[wilted rose] tell all your friends you'll be back again [maddox]

The shrill ring of an alarm clock blared loudly throughout the small apartment, irritating the being that was currently groaning from underneath the sheets. An arm poked out, then slid across the surface of the end table in an attempt to stop the clock, knocking several items onto the ground in the process. Another frustrated noise came from beneath the sheets before the man used the same hand to cast them off of him. He sat up, looking grumpy and groggy. Mornings were not kind to Hal Trickett, and the sour expression on his face seemed to emphasize this.

For a while he just sat there, until the sound of his alarm clock reached his ears again and he had no choice but to get up and retrieve the noise maker. As soon as he'd found it, he turned the thing off and tossed it into a drawer. It was half past nine. His one day off this week and he was up at such an ungodly hour. Hal only made that kind of sacrifice for two sets of people: his family and his close friends.

Silently, he cursed Maddox Stanton, who had been his best mate in school. He was the reason for the middle Trickett's early rise; they'd agreed to finally catch up today and although their meeting wasn't until much later, Hal had wanted to ensure that their time wouldn't have to be cut short by getting some work done prior to their outing. And though it was actually Hal's own fault for being such an overachiever, putting the blame on Max made him feel a little bit better.

The man walked into the kitchen and used his wand to take a mug out of the cupboard. He began to brew his coffee, looking forward to a little pick-me-up. It was almost a tradition of Hal's to have a cup of coffee right after he'd woken up. Coffee was like his lifeline, and there was rarely a day where he went without the hot drink. After his cup, he decided to get to work. He kicked things aside as he made his way to his office - the apartment really needed a cleaning - and shut the door behind him once he'd entered, signaling to anyone who had a key to his home (i.e., Ingrid) not to disturb him.

Once he was at his desk, he got started. It hadn't taken nearly as long as he'd thought it would, which was both a relief and an annoyance. It meant that waking up so early had been unnecessary and Hal was quite upset with himself. He chose to spend the rest of his morning giving the apartment the cleaning it needed and lazing around. Then, when the time to meet with Max was near, he took a quick hot shower and threw on some clothes.

His destination, unsurprisingly, was a pub. It wasn't one he frequented often, as he usually stuck to the Stag and Hen where his cousin was. Hal had arrived earlier than the agreed time, which wasn't unlike him at all, and took his seat at the bar as he waited for Max to arrive.

Days off were a thing of beauty for Maddox Stanton. Particularly because they were so rare and few and far in between. So, it wasn’t a hard decision for Max to make when he chose to spend the day with Hal. Hal Trickett had been one of Max’s best friends since they had started at Hogwarts together. There were few people, with the exception of his siblings that held the same esteem in Max’s mind, as his best friend. Max didn’t have many friends, let alone best friends. Being that they were both professionals, with real jobs in the real world, rather than rowdy schoolboys it was rare that the pair got to see one another. Max wasn’t going to lie, he was kind of excited to see the other man, even if emotions weren’t his strongest suit.

He’d gotten up a few hours earlier, wanting to get things done before his meeting. As an Obliviator, there was always heaps and heaps of paperwork that needed doing, even on his days off. He supposed there was no rest for the wicked as he laughed quietly at himself. He wasn’t wicked, but he was no saint. Thankfully, the paperwork was nothing new, and it went by with surprising ease. He had expected it to drag on a little as he waited for the clock to tick slowly by. But before he knew it, it was time for him to head out and meet Hal at the pub. He quickly grabbed his jacket and apparated to their agreed meeting place. It was a place Max hadn’t frequented more than a handful of times, but it was a middle ground for both of them, and Max couldn’t argue with that. Pulling the door to the pub open, he scanned the interior quickly, looking for his old friend. Spotting him, Max grinned and began making his way over to the table the other wizard had chosen.

Sitting down with ease, Max reached over and clapped Hal on the shoulder “How have you been, mate?” It hadn’t been a terribly long time since the two had seen each other, but with their jobs, and their lives, it didn’t take long for things that had happened last week to seem like they had happened eons ago. Not wanting to waste more time than was necessary, the man flagged down the bartender and eyed his friend happily “Have you ordered yet? And are you hungry?” He was both hungry and thirsty, he figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to kill two birds with one stone.