Open Try not to think about it

[Robert Kain]

Rob didn't like the fact he was now a father. That meant that not only did he have some responsibility for a small child that could do nothing for itself beyond cry, but he also now had to make sure that Jess was comfortable and felt supported. Despite being a professor and despite having an abundance of nieces and nephews, Rob had never felt ready for children of his own, and until his 49th year he'd managed to be successful in that streak. Finding out Jess was pregnant had been a blow and he knew that if he hadn't supported her, that Alex would have been the one to take him out. His best friend was Jess' uncle, which just made Rob feel even more trapped than he already was.

He'd taken himself down to the beach, to get away from the house and the impending thoughts that he should have been doing more. He and Jess may have been dating but they'd never even made anything official, and now he was expected to remain in both their lives. Leila was quite a cute baby he had to admit, but when it came to making sure she was well cared for, well that wasn't something he was good at. Jess was much better at handling what Leila needed, and so it meant that he had the day free to sunbath and make the most of the weather before it inevitably turned miserable once again. Laid out on a sun lounger, sunglasses covering his eyes, he tried his best to listen to the waves splashing against the sand, and to take his mind away from the stress of the last few months.

 

[Callum Duffy]

Callum was never really off duty. Even when he was alone at home, or out for what should have been a peaceful walk, he was always alert, always tuned in to the goings on around him. It was a habit he'd once fought hard to break but eventually learned to live with. It made him a good auror, he reasoned. Kept him safe. Kept the people around him safe, most of the time.

He was walking along the beach, head up, hands balled into fists inside his pockets. It was an unusually mild day for the time of year, a bright, clear blue sky spanning all the way to the horizon, but it wasn't what he would have considered sunbathing weather. But one man apparently begged to differ, or else he was impervious to the chilly breeze coming in across the water - he was lounging on a sunbed without an apparent care in the world. A wizard, too, by the look of him. Callum was nothing if not observant and the bag propped up against his lounger was exclusive to Dervish and Bange's.

The unsocial man in Callum told him to walk on by, but for some reason he stopped. Something didn't add up, here - something he couldn't quite put his finger on - and he knew that if he continued home, he would wonder about the sunbather for the rest of the night. His approach in the sand was almost silent. "I like your bag," he said, by way of greeting. "Got the same one for my son. You all right?"

 

[Robert Kain]

Rob knew he needed to talk to Jess. About everything. Leila, where things stood between them, what this would mean for their future. Only he wasn't sure if he could handle such a conversation just yet. Part of him felt angry at himself; all his siblings had been in his position, they all had partners and children. Why was it so hard for Rob to do something that so many others seemed to find so natural?

A voice a short distance away broke his thoughts, and honestly he welcomed it regardless of who it was intended for. The entire idea of being at the beach in the first place was to get away from it all, and here he was, swimming with his mind once again. Glancing to the foot of the chair, he saw a man standing a few feet away. For all the former Gryffindor knew, he could have just apparated there the way he'd snuck past. "Oh, cheers". He wasn't to think too much of a compliment on his backpack, although it was somewhat tatty and had clearly seen better days, that was until the man said he had the same one for his own son.

It took a moment for Rob to realize what it meant, and he leant up on his elbows, peering at the stranger beside him. You'd have thought after almost four decades, there would have been an easier way to decipher whether one was a muggle or not, but it was a strain that all wizards had to contend with. "Dervish?" He took the risk, knowing it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for anyone unrelated to matter too much. He nodded his head slowly at the man's next question, unsure of whether he were being rhetorical. "Your son, how old is he?" he found himself asking in an attempt to draw the conversation away from himself.

 

[Callum Duffy]

“And Banges,” confirmed Callum. Even without the bag, he might have guessed; the beach’s proximity to a wizarding village made it a popular spot for magical folks, at least in the summertime. Mid-winter, not so much. “He’s fourteen. Take it you don’t have kids - you look far too relaxed. You all right here, by yourself? Sorry - I’m an auror. Worrying about people is part of the job. And being a nosy b**tard.”

 

[Robert Kain]

Rob nodded at the man's confirmation. Where else would they have been talking about? He adjusted the hat on his head, looking up at the man and wondering whether they had anything else in common beyond being magical and.. fathers. Even that word was a weird one to hear attached to himself. The man told him he looked much too relaxed to be a dad, and a fresh wave of guilt ran through his body. "I, yeah" he didn't know if he had it in him to admit his daughter just yet although thankfully he didn't get the opportunity to. "Oh an Auror? That's, a lot." An auror and a father must have held a lot of responsibility. "I used to be a professor at Hogwarts, couldn't imagine dealing with that as well right now," he gave a half hearted chuckle. "Fine, fine. Just a lot going on."

 

[Callum Duffy]

"Yeah?" said Callum. "I've got nowhere to be, if you want someone to talk to. Don't say no. I'm bored and lonely and other people's problems make me feel better about mine. Mind if I sit down?"