A friend is a brother...
Category: Pink Sheep RPG
Going up early because I don't plan to be up this early.
The early morning mist hung over Hyde Park as the ‘crack!’ of Apparition echoed through the empty space. It felt good, so good, to be out of Blackthorn Manor and back in the city. Natalie was a London girl through and through. The open air of the countryside was nice... for about five minutes. Then she began to long for the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Zipping the half-zip of her UnderAmour up to her chin, she set off towards the designated meeting spot, just behind the Holocaust Memorial.
As she moved, her lips curled inadvertently in a small smile as a figure came into view. Unconsciously, her stride quickened until she was jogging, and the figure came into closer relief. He was tall, a good five inches taller than her, and both his arms and legs were obviously toned from years of physical activity. His hair was cropped close to his head but covered by a London Wasps cap.
“They finally let you off your leash, McDonald?”
Natalie flipped him two fingers, smile morphing into a scowl. “Fuck it, McDonald.”
Colin grinned and strode the few steps to her, wrapping her up in a bear hug and squeezing tightly. “Watch your language, little sister. Hate to see Mum wash your mouth out with soap. Again.”
“I’m not twelve, Colin,” Natalie groused, letting out an irritated sound when he jerked her off her feet. “And put me down, you ponce. I have a badge and a license to kick your arse.”
Setting her down, her older brother grinned unabashedly. “Allison would never let you hear the end of it, and you know it.”
“Yes, well, I always knew something was wrong with her, mentally. She did marry you, after all.”
“If I thought you meant that, I’d be hurt. You ready to go?”
Merlin, was she ready. She’d done a few runs around the estate, but nothing compared to the feeling of pavement underneath her trainers. After nearly two months of being cooped up at the Finchy compound, she was ready to be free.
“Let’s do it.”
The pair set off at a comfortable pace, getting their feet beneath them for the first few kilometers. It was one reason they picked Hyde Park as their running spot of choice. Not only was it close to Colin’s townhouse, there was enough room for them to get a good run in without running in circles. It had been too long since she’d last been able to meet her brother for a run, and she’d missed that part of her routine. Running by herself wasn’t the same, though it was often a welcome diversion.
“So, sis, how’s the case you’re working going?” Colin asked after the first kilometer had passed. “Thought you were going to trial soon.”
“Yeah, soon.” Their breath hung in the cold morning air, forming little clouds as the pair ran alongside the Serpentine. “I don’t know, it’s all a fuck up, Colin.”
“What kind of fuck up? The kind that’s fucked your case, or the kind that’s an annoyance?”
As their pace started to pick up, pushing their bodies harder, Natalie shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. My main witness is knocked up by the man she turned in-- a drug trafficker, might I add, and all we’ve got is her word, and the testimony of some low-life thug and a floozy stripper he blackmailed into working for him.”
“And I thought some of the plots on Law and Order were ridiculous,” her brother noted sardonically.
Her fist shot out and connected with his bicep, punching hard. “Shut the fuck up, pretty boy. This is fucking serious.”
His own arm whirled around to hit her back, but Natalie dodged him easily. “I’m just taking the mickey out of you, Nat, calm down.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to ‘calm down’?” she demanded. “This is a big deal, Colin. Not that you would know about that. The only thing that matters to you is your next rugby match.” Her brother had no idea what it was like for her. Her partner thought she was a menace to society, her occasional lover was an obnoxious pain in the ass, and her case was barely held together by Spell-o-Tape. She was utterly buggered.
“It’s my job, little sister. I’m paid to worry about that next rugby match.”
Natalie snorted, and the conversation died down as they shifted into the most punishing part of their morning: a flat-out sprint, three kilometers.
Her muscles were burning, her lungs were on fire from the cold morning air, but Natalie didn’t care. This is what she lived for, this made her feel good. A run was almost better than sex, depending on who she was fucking. She pushed her body to the limit every time she tested her endurance.
She had to. There was no other choice.
The sun was nearly up by the time they slowed back down to a jog, both of their chests heaving with exertion. Sweat dripped down her back and between her breasts, running down her legs and coating her blonde hair, but she paid it no heed. It was part of the game.
“Look, I know it’s a big deal,” Colin started the conversation back up, sneaking a glance over at the spitfire at his side. “You don’t want to lose the case, I get it.”
“It’s more than that,” she retorted. “It’s... the world is so fucking sexist, it’s unreal. There aren’t that many female Aurors in the MLE, and I have to work ten times as hard to be accepted as ‘one of the boys.’ They see a woman, they see a pair of legs, not a badge. I’ve got a partner who can’t stand me half the time, a paper-thin case, and if I botch this up? It’s fucking cold cases and accidental magic incidents for me for the foreseeable future.”
They stopped, and Colin reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. “Nat, listen. You’re a good cop-”
“Auror.”
“Whatever. Point is, you’ve got instincts. And they’re damned good ones. Yeah, you can be a bitch sometimes, but that’s what makes you so good. If those pricks in your department can’t handle the fact that a woman is better than them, then fuck ‘em. It doesn’t matter if they can handle it or not, because it’s the truth.”
Natalie sighed, pushing her sweaty bangs back from her forehead. “Colin, s’not that simple-”
“Like hell it isn’t.” Her older brother was rarely serious about anything other than rugby, but she recognized the look in his eyes when she saw it. He was serious now. “Look, I can’t pretend to understand that world. It goes against everything I know. But I do know that your partner is lucky to have you watching his back, and if he doesn’t know that, then he’s a bloody fool.”
“He’s a member of the peerage.”
“Well, that makes it official, then.”
She snorted, half-amused as she thought of Finchy’s expressions if he knew they were talking about him. “He’s not so bad, some of the time. Just got a bit too much starch in his underpants.”
“And you’ve got none, so I’m sure you balance each other out.” Finally stopping to take a pause, Colin inhaled and exhaled deeply before speaking again. “You can win this case, Nat. You’re a damned good cop- Auror- whatever you call yourself, and we all know it. You’re just like Dad.”
Despite it, Natalie felt a bit of color rise in her already-pink cheeks. Growing up, her dad had been her hero. MI-6, one of the best in the service.
She’d wanted to be him when she grew up.
“And just like Dad, I know you won’t stop until you win. Or until you beat the living shit out of someone.”
Unconsciously, she smiled a bit at that. “You wanna be first to test that?”
Colin snorted and slung his arm around her shoulder. “I might have had a few concussions in my day, little sister, but I’m not that brain damaged.”
“That can always been remedied...”
Laughing, he ruffled her already mussed hair, dodging when she swung her free hand out towards him. “Come on, my fierce lion-killing sister. You’ve got a bit more time before you’ve got to put the ball and chain back on, let me buy you breakfast.”
“S’least you can do, you ass.”
Summary: Natalie and her brother go for a run and discuss things.
Going up early because I don't plan to be up this early.
The early morning mist hung over Hyde Park as the ‘crack!’ of Apparition echoed through the empty space. It felt good, so good, to be out of Blackthorn Manor and back in the city. Natalie was a London girl through and through. The open air of the countryside was nice... for about five minutes. Then she began to long for the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Zipping the half-zip of her UnderAmour up to her chin, she set off towards the designated meeting spot, just behind the Holocaust Memorial.
As she moved, her lips curled inadvertently in a small smile as a figure came into view. Unconsciously, her stride quickened until she was jogging, and the figure came into closer relief. He was tall, a good five inches taller than her, and both his arms and legs were obviously toned from years of physical activity. His hair was cropped close to his head but covered by a London Wasps cap.
“They finally let you off your leash, McDonald?”
Natalie flipped him two fingers, smile morphing into a scowl. “Fuck it, McDonald.”
Colin grinned and strode the few steps to her, wrapping her up in a bear hug and squeezing tightly. “Watch your language, little sister. Hate to see Mum wash your mouth out with soap. Again.”
“I’m not twelve, Colin,” Natalie groused, letting out an irritated sound when he jerked her off her feet. “And put me down, you ponce. I have a badge and a license to kick your arse.”
Setting her down, her older brother grinned unabashedly. “Allison would never let you hear the end of it, and you know it.”
“Yes, well, I always knew something was wrong with her, mentally. She did marry you, after all.”
“If I thought you meant that, I’d be hurt. You ready to go?”
Merlin, was she ready. She’d done a few runs around the estate, but nothing compared to the feeling of pavement underneath her trainers. After nearly two months of being cooped up at the Finchy compound, she was ready to be free.
“Let’s do it.”
The pair set off at a comfortable pace, getting their feet beneath them for the first few kilometers. It was one reason they picked Hyde Park as their running spot of choice. Not only was it close to Colin’s townhouse, there was enough room for them to get a good run in without running in circles. It had been too long since she’d last been able to meet her brother for a run, and she’d missed that part of her routine. Running by herself wasn’t the same, though it was often a welcome diversion.
“So, sis, how’s the case you’re working going?” Colin asked after the first kilometer had passed. “Thought you were going to trial soon.”
“Yeah, soon.” Their breath hung in the cold morning air, forming little clouds as the pair ran alongside the Serpentine. “I don’t know, it’s all a fuck up, Colin.”
“What kind of fuck up? The kind that’s fucked your case, or the kind that’s an annoyance?”
As their pace started to pick up, pushing their bodies harder, Natalie shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. My main witness is knocked up by the man she turned in-- a drug trafficker, might I add, and all we’ve got is her word, and the testimony of some low-life thug and a floozy stripper he blackmailed into working for him.”
“And I thought some of the plots on Law and Order were ridiculous,” her brother noted sardonically.
Her fist shot out and connected with his bicep, punching hard. “Shut the fuck up, pretty boy. This is fucking serious.”
His own arm whirled around to hit her back, but Natalie dodged him easily. “I’m just taking the mickey out of you, Nat, calm down.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to ‘calm down’?” she demanded. “This is a big deal, Colin. Not that you would know about that. The only thing that matters to you is your next rugby match.” Her brother had no idea what it was like for her. Her partner thought she was a menace to society, her occasional lover was an obnoxious pain in the ass, and her case was barely held together by Spell-o-Tape. She was utterly buggered.
“It’s my job, little sister. I’m paid to worry about that next rugby match.”
Natalie snorted, and the conversation died down as they shifted into the most punishing part of their morning: a flat-out sprint, three kilometers.
Her muscles were burning, her lungs were on fire from the cold morning air, but Natalie didn’t care. This is what she lived for, this made her feel good. A run was almost better than sex, depending on who she was fucking. She pushed her body to the limit every time she tested her endurance.
She had to. There was no other choice.
The sun was nearly up by the time they slowed back down to a jog, both of their chests heaving with exertion. Sweat dripped down her back and between her breasts, running down her legs and coating her blonde hair, but she paid it no heed. It was part of the game.
“Look, I know it’s a big deal,” Colin started the conversation back up, sneaking a glance over at the spitfire at his side. “You don’t want to lose the case, I get it.”
“It’s more than that,” she retorted. “It’s... the world is so fucking sexist, it’s unreal. There aren’t that many female Aurors in the MLE, and I have to work ten times as hard to be accepted as ‘one of the boys.’ They see a woman, they see a pair of legs, not a badge. I’ve got a partner who can’t stand me half the time, a paper-thin case, and if I botch this up? It’s fucking cold cases and accidental magic incidents for me for the foreseeable future.”
They stopped, and Colin reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. “Nat, listen. You’re a good cop-”
“Auror.”
“Whatever. Point is, you’ve got instincts. And they’re damned good ones. Yeah, you can be a bitch sometimes, but that’s what makes you so good. If those pricks in your department can’t handle the fact that a woman is better than them, then fuck ‘em. It doesn’t matter if they can handle it or not, because it’s the truth.”
Natalie sighed, pushing her sweaty bangs back from her forehead. “Colin, s’not that simple-”
“Like hell it isn’t.” Her older brother was rarely serious about anything other than rugby, but she recognized the look in his eyes when she saw it. He was serious now. “Look, I can’t pretend to understand that world. It goes against everything I know. But I do know that your partner is lucky to have you watching his back, and if he doesn’t know that, then he’s a bloody fool.”
“He’s a member of the peerage.”
“Well, that makes it official, then.”
She snorted, half-amused as she thought of Finchy’s expressions if he knew they were talking about him. “He’s not so bad, some of the time. Just got a bit too much starch in his underpants.”
“And you’ve got none, so I’m sure you balance each other out.” Finally stopping to take a pause, Colin inhaled and exhaled deeply before speaking again. “You can win this case, Nat. You’re a damned good cop- Auror- whatever you call yourself, and we all know it. You’re just like Dad.”
Despite it, Natalie felt a bit of color rise in her already-pink cheeks. Growing up, her dad had been her hero. MI-6, one of the best in the service.
She’d wanted to be him when she grew up.
“And just like Dad, I know you won’t stop until you win. Or until you beat the living shit out of someone.”
Unconsciously, she smiled a bit at that. “You wanna be first to test that?”
Colin snorted and slung his arm around her shoulder. “I might have had a few concussions in my day, little sister, but I’m not that brain damaged.”
“That can always been remedied...”
Laughing, he ruffled her already mussed hair, dodging when she swung her free hand out towards him. “Come on, my fierce lion-killing sister. You’ve got a bit more time before you’ve got to put the ball and chain back on, let me buy you breakfast.”
“S’least you can do, you ass.”
Summary: Natalie and her brother go for a run and discuss things.