shrugged, and looked down, ashamed of himself. “When you cancelled dinner that evening I knew something was horribly wrong. Your hand on the clock showed that you had left Annwn, and the next day, you were still gone, so when I went to see if you had come back, if you were alright… maybe the clock could’ve been wrong, Katie told me she had told you to go away, and I knew you had. You’d even left your wand behind…”

This time it was his face he ran his hand over, before he looked at George. “It’s always been you and me, Fred and George, The Twins, and now…. It’s not. I know you said you’d live here, and I want nothing more than that too…” He chewed on his lips, torn between telling George everything and asking him to just leave it alone. “I didn’t know you’d been to jail, because you didn’t tell me. I don’t want you to move out, because it’s just not right when you’re not there. Fucking Hells, George, I did that for four years already, and you being there but all the time being on edge and ready to leave to be somewhere else…” He shrugged. “Not really all that different from you not being there.”

[anon_george]

"What do you mean? I still talk to you." George's tone was full of irritation and his voice had an undercurrent of a growl now. He couldn't believe that Fred would have the balls to place this all on George's shoulders. Yes, he had Katie in his life and he did spend more time with her but he didn't feel in any way that he'd abandoned Fred. "Yeah, something went wrong and I left town but I would have told you if I was staying away for any length of time." George's eyes flashed red at Fred. "Besides, I couldn't leave anyway, could I? I bound myself to this town to be with you. Long before Katie came around."

He sat up straighter and then jabbed a finger at Fred. "But you don't see that, do you? You don't see that I'm here, every day and want to hang out with you." George looked around and then threw his hands up in the air. "Look at this, Fred. I put a fucking hot tub in the middle of the store to get you to talk to me because you're so muddled up, you can't see that others are trying."

George ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. "You're so full of it. It was Fred and Angelina, remember? Did I whine when you ran off with her late at night or hung out all those times? No, because you were happy." He chuckled bitterly and shook his head. "And if you'd get off your fucking arse and do something about her, you could be happy again." George sunk back down into the tub and then replied. "I didn't tell anyone, Fred. It's not exactly a stellar moment in my life and I needed time because whether you want to admit it or not, I went through alot of shite then and I needed to sit back." He heard Fred's last words and then hissed. "I'll leave when things are right." He was about to go underwater again, but before he did, he added. "And I'll make sure to tell you before I do."

[anon_fred]

With a sigh, Fred rubbed his eyes as he waited for George to emerge again. George was right, he knew he was, but he was also so completely fucking wrong about everything that it was almost embarrassing. Why couldn’t he see? Fred wanted to take him and shake him until he understood that… that… Ugh! With an annoyed huff Fred crossed his arms over his chest and scowled in his brother’s direction. How could he make him see when he wasn’t even certain what it was he wanted him to see.

When he was about to stop being annoyed and instead being worried and maybe even begin considering fishing George out of the water, the familiar crop of red hair finally appeared above the water. “Get off my fucking arse and do something about Angelina, eh?” He snorted and shook his head. “Just shows how much you’ve been keeping up with things, doesn’t it?” Alright, maybe things weren’t as far progressed with Angelina as he could have dreamed of, but then again marriage and eternal love at this point, he would have to admit might be a tad too fast for his taste. Still, they were at a point where they were comfortable with each other, and neither of them were afraid to let the other one know what they wanted. It was a good place to be. Friends, and a bit more, just no definition. That day after the maze really had turned a thing or two for both of them.

Again, he shook his head. “I don’t know, George. That’s why I haven’t said anything, because I knew you were in a shite place and all that.” He shrugged. “You asked, I answered. Tough luck if you don’t like the answer. Am I being fair in this? Most likely not, even said so m’self before you went off on that rant of yours, but does it bother me? Fuck yeah, it bothers me. So there you have it.”

He drew in a deep breath to calm himself. “Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad if you actually looked happy, or at the very least made the most of it,” he finally confessed and sighed. “I don’t want either of you to leave, but I can’t say that I’d blame you if you did, you know? Bound or not, you’ve still more space to move around on, right?” He tried sending George a smile, though it failed and became a pathetic wan excuse for a smile instead. “I know, I know, I should get off my arse and do something about it, well… I am, and until that starts being obvious to you, the very least you could do is see how fucking great things really are for you, yeah?” This time when he tried to smile, it was a bit more genuine, but still a small, slightly wistful smile nonetheless. “Please?”

[anon_george]

"Kind of hard to keep up with things when you go lock yourself away in that workshop every chance you get." George was really beyond mad now and had gone into an odd place where he was past caring about what the hell Fred thought. That didn't happen because he'd spent his entire life making sure his brother was okay and when Fred had died, he still loved his twin so much, he couldn't get over his death.

"I don't care about your answer but it's your paranoia that's pissing me off." George snapped, his aforementioned good mood definitely evaporated now. "I've told you I didn't leave. I had no intention of leaving and Katie knows that we're going to stay in town, even if we weren't both bound here." He snatched another ale from the cooler and opened it. "Where the fuck am I supposed to go? Build a cabin in the Annwn Soods for Katie and I?" George chortled down part of his beer. "So dear brother, even if I wanted to leave, which I don't want to by the way. There is no way for me or Katie to leave. We made a commitment, each for our own reasons. Mine being you and I don't regret it for one moment, even when you're acting like a twat."

He sighed in exasperation. "I am happy. I'm beyond happy. Katie is the love of my life and she makes me smile all the time." George leaned back against the edge of the tub. "But it's hard for me to be happy around you, Fred, because it seems you never are. You worry so much that it's like you've forgotten how to just be alive." He reached forward then and put his hand on Fred's knee while he continued. "You don't need to worry about me. Things are going to be fine." George slapped Fred's knee then and added. "I think it's time you took care of yourself, brother."

[anon_fred]

Fred snorted a bit at George’s slap, though his smirk grew more genuine as they seemed to begin calming down, both of them. “I am taking care of myself,” he mused. “Just seem to be going about it the wrong way…” With a sigh he downed the rest of his ale, and summoned a new one before he let his head loll to the side, and he was looking at George again.

“I’m trying to be happy,” he continued, “really, I am, just… the wait, it’s… it gets frustrating. I mean, I’m proving to people that I’m alive, over and over and over again, and they still have to get used to it. Makes sense, though, that they do, and I can only do so much before it becomes desperate, and really? Desperate and dead?” He rolled his eyes and sent George a smirk, hoping that his brother would at least let him get away with this joke. If he couldn’t joke about being dead, then he would be completely lost.

“Easier to focus on other people, you know?” Nodding slowly he drank from the bottle. “Make sure you’re all making the most of things, while things fall into place for m’self.” With a wave of his wand he summoned one of the floaties from the floor, and slipped the bottle into it, before he let it float on the water. “And eventually Angelina will come around, and we’ll give you and Katie a run for your money.” He sent George a bright grin, before he grew pensive again. Still his eyes were twinkling with mirth and admiration when he continued. “George?” he started. “Why were you in jail, and how did you get out?”

[anon_george]

"No, you should focus on yourself, you git." George took his hand and cupped it, splashing water in Fred's face. "After all, you're the one who seems to need to kick in the arse to get going." He shook his head, then began to chuckle. "You need to tell Angie how you feel and I mean everything and you need to quit worrying about when the hell I'm going to move out. I will when I do and not a moment before."

He did love Fred but sometimes the man was just frustrating. "Who the fuck cares if they think you're alive or dead? As long as you know that everything is functioning and your crank is working properly, nobody else's opinion mattered. If it did, would we have opened up the original Wheezes because other than you, me, and Lee, no one believed we could do it." He took a sip of his ale and laughed into the bottle. "We'd have probably ended up working for the Ministry or something."

George knew that wasn't true but it proved his point. "I hope that's true." He replied, meaning every word. "After all, it would be nice to see not see your arse around here all the time." He shrugged when Fred asked him about jail before he replied. "Assaulting a police officer. I threw a whiskey bottle into a corner and didn't know there was a bobby there. But I slipped him one of those instant daydream charms you came up with." George smiled at Fred. "Thanks by the way. And the next cop to show up though he was drunk and sent him home. So all I have is a disorderly conduct charge." He took a large gulp of his ale and continued. "Or might I say that one Draco Malfoy has a charge against him."

[anon_fred]

Fred sputtered and wiped the water from his face, as he vanished his - now filled with water - beer bottle, grumbling a few choice words at George. He would get him later, for now… he’d let him fry for a bit. Still, his grin was back on his face when he heard how George had gotten out of prison. “Nice one, Forge,” he grinned approvingly, and summoned a new - and water free - beer from the cooler. “We should make them part of the Skiving Snackboxes, or start up a new line of first-aid products,” his mind was wandering, but it returned to George in a heartbeat. “Wonder how papa Malfoy’s going to burst a vein if he’s ever informed of the ferret face’s Muggle criminal record…” He held up his bottle, before he clinked it to George’s. “Great thinking there.”

The beer was refreshing as ever when he poured it down his throat. “Just so you know, I have told Ang everything,” he followed up on George’s comment there. “And she’s… coming around, but truth of the matter is, that I died and she did what any sane woman should do in that situation; she moved on. I don’t blame her for that, quite the contrary, actually. It just means that it’ll take that much longer to get to where you and Katie are.” He shrugged slightly. “Do I want to be there with Ang? Hell yeah, at some point I want to, and hopefully she wants to too.” A short laugh escaped him then. “Although, of course with Ang… who knows what she wants? Don’t really see her as the marrying or mothering type, not now, but… maybe sometime in the future.”