What Are the Chances? (Dare/Wishons)

[Rhys Moreau]

Rhys had told Matthew already about the situation with his brother, and the man hadn't been too pleased at being told he probably shouldn't tag along for the visit to the family. After a few minutes of discussion, however, Matthew had given in, agreeing that he was unlikely to be able to hold himself under control. That left Rhys trying to decide just how to go about the visit to his parents' house and wondering if it was really a good idea to bring Dare with him. He sat in a booth in the shop, his tablet, a bowl of ice cream, and a text book in front of him, trying to get his mind off of the task for just a little while.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare was already bundled up against cold that had native Londoners eyeing him as he passed. It had nothing to do with his vivid blue hair for once, because he wore his hood up and had his hands jammed into his pockets. At least he didn't complain about the cold anymore. Because he'd learned how to keep warm.

His lips curved into a smile even before he was fully into the shop. "Hey, how are you holding up?" he asked. He didn't know a lot about what was going on, but enough to get him here quickly.

[Rhys Moreau]

Rhys held up his spoon for silence for just a moment as he finished a paragraph and marked his spot with a sticky note. "I'm, ah, holding," he said when he finally looked up at Dare, then gestured for him to join. "I told you my parents replaced me, right? Well, I think the little guy might be a wizard." He mentally shook his head as he once again thought of his poor parents, with their difficult, sinful children.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare let out a low, mild expletive at the news. He pulled out the chair across from Rhys and tested the air before pushing his hood back, though he didn't unzip just yet. "What makes you think that?" he asked. And what did it mean? Dare didn't think Rhys's parents should be allowed near children, good intentions or no, but he wouldn't say that just now.

[Rhys Moreau]

"I went with Hyacinth to this Catholic church on Sunday, the priest is a squib, I think," Rhys said. "A couple of people there recognized my name and this one woman came up to me and asked if I knew what was up with my brother. She said that apparently things move when he's around and that he's woken up with different hair. If it's true, he's either possessed or a wizard, and I don't really believe in possession." He hadn't believed in magic a couple of years ago, either, but that was beside the point.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

"Yeah, me neither," Dare said. "That kind of stuff happens a lot with kids. The twins..." He closed his eyes briefly. "Terrible twos," he said. "I caught them trying to hover Elouai over a baby gate when she wouldn't jump it to fetch something for them. At least, that's what it looked like..." Elouai had been panting away as happy as could be.

[Rhys Moreau]

Rhys raised an eyebrow at that. "Did you people ever consider that children with magical powers is kind of terrifying?" He could only imagine some grumpy little kid not getting his way and retaliating with dangerous magic, though from what he'd heard they only had partial control over the magic before getting a wand. "I can only imagine what my parents think of it all."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

"Luckily we've got magic too," Dare said. "We put some good spells on the overpass so no one gets hovered over and dropped, and we keep our eye on them, same as any parents. Besides, purposeful magic is hit and miss. It's usually accidents like exploding the banana when they can't get the peel down." Normal kid stuff.

[Rhys Moreau]

"It makes me happy to know my brother may have exploded a banana in front of my parents," Rhys said. Just the thought of banana all over the always impeccably clean kitchen gave him some sadistic pleasure. "Is it bad that I'm really kind of looking forward to the looks on their faces when I tell them that not only did they raise a gay, but that they also raised a wizard?"

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare shook his head. "Nope. I've been learning German and they have this word schadenfreude that means taking pleasure in other people's misery. So like, perfectly normal." German wasn't the prettiest language he'd ever heard, but it was fun trying to figure out how to make the sounds right.

[Rhys Moreau]

"Well, that's good to know," Rhys said once he'd finished a large spoonful of ice cream. "I'm going to go see them soon. Matthew wanted to come with me, but I convinced him that that probably wouldn't be the best idea. I was thinking of asking if you would come with me to back me up, you know more about magic than I do."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare nodded. "Yeah, I'd do that," he said. He was a little curious, considering all he knew about things, and was fairly certain he could behave himself. "Don't think your parents deserve a good caning?" If Matthew went, it would be a circus. The guy was protective, Dare had gotten that the first time they'd met, and though he'd developed an ability to hold back, everyone had a breaking point. Abuse, however unintended, of a loved one, was way past that point.

[Rhys Moreau]

"If it didn't involve someone else, I'd be much more likely to bring Matthew." Rhys needed his parents to trust him and let him talk to them, which wouldn't happen if Matthew came and lost his temper. "I'm sure he has plenty of things he wants to say that they fully deserve to hear, but thanks for saying you'll come."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare nodded. "So I'm guessing I ought to look respectable then," he said. "Play it straight or something." He could just go to support Rhys. He could talk about magic if needed. He'd done well enough explaining things to Rhys when he needed it.

[Rhys Moreau]

"At least my parents don't have magic, they can't hex you or something if you show up wearing rainbows in your hair," Rhys reasoned. "I was hoping to visit in the next couple of days, I don't want to waste too much time." He knew what his parents were capable of in their attempts to do right by their children.