Post by Damien Lennox S7 on Jan 29, 2010 19:30:13 GMT
With an almost impatient sigh, Damien crouched to be at the same eyelevel as his seven year old cousin. His gaze was steady, unwavering even under the miserable pressure of Cynthia’s teary-eyed stare. She clearly wasn’t having any effect on him so, just as he had taught her, Cyn pushed her lower lip into a pout, glancing at him through lowered lashes hopefully. Cheeky kid. He loved her anyway, or maybe because of that. Cyn was just a little version of Carlin, all the charm but none of the experience all wrapped up in one compact package. For that reason and because he loved her anyway, Damien opened his arms, huffing as all the oxygen got knocked out of him from Cyn’s body crashing into his chest. Suddenly very aware that he was going to topple backwards, Damien slammed one hand on the ground behind him, scraping the skin on the his palm but keeping both him and Cyn, still desperately nestled against him, safely upright. “Cyn...” Still keeping his right hand on the ground to keep them both stable, Damien disentangled his left arm from his cousin’s tight grasp to run a hand over her hair coaxingly. “Sweetheart, you can see me next month. I promise. It hasn’t even been that long since Christmas. Now come on. Pull yourself together. We can’t have Carlin feeling left out because her little sister loves me best, right?”
Paying little attention to Cyn’s mumbled whining that she didn’t want to leave because she apparently never got to see the two of them, which was decidedly untrue though Damien did smile slightly to hear himself being referred to as her brother, Carlin detached her sister from her cousin with ruthless efficiency. He had been right hen, Damien noted with no small amount of amusement. Carlin was jealous, extremely so if the painfully dark smirk she was sporting gave any indication. All these years and she still wasn’t used to sharing her little sister with him. He’d make it up to her somehow; he always did. It never mattered what the offence was, Carlin always forgave him. Perhaps he would get her that bracelet that she had been eyeing in that jewellery shop that he could never remember the name of. It was a costly way to apologise for something that wasn’t even his fault but, well, Carlin’s tastes ran to the expensively understated. She didn’t flaunt her wealth and, normally, neither did Damien. As he plucked the parchment from his older brother’s pocket though, it seemed that one trend in his life had ceased to exist. Without full knowledge of the situation, Colin was giving up a reservation that he had made three months in advance for the newest round of Damien’s and Carlin’s secret game. It was nearly enough to make Damien feel guilty for essentially deceiving his brother. He and Colin had always been closer than Damien had ever been to either Alexander or Bryony; they were closer in age so while their two older siblings had been off at Hogwarts, Colin had taken it upon himself to amuse and entertain his baby brother whenever he had some time to spare. They weren’t as close as they had been during their childhood though. It was mostly Damien’s fault since he spent so little time with his parents and siblings, but Colin could try to make the effort too. Damien wasn’t going to shoulder all of the blame for the weakness of their brotherly feelings towards each other. “I swear I’ll pay you back for this. Somehow. You can call in the debt whenever, Col.”
There wasn’t anything left for them to say after exchanging pleasantries and Damien extracting what he needed from his brother so, after a few moments of awkward glances and nearly attempted conversation, Damien sauntered away after offering a curt goodbye to the brother he had once felt so close to. It wasn’t a goodbye in the final sense of the word. They were still brothers, they still loved each other in some way and they would still see each other every holiday. They just weren’t what they once had been. Colin’s boyfriend now dominated almost every part of Colin’s mind and heart while Carlin had settled quite comfortably into the spot that Colin had once occupied in Damien’s life. So they weren’t what they had been years ago, they maybe weren’t what they wanted to be; they were still family and that would simply have to be enough.
For reasons that Damien didn’t care to examine under close scrutiny, his wanderings led him to a spot somewhere between Scrivenshaft’s, the quill shop, and that robe shop that Carlin sometimes dragged him to, Gladrags. It didn’t really hold much significance for him, just a few bittersweet memories of fumbling hands and hastily stolen kisses. Someone approached him but Damien didn’t turn around, automatically presuming that it would be Carlin, who, having returned her sister to their parents, naturally sought out Damien for company. “I kissed my first boyfriend for the first time here.” He had also been broken up with in that exact spot by the same boy after two months of dating. Damien hadn’t been inclined to spend his life cowering and hiding who he truly was. His boyfriend hadn’t agreed. So the relationship had ended because neither of them had been willing to compromise. Things like that happened. Damien hadn’t dwelled on it, preferring the route of getting over one person by dating another. Maybe some people didn’t approve but Damien was living proof that his way worked. Carlin had been there for him too so she would be laying a tentative hand on his back or shoulder right about now, rolling her eyes and snapping out an incentive for him to snap out of it. None of that was happening so, obviously, the conclusion was quite clear. He had shared something personal with someone who was most definitely not his cousin. Not that it mattered. Smirking wickedly, Damien turned to face this not-Carlin person, dark eyes habitually flicking up and down the girl’s figure appreciatively. He had his task of winning over Elias until he could coax the boy into bed but that didn’t mean that Damien couldn’t have a little bit of fun while he was waiting for their date. “Would you like to help me make some better memories for this place?” Damien inquired playfully, his flirtatious tone leaving little doubt as to what he had in mind should his offer be accepted.
Paying little attention to Cyn’s mumbled whining that she didn’t want to leave because she apparently never got to see the two of them, which was decidedly untrue though Damien did smile slightly to hear himself being referred to as her brother, Carlin detached her sister from her cousin with ruthless efficiency. He had been right hen, Damien noted with no small amount of amusement. Carlin was jealous, extremely so if the painfully dark smirk she was sporting gave any indication. All these years and she still wasn’t used to sharing her little sister with him. He’d make it up to her somehow; he always did. It never mattered what the offence was, Carlin always forgave him. Perhaps he would get her that bracelet that she had been eyeing in that jewellery shop that he could never remember the name of. It was a costly way to apologise for something that wasn’t even his fault but, well, Carlin’s tastes ran to the expensively understated. She didn’t flaunt her wealth and, normally, neither did Damien. As he plucked the parchment from his older brother’s pocket though, it seemed that one trend in his life had ceased to exist. Without full knowledge of the situation, Colin was giving up a reservation that he had made three months in advance for the newest round of Damien’s and Carlin’s secret game. It was nearly enough to make Damien feel guilty for essentially deceiving his brother. He and Colin had always been closer than Damien had ever been to either Alexander or Bryony; they were closer in age so while their two older siblings had been off at Hogwarts, Colin had taken it upon himself to amuse and entertain his baby brother whenever he had some time to spare. They weren’t as close as they had been during their childhood though. It was mostly Damien’s fault since he spent so little time with his parents and siblings, but Colin could try to make the effort too. Damien wasn’t going to shoulder all of the blame for the weakness of their brotherly feelings towards each other. “I swear I’ll pay you back for this. Somehow. You can call in the debt whenever, Col.”
There wasn’t anything left for them to say after exchanging pleasantries and Damien extracting what he needed from his brother so, after a few moments of awkward glances and nearly attempted conversation, Damien sauntered away after offering a curt goodbye to the brother he had once felt so close to. It wasn’t a goodbye in the final sense of the word. They were still brothers, they still loved each other in some way and they would still see each other every holiday. They just weren’t what they once had been. Colin’s boyfriend now dominated almost every part of Colin’s mind and heart while Carlin had settled quite comfortably into the spot that Colin had once occupied in Damien’s life. So they weren’t what they had been years ago, they maybe weren’t what they wanted to be; they were still family and that would simply have to be enough.
For reasons that Damien didn’t care to examine under close scrutiny, his wanderings led him to a spot somewhere between Scrivenshaft’s, the quill shop, and that robe shop that Carlin sometimes dragged him to, Gladrags. It didn’t really hold much significance for him, just a few bittersweet memories of fumbling hands and hastily stolen kisses. Someone approached him but Damien didn’t turn around, automatically presuming that it would be Carlin, who, having returned her sister to their parents, naturally sought out Damien for company. “I kissed my first boyfriend for the first time here.” He had also been broken up with in that exact spot by the same boy after two months of dating. Damien hadn’t been inclined to spend his life cowering and hiding who he truly was. His boyfriend hadn’t agreed. So the relationship had ended because neither of them had been willing to compromise. Things like that happened. Damien hadn’t dwelled on it, preferring the route of getting over one person by dating another. Maybe some people didn’t approve but Damien was living proof that his way worked. Carlin had been there for him too so she would be laying a tentative hand on his back or shoulder right about now, rolling her eyes and snapping out an incentive for him to snap out of it. None of that was happening so, obviously, the conclusion was quite clear. He had shared something personal with someone who was most definitely not his cousin. Not that it mattered. Smirking wickedly, Damien turned to face this not-Carlin person, dark eyes habitually flicking up and down the girl’s figure appreciatively. He had his task of winning over Elias until he could coax the boy into bed but that didn’t mean that Damien couldn’t have a little bit of fun while he was waiting for their date. “Would you like to help me make some better memories for this place?” Damien inquired playfully, his flirtatious tone leaving little doubt as to what he had in mind should his offer be accepted.
