My world's a kalaidoscope - how bout yours? [Brennan]

Pike was on his knees, surrounded by chalks. Chalk wasn't his favourite medium to work with, but there was a surprising amount of cash to be made during the summer with pavement art and so long as he stuck to areas where there was enough footfall, but not a huge amount of attention inquiring whether he had a street performer's license, he did well. Tourists were his main source of income for the time being as he was, yet again, 'between jobs'. He always seemed to be between jobs. It wasn't that he didn't work hard, or didn't try to find reliable work - he did - but a lack of decent NEWTs didn't help matters. Throw in the fact that muggleborn - and werewolf - prejudice was a little more subtle, but still alive and well... things just didn't seem to work out well for him.

Today though, he seemed onto a winner. It was a sunny day and there was a decent amount of tourists and city workers passing through the area he'd set up in. A lot of people seemed to be knocking off work early to enjoy the sunshine and good weather put everyone in a better mood - and that meant he was more likely to attract a few decent tips.

Just another few pounds and he could head to the nearest supermarket and buy himself the largest (and cheapest) steak that he could find. And possibly some chips. Merlin, he was drooling just thinking about it... he hadn't had a decent meal in a while. Whenever he got his hands on some cash, he always ended up spending it on paints and canvas and settling for cheap sausages and smash for dinner. Pike had never been much of a cook. Perhaps he could get in touch with his mother and invite himself over for a Sunday lunch... mmmh the thought of his Mum's roast lamb just made him even hungrier and a not-so-subtle rumble escaped his belly.

Pike looked up with a chuckle at some people who were hovering nearby, admiring his chalked masterpieces. He nudged the chalk box he'd been collecting money in towards them with a wink. "Spare a couple quid for a starving artist?"

[outfit: x]

Brennan had just gotten off work and made it back to London. He changed his clothes and decided he was going to head out for a walk. He loved the streets of  London, they were almost always busy and he could easily fit in. Plus they had good booze, but that was the furthest thing from his mind today. The man had been kind of a hermit lately and he wanted to get out and meet some people. He let his dress shoes click on the pavement as he walked down the streets of the city in lived in. His eyes soon stopped a man who was doing street art. He was actually rather good at it too. Course, Brenn wasn't much of an artist but he could appreciate it just the same. His eyes looked the art over and he smiled a little, it was good work. Course most people were just passing it by.

This was one of the finer things in life that he loved to enjoy and that is what he intended on doing. He paused and watched as several people glanced and then kept going. The guy was trying to earn a living doing what what he knew. Brenanan could respect that. The man tossed a few gallons into the chalk box that he offered for tips and smiled at the guy. He looked a little rough around the edges and Brennan wondered when the last time he had a good meal was.

The thought crossed his mind to ask the man back to his place for a nice dinner, after all Brenn was making a living doing what he loved best too and that was cook. He smiled down at the guy and stuffed his hands into his pockets before speaking. "Hey, what's the art life like?" He smiled at the guy as he stepped closer when more people left. "I mean, do you make good money?" He perked a brow and shrugged his shoulders before looking over the rest of his piece.

After a few moments he heard the unnatural sound of the man stomach rumble and Brennan turned his head toward him. "Hey, when was the last time you've had a decent meal?" He smiled and was really going to offer this man a meal.

Galleons gave a louder chink than the other coins, and Pike's eyes zeroed in on the gold coins in the chalk box, fishing them out immediately and pocketing them in case some wise guy decided to try and steal from him. Pike had learned that one early - not to leave a great amount of money out on show. Not that the robber in question had gotten very far. They must have been pretty desperate to try stealing from a guy who was 6'3 with the broad shoulders and ripped muscles to match. Pike wasn't just tall - he was big.

He flashed the guy a grateful grin, about to ask if he wanted something drawn on request - something he often offered those that paid him large tips - but the other guy spoke first, and Pike chuckled instead. "Good money? Nah, not really. Not doing this sort of thing anyway. Sometimes I can sell an oil painting and that pays the bills, but doesn't happen often enough." Despite the perhaps gloomy topic of his words, Pike gave the other guy a good-natured grin. Generally, he was a positive person and he'd always been used to not having money, ever since he was a kid. He took most things in life as a privilege. If he had a roof over his head, enough food to keep him going, and a few art supplies, then he was content. Anything else was a bonus.

The man's next question took him off guard a little, even if his stomach had just announced for all to hear that he was obviously hungry. "Eh," he shrugged, "Depends what you class as 'decent' I spose." Decent to Pike involved some kind of meat - actual meat, not sausages or pies that were mostly filler - and it had been a good couple of weeks since he'd had that. Just before the full moon. He always got raw meat cravings then, and it wasn't wise to deny those type of urges because it just tended to make the transformation a lot worse.

Brennan watched as the man snatched up the galleons and he smiled. Smart man, although he wasn't sure he would mess with a guy like him, he was big and muscular. No way, he'd probably beat any guy who stole from him to a bloody pulp. He shook his head at the though of the guy beating the crap out of someone. A smile graced his face and he laughed out loud. He couldn't imagine anyone would want to mess with him. He watched him stuff the gold coins into his pocket and then he stepped even closer and knelt down beside the man.

"Well that a damn shame. You should get paid more for work like this. It's incredible and I know I couldn't do anything like it. Besides, people need to slow and enjoy the finer things in life." He looked at the man and smiled again. He was a good looking guy, not that Brennan ever really looked at guys that way before...it was something different for him. He rewet his lips and shook his head. "Well, I'd like to see some of those oil paintings of yours, if they are half as good as this, I might want to buy one." He nodded at him and shrugged his shoulders. He had a house to decorate, why not do it in local talent?

He laughed and nodded his head. "You've got a point there...Well, I'm an executive chef at a restaurant in Ireland and I am inviting you over to my house here in London. I want you to dine with me...but only if you want to. I bought a package of T-bone steaks that I was going to cook up and I don't have anyone to help me eat them." He smiled hoping the guy would take him up on his offer. He hadn't had company in a while and it was about damn time he did. Why not this guy...He seemed nice enough. He pushed out his hand to the man and offered his name. "I'm Brennan, Brennan Dixon. Offers on the table if you want to take it." He looked at him and waited for him to answer. If it was no, he'd probably go the pub and fill his stomach full of liquor.

Pike glanced over at the guy as he knelt beside him and began to compliment his work. Money and flattery... Pike was beginning to think the guy was hitting on him. For the first time, Pike let himself actually take the guy in. He was certainly good looking - a little rougher around the edges than Pike's usual type, but that wasn't a problem... in fact there was something appealing about breaking the routine that he'd fallen into when it came to partners. Though perhaps he was getting ahead of himself and the guy was honestly just making conversation about art?

But then he found himself being invited over for dinner and that theory went out the window. There was nothing subtle about this approach and Pike found himself smiling awkwardly back at the younger man, not having been in this situation before. Anyone else might have worried about this being some sort of trap - being invited to a stranger's home - but Pike was fairly sure of his ability to overpower and out-duel this man if he needed to defend himself. He'd gotten especially practiced since the war.

Really, it was the mention of T-bone steaks that made up his mind. Free food was one thing, but free steaks was another thing entirely and there was no way he could ever bring himself to turn an offer like that down. Letting out a good-natured chuckle, he winked at the other guy, playfully commenting, "You know, it's traditional to exchange names first, before proposing dinner," with another chuckle, he offered his hand - the fingertips stained with the colourful chalks, "I'm Pike. And I won't say no to a T-bone steak cooked by an executive chef." He was teasing, but it wasn't malicious. It was playful and friendly. Reaching for his chalks, he began to pack everything away before straightening up to his full height and dusting down his knees.

Brennan felt really odd around this guy, for whatever reason his libido was kicking and he couldn't stop it. It was odd and different to Brenn but he wasn't to deny the fact that Pike was a good looking guy. He was rugged and obviously taller than he was but it was nice to see a man who knew what he liked. Art, Brennan appreciated it and it was Pike that he was taking in now.

The man smiled as the other man's face lit up at the sound of steak. Good, well maybe he did have a way of getting to know the guy better. How could he find out about these feelings if he didn't get to know him...like his name. Good lord, he hadn't even offered the guy his own name! He was a bit taken back when the guy winked at him but he took it in stride, maybe it was just a joke, or maybe he had something in his eye. "I...uhm...yeah...sorry...I'm Brennan." He took his hand and shook it gently. "It's a pleasure to meet you Pike." He waited for the man, or Pike as he now knew, to stand up.

"Alright, well my house is just a couple of blocks down the street. It should take long to get there." Walks toward his home. When they reached it he stuck the key in the door and turned it until it clicked. He pushed the door open and turned to Pike. "Come on in." He stepped inside and waited for him to join him inside. "Uh, the kitchen is just through there, if you need it the bathroom is down the hall, third door on the left." He smiled and shut the door behind them.

Pike gave the guy a firm handshake, responding with a "Yeah, you too, Brennan," and a grin. This wasn't how he'd thought his evening would go, but actually this was a nice unexpected turn. Better than buying a cheap frying steak and eating it alone in his flat, anyway. Pike always preferred company. He was a people person, always happier when with others. Sure he enjoyed time alone from time to time to paint, but when it came to relaxing, it was better with others around. "Sure, maybe I can buy us some beers on the way?"

Pike followed Brennan the few blocks, popping into a corner shop to buy a few bottles of beer along the way. It was only fair that he provide some drink, he'd decided, if the other guy was not only buying the food, but also cooking it for him. Pike hummed happily as they headed towards Brennan's place. He was in a ridiculously good mood now. He'd had a decent afternoon chalking, and earned some good tips, and now he was headed back to an attractive guy's house with beers and the promise of steak. The fates really seemed to be smiling on him today.

"So what kind of restaurant is it you work at?" he asked, conversationally, as he headed inside, setting the case of beers on the kitchen worktop and pulling a few out to put in the fridge. A further two he charmed to cool, opening them both and offering one to Brennan with a smile as he raised the other to his lips.

He nodded as they headed toward the his house. Beer sounded good, he wasn't going to stop him from buying him a beer. "Course, I could use a beer, besides beer goes well with steak." He grinned at Pike and followed him into the corner store. They agreed on some kind of beer before leaving and finishing the trip to his house. Once inside he pulled the steaks out of the fridge and looked at Pike. "Do you like any kind of seasoning on your steak...oh and how do you like it? I eat my medium rare..." He pulled the wrapping off the meat and laid the on a plate on the counter to rest while he got some veggies and potatoes out.

He readied the other food and set some pans on the stove and turned to Pike as he spoke. "Uhm...I work at an Italian infused with French cuisine. It's fairly good. I even travel for my job, I went to Italy to see what kind of food they served there and visited a few restaurants." He shrugged and looked down at his vegetables before smiling. "And my mother is French so..." He laughed and started cutting up the stuff before tossing it into a pan. He looked over at Pike and smiled. He took the beer that the man offered to him and cracked it open and took a swig from it.

"Mmm pretty good beer." He set the beer down and started prepping the steaks. "So do you do anything else besides art...? I mean, what do you like to do, for like entertainment." He was nervous for whatever reason and he couldn't help it around this man. It was like being around Tegan again, and that was a hard relationship to forget.   

Pike leaned happily against the counter, sipping his beer and watching Brennan with a smile. "Uh, some garlic and mustard is nice, but y'know, you're the chef. Pretty sure whatever you pick will be delicious. I have my steak blue, thanks." Practically raw, in fact. He'd always liked his meat pretty rare, but since the attack cooking any meat for too long just seemed to ruin the flavour completely. It was part of the reason he seemed to have gone off chicken and pork. It had to be cooked thoroughly. Absently, he licked over his lower lip. Just seeing the raw steaks on the counter was already making him drool and his stomach let out another loud rumble. Pike grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," he muttered. Not that there was anything he could do to prevent it.

"Mmmh sounds nice. I always wanted to travel more... y'know, just throw a couple things in a bag and backpack my way around the world." He grinned, sipping his beer again. Brennan was babbling a little, bless him. Pike couldn't help but find it overwhelmingly adorable. There was something about nervous innocence which tended to draw him in. Not in a predatory way - rather, he was overcome with the desire to protect them, wrap them up against the world and keep their innocence intact. Pike had been through a lot. He'd had to grow up fast and be wise. Being a muggleborn, being gay... and now having gone through the terrifying experience of the werewolf attack and his subsequent transformations. Pike had seen a lot of darkness in the world. He liked to protect what little light there was left.

"Oh I like to play quidditch whenever there's a pick-up game... rugby too..." he smiled, then added, "That's a muggle sport," just in case Brennan wasn't familiar. "I'm muggleborn," he added again, a touch of defiance to his words, as if some part of him expected Brennan to try and throw him out of his house on this revelation.

He was nervous, his hands were shaking and his he could feel the palms getting sweaty. Why was he so nervous, he's never been like this before! He nodded at Pike and offered him a smile to his request for seasons. "No, that actually sounds really good. Do you like spicy mustard? It's my favorite." He wiped his hands on the apron he had grabbed earlier before starting the steaks. He smothered the steaks in the seasoning and slapped them on a flat grill that was just as well seasoned as the steaks. He took a drink of his beer and looked over at the veggies. He flipped the burner on and gave them a flip with a quick motion of his hand. Some people cooked with magic but Brennan, being the halfblood he was, enjoyed the mechanical way of cooking.  Just the way his mother taught him.

When Brennan heard his stomach growl and he grinned and looked at the man. "Don't be sorry, just means your stomach is liking what it's smelling." He laughed and looked over at the meat. He quickly flipped Pike's steak but left his alone for the time being. He found his eyes travelling down the man's body before he quickly looked away. What was wrong with him? He never felt like that, or did that with any man. He shook the though off before flipping his own steak.

Brennan nodded at the man and smiled. "Yeah, it's nice to be able to charge it to the business account too." He let out a laugh before taking the stuff off the heat and platting it. It was an elegant plate method that he used, but he figured the man was here for his cooking he was going to give him the full event. "I think backpacking would be a lot of fun too. It's hard to get the time off work to do so though." He grabbed the plates and took them to the dinning room and set them on the table. He then grabbed the silverware before nodding to Pike to take a seat. "Enjoy...Pike." It was first time had said the man's name but it just rolled off his tongue.

"Ah, I'm not much of sports player myself. I like to read, and cook." He shrugged, he kind of made himself sound like a woman but, he didn't really care. He let out a small laugh when he told him it was a muggle sport. "Yeah, I know. I'm only Halfblood. My mother was a muggle. My father met her while touring with his quidditch team." It was funny that his father was a professional Quidditch player, but Brennan didn't really care to play it. Although he did enjoy watching the sport.

"Mmmh sounds good... anything spicy is good with me," Pike replied, watching as the other man expertly cooked. Pike was pretty practiced at cooking steaks, especially over the last year, but Brennan made it look so natural. It was obvious to see that this was his talent and his passion. Pike always found passion - for anything - attractive in another person. Their enthusiasm shone through. It was interesting to see that Brennan cooked without magic as well, but perhaps that was more common among chefs? Pike rarely used magic in the kitchen, but that was more because he hadn't bothered to learn any cooking spells than because he prefered the muggle way.

"Yeah catch 22, isn't it? You either got the money to do it and not the time, or plenty of time but not the money." Pike chuckled, subconsciously licking his lower lip as he watched Brennan plate up the food beautifully. Pike rarely had the cash for fancy restaurants, so the plating style looked unusually posh to him, but he appreciated the effort that Brennan was putting in to their meal. It kind of felt like the other man was trying to impress him. Pike's lips quirked into a smirk at this thought, following Brennan to the dining table and sitting himself down with an appreciative murmur. "This looks... and smells... amazing," he said, honestly a little awestruck both by the plat of food and the man's generosity.

He nodded as Brennan spoke about his hobbies. Despite Brennan's small shrug, which kind of implied that he worried how he was coming across, Pike didn't judge the other guy. He'd never been much of a reader himself, but he appreciated the alone time that it provided. He got the same thing out of his painting. Oh he loved to socialise and be part of a group, but when things got a little too much, it was nice to spend some time just himself and his paints. "Ah I see," Pike murmured, realising that the muggle mother might be the reason for the lack of magic in the kitchen. "I nearly went into Quidditch myself... had a team approach me and everything... but I didn't think the training regime would leave much time for my art."

Lifting his knife and fork, Pike cut carefully into the steak, in some ways feeling a little guilty at spoiling the beautiful presentation. The meat was red and practically raw inside - just the way that he liked it. And when his eyes saw that, and the red juices running out of the meat, he could hesitate and go slowly no longer. With a happy murmur, he cut a large section off, bringing it to his mouth and already cutting off the next forkful as he chewed, murmuring a smothered, "Mmmmreallygood!" through his full mouth.

Spicy was a flavor that Brennan had enjoyed since he was a child. His mother always cooked with a lot of spices, even being from France. She took on different ways of cooking, she enjoyed different styles, techniques and methods. It was something she was very proud of and passed onto her son. Brennan was a very proud man when it came to his cooking. Everything had to be just right, he ever did anything halfway, even if he was just cooking for himself or for a large number of people. Perfection was a must. "Good to hear." He smiled and grabbed the spicy mustard from the fridge and set it on the table. He went back to his cooking and smiled over at the man that sat at the table with him.

Brennan laughed along with Pike, it was a catch 22. "You're right...I'll be lucky if I get the holidays off this year. For whatever reason, they seem to like me at the restaurant that I work at now. Something about good work ethic and strong values." He shrugged repeating one of the managers of the place said to him as he leaving one day. He made his way over the table where the food sat and looked at it. It was missing something...he pondered for a bit before realizing what it was. He walked back over the fridge and grabbed a bottle of red wine and two glasses. "I know you bought beer, but red wine is much better with this cut." He smiled and poured to glasses before handing one over to Pike. He took his seat and smiled with a little bit of a blush as he complimented his food. "Thanks, I uh...hope you like the taste too." He grinned and leaned back in chair to place his napkin on his lap.

Brennan had always respected the people who had the natural ability to play sports, whether it was quidditch or rugby. It was all impressive to Brennan, not only that but it kept up the physical appearance of those playing the sport. Gyms were so hard to be dedicated to but if he were to play a sport, it wouldn't be as hard to keep in shape. "Yeah, my mum is the one that taught me how to cook." He smiled, he was proud of his mom and all the hard work she put into her food. "Ah, well, at least you know what you want to do with your life then. I mean art is a hard thing to get into, but if you're good, which you are, you have opportunities." Brennan looked down at his plate and grabbed his fork. He took a small bite of the sauteed vegetables on his plate. They were cooked just the he liked them, fully warm but not mushy.   

Brennan let out a chuckle as the man dug into his steak. He was glad the man was enjoying it as much as he was. It was also kind of cute how savage he was when he ate. A small grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched Pike. Without realizing it he was staring, as quickly as the staring had begun, it stopped. Brennan pulled his eyes away and cut into his own steak and took a bite with spicy mustard he had laid one the table. It was hot, juicy and delicious, the steak wasn't bad either.

"Well if your work ethic is as good as your cooking, I can see why." Pike replied with a chuckle, accepting the glass of wine with a nod. He didn't normally drink wine, and he certainly didn't know what drinks went with what food - it was all just alcohol to him - but after taking a sip, he could see that it did go pretty well. "You can cook for me more often," he added, with a playful wink.

"Ah, yeah... opportunities..." he mused. There hadn't been many of those during the war, and he hadn't exactly settled into a 'post-war' life just yet. Perhaps it was post traumatic stress, or perhaps he was just struggling to adjust, but a lot had changed over the last couple of years. He'd lost Frey. He'd become a werewolf. He'd been re-accepted by the wizarding community as a valid person, although that hadn't exactly helped with the job situation. He'd just been skipping from one to the next to pay the bills, just like he had before and during the war. "It's not really a career, unfortunately, but at least I still have the time to do it, alongside something which actually pays bills, y'know."

Reaching for the spicy mustard, Pike put a generous blob on the side of his plate and tried a piece of steak with it. Oh, that was good. Pike really was a fan of anything spicy, and although steak didn't need much doing to it in his eyes, the mustard complimented the meat and the wine perfectly. He felt rather spoiled that this stranger had plucked him off of the street and produced such a delicious meal for him. He must have done something right to please the karma faeries or whatever it was that dished out the good luck.

"You'll have to let me paint you something to pay you back for this," Pike gestured to the plate, which was already half-empty. Food didn't tend to stay uneaten around Pike for long. "Unless you had some other way in mind for me to return the favour..." he added, a playful twinkle in his eyes. Ok, now he was flirting. No harm in that, was there?

Brennan chuckled a bit and then smiled up a the man. "Thanks, I appreciate the compliments. It's always nice to know that my cooking is enjoyable." The took a sip of his wine and set the glass back down and cut a bite of steak and placed it in his mouth. It was mouth watering, but he didn't want to toot his own horn, but of course Pike was right. The cooking was amazing and everything had turned out perfect.  He licked the extra seasoning from his lips and shrugged his shoulders. "You're more than welcome to come over anytime and have dinner, lunch or even breakfast with me." He was inviting this man over again? He barely knew him, but on the other hand, he had been nothing but polite to him, so what reason did he have to think he would do otherwise?

"Well, your a talented man, and you should flaunt it. I mean I know there probably isn't a lot of opportunities out there for an aspiring artist, especially now days but there has to be something out there. Maybe hold an art show or something. I'm sure there's a place that would be willing to rent you some space." He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his half empty space. Brennan was a firm believer in following one's dreams, and he would motivate anyone to do so. And this man had a lot of talent and the world deserved to see his work, as well as Pike being able to share it. "Yea, I get the bills side of it all. Sometimes I think I get buried under then so deep that I'll never get out, then a miracle happens." He shrugged and took another long sip from his wine glass.

Brennan was full now, he had still about a quarter of his steak left but he couldn't eat another bite of it. He pushed his plate forward a bit and grabbed the wine glass. He looked over at Pike and smiled at the fact that his food was almost gone. He was so glad that the man enjoyed it all. He sighed and leaned back in his chair a bit. "I'm stuffed." He grinned and sipped the last remaining bits from his wine glass.

"Paint for me? Well I'd love a painting from you, but it's not necessary. Only if you want to..." He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. At his next comment a red flush filled Brennan's cheeks. "What...no I mean, I just wanted to be kind to you, and you looked uhm...hungry." He smiled a bit nervously and set his empty glass down on the table. Well this was becoming rather awkward, not that Brennan wasn't enjoying the attention.