SWIMMINGGEDDON.

[wwistful]

WHO: Murdoc Donoghue and YOU
TONE: Fun, WHIMSICAL, horrifying
RATING: PG-13 and onward
WHEN: September 7th
WHERE:  The Lake.
WHAT:  After this Murdoc realised the children (and staff) of Hogwarts were in dire need of swimming lessons.
STATUS: Ongoing

[GATHER AROUND CHILDREN it's a warm summer day and the lake is perfect for diving into your sudden but inevitable deaths. You should all be dressed in your swimming trunks (which you clearly have don't even lie) because Murdoc sure is. He's determined to conduct this in the best manner he can, though he wasn't quite expecting the turn out to be so large. People who can swim are welcome to become his assistants because he could probably use the help.]

Comments

[wwistful]

[Murdoc had been waiting for Eridan to arrive for some time. He'd been idly watching the outskirts of the lake, waiting to see the familiar freckled face appear, but he'd been far too busy to actually get up and search.

He supposes the offer to join him had been forgotten, or that he had better things to do than come watch his father swimming about like an idiot. He still can't help being a little worried.

So when he does catch him out of the corner of his eye, sitting on the outskirts instead of joining, he wonders how long he'd been sitting there. Paddling to the edge of the lake, not close enough to get a proper look at his face, he calls out to him]

Eridan! C'mere!

[wwhatevver]

[Ooh, spotted. Eridan might have flinched when he heard his name, quickly trying to make it look as if he were just spacing out and didn't hear his father at first. He turns a hair to him and raises an arm, already trying to stand.]

Ah... Comin'.

[Oh. This is a bad idea already.

When he stands up, he tries not to make his limp as visible as it could be, even though oh god that hurt worse. In fact, he doesn't make it the entire way, settling for a few feet from the shoreline.

Yeah, he's going to be somewhat stubborn.]

[wwistful]

[Yeah, you can't hide that much of a limp, boy. Murdoc stares for a moment before scrambling out of the lake and meeting him halfway.

A hand goes straight for his chin, tilting his head gently to the side as he leans in to inspect the injuries with a very worried expression.]

Have you been fightin'?

[wwhatevver]

[Oh boy. This is exactly what he didn't want to happen, even though he knew for a fact that was going to happen. Even when his father comes near and tilts his head by his chin, he can't help but wince a little from the reach. Or maybe he was blinking or something. Who knows.]

Maybe. [Eridan knows that lie isn't going to work at all, and he decides to add to it, hoping that would help the situation.] I wasn't ewen pickin' for one.

[wwistful]

[Welp, he was going to find out eventually, better now than later. Maybe. He's inspecting every single bruise with a furrowed brow.]

Maybe!? [He makes an exasperated noise.] With who?

[wwhatevver]

[Here we go... This was everything he was expecting to happen. He stays quiet for a moment, looking away with his uninjured eye, before looking back. His voice lowers, because obviously this is really embarrassing for him to admit, especially to his father.]

I. Yeah, alright, I was fightin'. I got into a fight with Wris. [His pride hurts now. Ow.]

[wwistful]

[Murdoc narrows his eyes briefly. He could snap at him or get angry, but he's certainly been that pathetic young man covered in bruises thanks to a girl before. He scowls at him before nodding at another teacher, indicating that he'll need to take over.]

C'mon, we're goin' to the nurse.

[wwhatevver]

[That eye narrow gets him, but his response is to look away, right towards the ground. Here comes the guilt His gaze fixes on the ground until he's called to follow. Oh boy. Without saying a word, he looks up a little bit more, then starts walking.

He figures whatever he wants to say won't make this situation better or worse right now. ]

[wwistful]

Can you walk alright on that leg?

[wwhatevver]

[He looks over at Murdoc and then slows his pace for a moment to glance down at his leg.]

I'm fine, I got down here from the castle just fine, an' I can go back up to it just fine.

[wwistful]

[He is so very tempted to clip him behind the ears for being an idiot, but he refrains.]

You sure you don't need a lift?

[wwhatevver]

[Good, because he doesn't want that.]

I... I'm fine, but I won't stop you if you want to or somethin' like that.

[Translation: Yeah, I'd like the help I'm sore as hell.]

[wwistful]

[The loudest sigh. He's going to crouch down in front of Eridan.]

C'mon, up you get.

[wwhatevver]

[That sigh gets an eyeroll, but on the inside he's so glad he's doing this. He climbs right onto him, draping his arms over his shoulders like a coat or something because god he doesn't want to do anything anymore.]

I hawen't done this in a while, huh? [...] I mean... gettin' a ride not... y'know.

[wwistful]

You haven't done anything incredibly stupid in a while, obviously. [Sorry Eridan, he snips because he loves.

There's a long pause as he trudges along, he's actually finding the warmth of Eridan comforting considering how little he's wearing. He's sure the nurses will enjoy it.]

Please tell me she started it.

[wwhatevver]

[All that he's getting from that is a loud huff. He stays quiet for the most part, idly looking around. Whenever Murdoc finally spoke again, Eridan replied with a real snide attitude.]

A course she did. We might not -obwiously- like each other, but I'm not gonna throw the first punch to a girl.

[wwistful]

[He's going to huff right back. Two can play at that game, boy.]

What exactly IS IT that started the fight? You didn't run your mouth, did you?

[wwhatevver]

[MORE HUFFS.]

I said what I had to. I told her to watch where she was goin' and she showed me into a wall and it just escalated real quick as soon as she did that.

[wwistful]

[He hums thoughtfully.]

Should I talk to her?

[wwhatevver]

[He actually puts a little bit of thought into his answer, coming out with a big---]

No.

[wwistful]

Somethin' is goin' to have to come of it, you know that, lad.

Maybe I should talk to Miss Matteris.

[wwhatevver]

I know. I know... I know. I just.

[And there he goes, burying his face and draping himself more.]

Ewerythin' hurts.

[wwistful]

It'll work out. An' when you heal, I'll teach you how to fight properly.

[He jostles Eridan gently.]

Nearly there.

[wwhatevver]

I know how to fight, she just kicked the crap outta me and wouldn't stop after I was on the ground. She's dangerous as hell.

[Yep well he's just going to settle down again closing his eyes for the rest of the walk, because honestly he finds this all really comforting. He grows silent for a few minutes before he realizes something, mentally smacking himself for it. ]

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a new pair of glasses.

[wwistful]

An' you're positive you did nothin' to spark this violence? You didn't say anythin or do anythin' stupid? She just started hittin' you?

[And he's perfectly okay with this, though he can feel his back twinging ever so slightly.]

Can't fix the ones you have?