April 23: Hey, Brother: At Roddy's, With Roddy

[Edgar Bones]

Tonight had been close. Closer than he'd let on to anyone but his team. But to those who knew him, they would just have to take a look to tell - or listen, for that matter. The young father was quiet and still, green eyes clouded as they quickly shifted through images of the mission. The team had made it back to headquarters, making it a successful mission in Edgar's point of view, and they'd gained some information, but had been found out before too long. Found out and chased. Shots fired. Returned. An epic dive behind a statue had saved his skin from something worse than the dislocation he'd gained...

He both loved and hated the work. He was driven to do it, he needed to, but then there were moments of panic just as intense as his need to be involved in the war, moments when he felt the fear he saw in his wife's eyes when he left for a mission. Fear that he wouldn't come back, or that the wards of his home would be breached. Moments when he felt the confusion in his children's eyes - they didn't understand why he left, that he was leaving for them, to make sure they grew up in the world they deserved, not in one where their very existence was threatened by a madman and his cohorts. Confusion about how long he could balance the two halves of his life, the necessarily cold warrior and the huggable father. Edgar Bones hadn't been one for deep thoughts until the first mission he'd come close to dying on, and it wasn't something he was comfortable with. He hid the thoughts as well as he could, overcompensating with his usual loud laughter and stories, but they lingered, coming out in moments like this when he was bone-tired and alone.

He needed to not be alone.

But he couldn't yet go home. Phoebe got freaked out if he came back all bloodied, he'd learned that quickly. So he stood outside of his younger brother's door, his left shoulder on fire - definitely dislocated, felt even more awful than when it'd happened during a match back in the day - and the nerves of the arm firing painfully, sporadically. Ed was trained in emergency field medicine, as they all were, and usually tended to injuries himself; the lacerations on his hands and cheek were stinging, and if it wasn't for his shoulder he'd've patched himself up at HQ and gone straight home. But as much as he loved his team, he didn't want any of them popping his shoulder back into place.

That's what he had his Healer-of-a-brother for.

Ed did feel, at times, that he overstepped on his badger brother's kindness - not that he'd ever admit it. But the Order was strict, and they couldn't seek medical attention from anyone - or anywhere - that would draw attention. And Roddy knew to be discreet. So he'd been fixing up Order members for quite some time now, knowing not to ask questions or speak of the incidents. He was a good kid - a good man - and they owed him big.

Pay you back one of these days, Rod.

He took a breath, trying to shake the events of the mission off, trying to sound like himself when he spoke. "Oi - Rod - you home, mate?" Ed banged on his brother's door with the back of his right hand, doing his best to be loud enough for the bloke to hear him, but quiet enough to not wake the neighbors. It was edging up on midnight, after all, and "discreet" had belatedly had to become Edgar's middle name. "C'mon," he continued, wincing in pain as his hurt arm swung; he held it to his side with his other, and powered through with a forcibly teasing, "I know you haven't got a girl in - "

[Roderick Bones]

Life had suddenly taken an interesting turn. He'd been out of school for a while, was successful in his career. He had a family that loved him, with their own careers in progress. He had the cutest nieces and nephews that were excited to see him. There was very little going wrong for him right now in life. Especially these past few days. He'd attended a lovely gathering thrown by one of his best mates, and he'd run into a girl who back in school he never thought of as anything more than a little sister.

But she wasn't little anymore. She was strikingly beautiful, incredibly smart, and Roderick was drawn to her like moth to a lamp. He couldn't explain it, but he was overjoyed that she had accepted his offer to take her on a date tomorrow night.

Settling into his couch, he closed his eyes and listened to the hum of his muggle refrigerator, letting himself doze off when the sound of a knock on his door startled him awake. Grabbing his wand, he stood and stared at the door for a few moments, trying to wake himself up so he could figure out who was here. He had protective spells over his flat, of course, but unexpected visitors weren't uncommon.

His brain finally connected the voice teasing him to his brother, and he gave a sigh of relief before crossing the room to yank open the door. "Hey know how do you-" Taking in Edgar's appearance, his voice broke mid sentence. This wasn't the first time his older brother had shown up, but it still stabbed his heart every single time. He took a step back, allowing his brother in before he checked the hallway to make sure any of his neighbors weren't getting nosy.

"Rough night," he mumbled, fiddling his wand in his hand nervously as he took in his brother's appearance. Cuts on his hands and face, those would be simple to patch up. But Edgar wouldn't have shown up on his doorstep for something as simple as cuts and bruises. "What do you need?"

[Edgar Bones]

Thankfully, Rod was shortly at the door, cutting his hopefully-convincing tease off as he did. But his face soon fell before conforming to the careful neutral face of the practiced Healer he was. Ed gave him a wan half-smile, edging inside, hurt arm held to his side in an attempt to move it less. Because since getting away from the scene, each movement had felt like he was being held down and stabbed. He'd had to power through the difficulty breathing that his fall had caused - made the running like hell to apparate without being tracked something that hurt like hell - and now that his adrenaline level was lessening, he could more acutely feel the damage, the spikes of pain shooting down from his shoulder. The most frustrating thing about this was that Edgar Bones had suffered far worse injuries during his life. And they hadn't seemed as bad as the instances he'd had lately. He should be becoming harder, tougher, as time went on, not more sensitive. But watching the new Agents flit about, having so much less - relatively - to lose than he did...not that they didn't take things seriously, but it was different...

Maybe it was all in his head. In moments like these, when he was hurt or had had a close call (tonight was a lucky two-for-one), Ed felt eons older than the twenty-five years he'd lived. He hadn't wanted to wait to have a family, and he loved the kids more than he'd ever thought possible - but the weight of his responsibility to each of his children and to his wife, the responsibility to come home whole and stop the war for them, it was heavy. He and the twins had once been those carefree Agents; even after their Auror training they'd retained their humor and youthfulness, their want to be heroes. But now, not that he'd admit it, Ed just wanted to make it home in one piece. He was just as optimistic about the war coming to an end that suited the Order and his family, just as confident about the role he was playing in bringing about that end - but he didn't have to be the one to destroy Voldemort, in contradiction to what he'd once thought.

His younger brother spoke, and Edgar let out a low chuckle - rough night didn't even begin to cover it, but he hoped Roderick would never fully know the sorts of nights he'd had out with his team. And this was partly why he'd sought his brother out tonight. Having close shaves freaked him out, even though he'd been at this work for years; he needed time to settle himself back, return to "normal" with those who led more "normal" lives before seeing his kids (Ed had broken down in the girls' room after returning from a mission shortly after Cami had come into their lives - he couldn't let that happen again.). Not that Rod wasn't extraordinary - finest bloke you could find - but he didn't have to worry about not making it home after a shift. "Could say that," he said, quirking a strained smile as he leaned against a wall. "I've got to start making calls here that are purely social - can't have you giving me that face whenever you see me. You have better looks, mate." Despite his current thoughts and pain and tiredness - Merlin's beard, you used to stay up days and be fine - his smile stretched, ever determined to keep things as light as humanly possible. Thinking about how his brother was doing was a good way to get back to the Eddie who wasn't preoccupied with missing his kids' train-rides to Hogwarts, so he gave a one-shouldered shrug, nodding to his hurt one after he spoke. "But it's been a while since I've seen you - figured you could catch me up to speed on what's up with you and, if you would be so kind, you could spare some muscle and pop this thing back into place so it can be useful again."

[Roderick Bones]

Edgar eased his way inside the apartment, and Roderick watched each movement with a well trained eye. The cuts were obvious, but it was the not obvious signs that he was looking for. And as much as Rod had wanted to continue with the light hearted joke his brother had been making, his healer instincts simply wouldn't let him. He knew Edgar hated the look on his face, but how was he supposed to react when his brother showed up?

It was different with other agents. He treated them all with the same level of professionalism, but Edgar was his flesh and blood. The older brother that he had always looked up to. He simply couldn't keep a straight face and pretend that the injuries were just all in a day's work. His brother had a family, a wife and kids to go home to. And sure, so did some of the other people who showed up. But he didn't know them on that level, at least most of them. They were names and hushed whispers, healing done in secret.

He watched as Ed leaned against the wall, obviously in pain. Roderick let out a dry chuckle, not surprised that Edgar wasn't pleased at Roderick's steady gaze. Setting down his wand, he moved over to his brother and gently moved him away from the wall, feeling the injured shoulder tenderly. "Well, the ladies seem to love my focused healer face," he joked, cringing as he assessed the damage. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Alright, I'm going to pop it back in. Try not to pass out," Roderick said sternly as he placed his hands on his brother. Best to distract Ed while he did this. "But I'll have you know I do have a date tomorrow night, with a very striking young lady. So perhaps I might have a girl in here...at some point." The loud pop of the bone settling back in place was satisfying, but he was already at the ready with his wand to deal with the pain or anything else Edgar needed.

[Edgar Bones]

"Oh, do they?" Edgar teased back as his brother went to work, nimble fingers and a critical eye determining the damage, his quick mind at the ready even at this late hour to make decisions to help him out. Ed's bright eyes flitted about Roddy's apartment, not wanting to see if his brother was breaking from the healer-face. That would just mean this was worse than he thought, and he didn't want to know that. "Glad to hear it - you should ask one of them out sometime and then you can double with me and Pheebs, I'll be on my best brotherly behavior, I swear it, only talking you up."

At Rodrick's agreement to assist him - and his caution - Ed tried to relax his arm, even though his instinct was to tense up. But that would just make this worse, wouldn't it? He gave a nod, leaning into his brother's grip with trust. "I never try to pass out, think that'll cut it?" But before Rod went to work, he was letting Edgar in on some very intriguing news, which brought a genuine smile to the bloke. "That's wicked, you've got to tell me - " His words were cut off as Rodrick abruptly popped his shoulder back into place, leaving him swallowing a yelp.

A stern mantra of worse-before-better replayed in his mind as he gingerly tested his mobility, grimacing tightly through a few rotations of his arm, mouth clamped shut. He wasn't the most subtle of individuals, unused to holding in things like this - but he knew cursing up a storm at the pain wouldn't help things here. It'd only make Roddy worry more, and he'd be fine, right? "What d'you think, Healer Bones?" he asked with a thin smile. "Out of commission - " not that Albus would take this as an excuse "or still in fighting shape? And what I was saying - tell me all about her. And while you're at it - do you have anything to drink?" He gave the other Bones a wider smile, wanting to make the most of their time. Because Edgar didn't know how his brother hadn't found his Phoebe yet - all burly but with those kind eyes? The girls should be fighting to go out with him! And yet Ed didn't know the last time the lad had been out on a date!

[Roderick Bones]

"That's a tempting offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. Afraid those girls aren't really my type," Roderick retorted to Ed. Sure, the gals at the hospital and those that came through where nice enough, but he was looking for the one. He loved what Phoebe and his brother had, and he craved it for himself. Which was what made the fact he had asked Ava MacDougal out even more confusing in his own brain, seeing as she was still in school.

But even with Ed's joking, Roderick wasn't surprised at the silence that came after his shoulder was popped back into place. He watched carefully as Ed moved his arm around, well aware that if it was still bothering him there wouldn't be much more talk of it. Muttering under his breath, he fixed up the cuts and bruises that Ed still had before placing his wand down. "Wish I could say you are out of comission, you know I'd rather you not risk your neck. But I think you'll be just fine."

Heading into his kitchen, he grabbed two beers from the fridge and handed one across the counter to his brother. "Just don't forget to wash the blood off before you go home to Pheebs," he added as a gentle reminder as he propped himself up with his elbows. "You know Ludo's friend Liam? Well he's got a younger sister, pretty as can be. And I asked her out."

[Edgar Bones]

The Agent was grateful for his brother's quiet help, although the air was tense around Roderick as he tended to his wounds. Ed knew that his family wanted him to stop this work, even though usually they kept those opinions to themselves, and there were days when he felt he wholeheartedly agreed with them. But then...

He'd made vows to the organization shortly before he'd made similar vows to his wife. To honor, protect, and serve. To never betray trust. To give his life if need be.

And although he knew he could physically walk away from the Order - give Albus his two week's, as it were - Ed knew that leaving wouldn't be simple on his end. Some plucky young agent would take his place, Fab and Gid would make another work mate (not as great as himself, of course, but they'd make due), and the Order could go on without him. But as long as the war was on, he knew in his gut he couldn't in good conscience part from the work. He was driven, he was determined, and he was talented. He was loyal. He couldn't let his team fight without him, not when he could help keep them safe, not when he could help keep them successful.

So when Roddy confirmed that he'd recover without delay, Ed simply gave a nod. "Thanks, mate," he said, giving the other Bones a half-smile. He stopped fussing with his arm, that not seeming to do any good, and sent a silent prayer up to anyone who was listening in the hopes he'd be able to catch some sleep tonight even with the irritation.

"Will do," Edgar said at the reminder, making a face as he followed his brother into the kitchen. He hitched the end of his sleeve up onto the heel of his hand, blindly dabbing at the sore bits of his face. He'd clean up properly before leaving, but this would do for now. "She likes me showing up like this just about as much as you do. We're nearly there, though. Nearly there." Although he spoke tiredly, as if he was convincing himself of the thought, they had to be nearly to the end of all of this. They just had to be. In the years he'd been involved - essentially the whole of his adult life - they had made such headway. Civilians saw reason, it wasn't like there was an abundance of the dark forces, an abundance of silent supporters. They just had to cut off the head, and the body of the organization would fall to bits, the survivors would live out their days in Azkaban, and they could move on.

Very importantly, he could stop showing up at his brother's - or his own - home in the dead of night with injuries he didn't want to explain.

It was a lovely idea.

And soon to be a reality, was Ed's silent, determined, toast as he took the offered can, cracking it open as Roddy started to open up about this girl. He took a drink and leaned against the countertop across from the bloke, a small smirk toying with his lips as he heard his brother speak. Merlin, but the lad was excited about this girl, Ed could already tell. He'd be home soon - he needed this update. "Good for you, mate, glad she agreed. Ane Liam's another Wasps bloke, yeah? I think I remember him, MacSomething? 'Pretty' is a good start," Ed said, his smirk widening, "but you can do better than that. What is it about her? How'd you even meet?" He took a longer drink as he waited for his brother's response, curiosity quite piqued. Had Rod been attending matches or something and met the girl? Because she was younger, apparently, so they'd likely not been close during school, and if they had Ed hoped his own memory wouldn't be so horrible to not even be able to picture her.

[Roderick Bones]

Edgar would leave the Order just as soon as Roderick would quit being a healer. They both knew that it simply wasn't an option. And really, Roderick was proud of his older brother, but it didn't mean he didn't worry. They all did, particularly Phoebe. Roderick had grown closer to his sister-in-law after she learned about their world, and she wasn't dumb enough to think that Edgar always came home unscathed. Roderick, however, only let her in on the small details when she asked. There was no need to worry her anymore than she already worried about her husband,

He gave a chuckle at Edgar's reply, knowing full well there had been at least one or two times where Edgar forgot to wash off the evidence of his night. He'd heard all about it from the both of them, and it was highly entertaining listening to two sides of the same story. "Oh trust me, I've heard it from her. She's given me an earful when you come home and look banged up, giving me sh*t about doing my job correctly," he replied with a grin. Phoebe was a feisty one, and it was what his brother needed. Especially during such dark times.

But what could he really say about Ava that would do her justice? He had plenty of words to use, but none of them matched her beauty the way he wanted to describe it. "Yea, the Wasp's bloke. One of Ludovic's best friends - although I didn't bother to mention to him that I fancy his sister," Roderick said slowly. He knew the age difference wasn't honestly that bad, but he doubted older brothers would look at it like that. "And she's more than pretty. Stunning, gorgeous. I don't have the proper words to describe how it felt to see her. Fiery red hair, sparkling eyes. Pretty sure I've met my match Ed." He paused to take a sip of his drink, trying to figure out his next words. "We were in school together for a while, she's in her 7th year now. Looked after her when I could, we talked a lot but we sort of drifted apart after I graduated."

[Edgar Bones]

Ed had to laugh - and gratefully did - when Roddy described his wife giving the other hell. He could just picture Pheebs ripping Roddy a new one - gotta get home soon. "That's my girl," he said affectionately, giving his brother a shrug of well-you-can't-expect-me-to-stop-her. The day he stopped defending her was the day she'd stop defending him, and 1) that was never going to happen and 2) he loved her all the more for hearing this. Although he would have to assure her that Roddy did the best that he could, and sometimes he wasn't the easiest patient. Ed hid a yawn in his shoulder as he followed his brother into the kitchen; although he didn't exactly know the time, he knew it was late, that Pheebs and the kids could be up worrying...almost have your head on straight, then you can go home. He needed to put the anxiety of the night behind him before checking on the kids and slipping into bed with his wife. If not, he knew from experience there would be no sleep to be had. A distraction in the form of something actually happening in his brother's love life was grand for now, and he'd be able to give Phoebe a fun report. And so he drank, grinning into his beer at Roddy's failure to enlighten the Wasps bloke of his attraction - as older brothers to a beautiful girl themselves, Ed knew he and Rod would be just as, if not more, protective of their Amelia than this Quidditch player would of his own.

It was great, watching his brother search for the words to aptly describe this girl, and as he went on...Ed couldn't stop his look of surprise at hearing her age. His Hogwarts years seemed like a lifetime ago, and in many ways they were. He and Phoebe had been kids in love, and now they were married, with children, a house, and a dog. He was a fully fledged Auror working as an Agent for the Order of the Phoenix. Thinking of being with someone who was still a student when he had experienced many facets of the world - even at Roddy's age he'd experienced so much - wasn't something he could properly conceptualize. If he wasn't so exhausted, he knew he would've been able to cover his shock better, but as it was...

"She caught you by surprise, then?" Ed said, trying to spin this to all good things in his mind, as his brother deserved all good things, and that included his excitement about him finally having feelings for someone. He pulled on his own history of falling so quickly for Pheebs as he went on, shock abating a bit with the more than fond memories of their teenage summers. "That's amazing you think you've found her - amazing. Think you're gonna be all right with her at school a while more yet though? Letters are shite compared to the real thing, I can tell you that much."

[Roderick Bones]

Roderick appreciated his brother's laugh, knowing all too well that Edgar knew exactly what rage he was referring to. Ed had been on the receiving end of Phoebe's angry plenty of times, and good lord for such a small muggle she could be downright terrifying. But sometimes - although Roderick would never admit this - he thought Ed needed it. Get Ed out of his own head a bit, force him back into reality.

But a conversation over beers between the two of them was long over due, and Roderick was glad he could finally tell someone about Ava, other than just the passing mention of yes, he was seeing someone. But he didn't miss the surprise on Edgar's face when he mentioned exactly how old she was. Sure, it seemed worse than it was because they were still in school. But it was actually only a few years, nothing as dramatic as it might seem.

He gave a nod to Edgar's question, "Surprise would certain be a good word for it. And I'm not overly concerned, letter's aren't as great as getting to see her. But she's only got a month left, and then things will be easier, you know?" He took a sip of his drink, trying to convince himself that the time spent apart wouldn't be the worst. "Besides, it's easier for me to get time off work than it is for you."

[Edgar Bones]

"Well - yeah - don't have to brag, Rod," Ed said with as much of a tease as he could muster at this wee hour. "What's her name, then? Or are you keen to keep her a total mystery?" He finished his beer and toyed with the empty bottle as he considered the bloke across from him, hopeful that his brother was right, that the time apart would go fast for him and this girl. Because obviously their date tomorrow would go well - he'd never seen Roddy so smitten, and the two hadn't even been on a date yet! Roddy had a good gut, and Ed trusted it on most days - if Rod thought this girl was it, there was a very high probability that she was.

Ed checked his watch, paling minutely at seeing the time, and slid his empty bottle towards his brother at the other's gesture. "I'd better get home," he said, moving to wet a clean towel and eye his reflection in the window to clean up his face better as he went on. "But gimme a few more details to tell Pheebs, yeah? She's gonna be just as psyched as I am that you're going on a date." He grinned at his brother through his reflection. "What's your plan?"

[Roderick Bones]

Roderick smirked at his older brother, amused by the conversation. Edgar and Phoebe had never had it easy, with Edgar being gone so far and having to keep secrets. But they had been together for so long, made it past all of the hard times together and now they had three wonderful children. It was the kind of love story he wanted for himself, and he really did hope that he had finally found that person. "Her name is Ava," Roderick finally answered. Edgar could do his research and figure it out, so there was no point in keeping her name a secret.

He finished his drink as he watched Edgar check his watch, catching the bottle that Ed slid towards him. He moved to toss them as he watched his brother attempt to clean himself up some more. "You remember that little Italian place in the muggle village by Hogsmeade Mum used to take us to? I figured there would be a good place, close to the school and all." As he watched his brother, he grabbed his wand to help close some of the cuts that were being revealed. "But I'll tell you more once I actually get to take her out, that's all you're getting out of me for now."

[Edgar Bones]

While patience wasn't his strongest strength, being the oldest child in his family and having little ones of his own now had had some effect on his inherent personality - enough of an effect that he could just give his brother a look to get on with it instead of groan with impatience at the other Bones' reluctance to let out the girl's name. And when he did - tenderly stretching out the syllables - Ed had to grin. "Sounds like a right gem," he said, glad to know both for himself and for the fact his wife would knock him over the head for leaving without finding out this detail. The Agent was soon getting to work on making his face seem a bit fresher and less - ah - gory, nodding along as Roderick started telling him about his plan. He winced from time to time as Rod helped him heal, and gave him a bit of an accusatory look as that reluctance reared its head again.

"I've got a rather good track record for dates, could help if you'd give me more than that," he said, but laughed tiredly as he wiped his face once more. That was as good as things were going to get, the full extent of his exhaustion was threatening, looming, and he had to get home before then. "Not getting out of telling me about how it goes now that I know," Ed warned, as every big brother should. "I'm sure it'll be great - owl me anyway though, eh?" He clapped his brother on the shoulder, his thanks for everything clear in his eye. What we'd do without you...

"Get some sleep - I promise to not barge in tomorrow night." With a teasing waggle of his brows, Edgar set off to the apparition point, very much ready to collapse into bed.

[Roderick Bones]

The look Edgar give him said enough, and Roderick finally let the beans spill as he continued to tend to his brother's injuries. He didn't really want to talk about her - at least not yet. Because while he could gush about Ava for a while, this was the first person he had really asked out since things had ended between him and Charity. He didn't want to get his hopes up, and he didn't want his family getting their hopes up either. Quite frankly, he didn't want anyone else knowing until things were more official. It was one date, and perhaps it wouldn't even go well. He had no idea of knowing. Roderick gave a roll of his eyes, as they both knew full well that was the end of the conversation about Ava. Roderick sighed before giving his brother a grin as Ed clapped him on the shoulder, nodding along as they walked towards the door. "Yeah yeah, I'll let you know how it goes. You get some sleep as well - tell the family I said hello. Stay safe, Ed." And with that he shut the door behind his brother and headed to bed.