thattimeofthemonth | Open RP Post

Jake gave him one of those big, warm smiles before he took a drink of tea, realizing this wasn't a great topic of conversation but maybe it had to be done. "...Look, I know it sounds wrong and all but... maybe you should pack up a bag and bring it over? Just in case-- I had to leave with nothing. I was wearing clothes and had my phone but that was it. I couldn't even go back for better trainers."

He gave a nod, but didn't say anything. He understood what Jake meant. He didn't trust himself to speak at this point. He held his cup of tea to hide his shaking hands. It was better be safe to be prepared then have nothing. He might still have the Lupins as someone to rely on, but even then he wasn't too sure. Not to mention they had already helped him enough.

"I'm sorry," Jake murmured after a few bites, sighing quietly before he sipped his tea. "I didn't mean to make this morning, or you... sad." He brushed hair back from his face, shoving back some of the strands even though they fell right back into place. "I won't bring it up again. Instead..."

Another topic, another topic, oh! "What about our trip to London, mmm?"

"Don't worry about it...it was a topic that eventually needed to be discussed," Draco quietly replied.

The mention of the London trip earned a smile from Draco. "What sites do you want to see?" He asked as he went back to finishing his meal. Despite the serious topic earlier he had managed to make a big dent in his breakfast.

"Everything! I've been there a few times-- have you ever been there?" He imagined Draco must have, but it was giving the other more of a chance to talk about it. "I actually wanted to move there, someday. The bustle of the city, all those places and businesses around. Maybe a chance at a better job?" He grinned at that, knowing his job was shit.

"Yeah, I've been there quite often," Draco replied. "We used to take a lot of trips there. Did a lot of shopping there or saw a show or visited a museum."

This was more going with his mother. His father usually had various meetings to attend to on those little trips. Draco never knew what those meetings were for back then, but now he had a few ideas of what they had been about. These trips usually were right around when he left or returned from school.

"Shows? Oh! What sort of shows have you seen there?" Jake was now very curious, considering some of the best productions in the world were based in or came to London. Also something he might not have imagined, considering the way Draco's family seemed to be. "I got to see Les Mis with my mum and dad years ago there. It was really good!"

"I've seen that and a few others. My mother liked to drag me to various operas as well. I had no clue what was being said." Draco replied in an amused tone. "My father tended to avoid going to them."

This was all due to the fact that most of these shows were all Muggle based and there had been arguments about attending them. It was one of the few things that his mother appreciated from the Muggle world and felt that her son should have some exposure to it.

Jake's nose wrinkled and he shook his head. "Never had any interest in operas. I don't know if anyone who doesn't understand the original language does; they're just faking it." It was in a joking tone, though. "So your mum is the cultured one?"

He gave a laugh. "If I had my say I wouldn't have gone to them. I would say it's safe to say that my mother is the more cultured one. My father's all about music...but he's more close minded on things. I've noticed as well that where my mother tends to be close minded he's more open to. In a sense they tend to balance each other out."

"Mmm." A little sound of agreement. "I've always heard those are some of the strongest relationships though, so I don't think it's a bad thing. That whole 'opposites attract' thing, right?" He smiled and took another bite, then offered up in return, "my parents... they're a real odd couple. Dad was a lawyer, really hard nosed and all that, then he found my mom and they just sort of fell in love like a story book, from everything I knew. But he changed her as time went on and now she's as hard edged as him. Couldn't stand the idea of their perfect son being so flawed as to be gay, huh?" He shook his head with a smirk. "He was happier when I was on the soccer team and he could show me off."

He placed a hand around Jake's hand. "I don't think anyone can be perfect... No matter how much we try. I know I was always struggling to gain my father's approval with everything I did. It was like everything I did was never good enough. I had to be better. Even if it was my best."

He paused a bit before asking the next question. Unsure if it was a good question to ask or not. "What was your mother like?"

Jake's smile when Draco touched his hand could have lit up the room. "I feel you on that. I made him proud in every other way, you know? Good grades, soccer team, behaved... didn't matter in the end, though."

But he thought back, trying to remember when he was younger. "...before he started to twist her more, we had a good relationship. She came to all of my soccer games, helped tutor me in English when I was having trouble, helped run the school parent society... But as time went on it just got worse and worse." He shrugged. No big deal, even if it was.

"My grandmother... she's something else. You'd like her."

It had been a little more daring for Draco, but he noted the smile. Seeing that particular smile made it worth it. His parents had always been more quite of showing their love and support to one another. This was a little more open something his parents wouldn't have approved of. Even if it was still subtle.

Seemed like something forced her to change. All he could do was assume as he remembered when his own parents had almost split. "Have you ever thought about reaching out to them again?" he hesitantly asked.

He was ever so curious about this grandmother. Draco had a few ideas of what she could be from what Jake had described. "Maybe someday we can arrange to meet?"

At the mention of reaching out to his parents, Jake looked off to the side, his fork tapping slowly on the side of his plate as he tried to figure out what to say to that. A small sigh before he looked back to Draco. "I... don't know if it's the right time or not. They haven't contacted me or anything since I left. Not an email or a text or a call. They wouldn't even talk to my sister about me."

He shrugged, but it was obvious how much that shrug hurt. "I would love for you two to meet. When we go into London, would you like to? It'd be a bus ride out there but it's only about thirty minutes out to her."

He gave a small frown. "Sorry to hear about that." Noting that shrug, Draco gave Jake's hand a squeeze. He had realized then that his own hand had never left his. Only then then he let his hand go.

"I would like that," he replied. Granted he's never been on the bus before. That would be new.

Jake brightened a little, but some of that light was gone. His parents weren't a great topic. "You'll love her. She has the best house and somehow there are always fresh cookies around." He chuckled at that. "She's a tough old bird."

He gave a small grin. Although, he felt bad for bringing up such a rough topic. "I never knew my grandparents. Both sides of the family were gone by the time I had arrived. Neither of my parents spoke of them. I think we should make seeing your grandmother the first thing we do."

"The whole thing is... strange." Jake's lips thinned as he thought how to explain. "I mean, she isn't really my grandmother, I only call her that. She's mostly a friend of the family but... when my parents started getting weirder and weirder, it was a great place to escape to. I knew my real grandparents but they were old when I was adopted, so I didnt really know-know them and they died before I was even ten."

He gave a nod, recalling this bit of information. "I'm just glad you have her to go to," Draco replied. It was difficult to not have anyone to really rely on. He knew what that was like.

"It didn't sound like my grandparents were that great from the little bit they would reveal. I think that much explained why my parents were always so tough."

"I still wish you could meet my sister." He suddenly perked up though and grinned. "We could Skype her sometime. Means you'd have to try using a computer with me." A little tease. "Alright, I'll send my grandmother a letter tonight to let her know we're coming. She never did get much into the whole of using a phone. Said she never had one through the war."

"Skype?" Draco questioned. All these terms Jake used confused him greatly. Although the mention of the grandmother not using a phone and a war...held his attention. She had to be part of his community. And given her age the war had to be in reference to the first war.

There were Muggle wars, too, Draco! If you had paid attention in Muggle Studies at all...

"It's this brilliant program where you can call someone who also has Skype. You can just use it for a voice call but if one or both of you have a camera you can do a video call, too! Man, if it wasn't so early in the States, I would call Jenn right now."

Muggle studies right that was nap time.

Draco still had a confused expression on his face, but nodded. "I think it'll make more sense when I see everything being done... I'm not too familiar with all the terminology you're using."

Jake waved it off with a quick hand wave. "Don't worry about it. I'll show you one night since I know Jenn will be awake. I'll see if I can get her before we go to London though she does have a lot of classes." It was clear from his tone he missed his sister.

He scooped up the last of his beans and leaned back with a groan. "That was good."

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