All that's left behind [Malachi]

After a long day at the office, it felt good to get into the gym and get moving again. Realizing that it had been far too long since he had participated in any type of organized physical activity, Brian had recently joined the Impervius Fitness with the intent to get back into shape. He’d gotten comfortable, lazy even, since he’d been home for so long. He was fairly certain that within the next month he would be sent out on another foreign assignment, and he would need to be at his best in order to tackle whatever he was asked to do.

That afternoon, he’d stepped out of Gringott’s, gym bag slung over his shoulder, and Apparated into the lobby of Impervius. With a smile and a wave at the front desk clerk, he had headed straight into the locker room to change into his workout gear, which that day consisted of an old, slightly baggy black Oasis t-shirt and black shorts. Perching on one of the benches, he laced up his trainers, nodding in acknowledgment to the fellow gym-goers who were returning to the locker room to take a shower and gather their things before leaving.

When he was finished, he exited the locker room and strode toward the indoor track. A handful of wizards and witches were already making use of the track. He watched them as he stretched, preparing himself for a warm up jog. Brian did not hesitate to join them after he completed his stretches. Starting with a slow jog, he gradually increased his speed until he was running at a moderate clip. He could feel his body warming, his heart speeding up and a light sheen of sweat forming on his forehead. When he felt sufficiently warmed up, he broke away from the track and walked toward the empty basketball court.

Brian was always one to prefer working out through sports, whether it be football, basketball, Quidditch, or some other sport. He preferred the constant movement, the interaction with others, and the strategy involved in team sports over solitary ones. Working out on the Muggle cardiovascular equipment bored him to tears, and he could not understand the appeal. Grabbing a basketball from where they were kept on the sidelines, he dribbled the ball as he sauntered over to one of the hoops. Basketball was not his strongest sport, but he liked to challenge himself from time to time by practicing, and it was usually easy to find a partner for a pick-up game. Taking aim, he took his first shot, watching as it hurtled through the air only to smack against the backboard, bounce off the rim, and soar away from him.

Malachi’s brow was arched over his deep brow eyes as he stared at his older brother. When he meant that Gideon had him f*cked up, he meant all the way up. Gideon was good at talking all of this smooth shit, like Malachi was one of these young cats on the street who was looking for a come up. As Gideon continued to chat, Malachi just stared him down, arms folding across his chest as he waited. It only took a few more patronizing statements before Kai go annoyed, and snarled low in his throat. “Are you done?” He began, huffing. “Just give me the package, and go away. No need for all this bullshit.” He rolled his eyes as Gideon began to get offended, and just took the envelope. It wasn’t often that the boys were at the house together, and Malachi found it easier to just get the bullshit over with before Gideon whined like a little b*tch to their mum.

He could only stand being around his brother for a little bit longer, so when he’d snatched up the package wrapped in newspaper and strode out the house without a good bye, it was like it was habit. He’d stopped asking what errands he’d been getting sent on at the age of 8, and by now it’d been engrained in him to just handle business without questions. It took him a hour of wasted time to give the bit of shit to the person Gideon described before Malachi decided he was done with his family errands and went back home.  He needed something to do before he got stir crazy. So he decided that the gym would be the first bit.

Unlike most people, Malachi showered before and after the gym. He made sure that when he put on his shirt, it covered every bit of the bright pink tattoo that was still healing across his back. There was only so much that magic could do to magic resistant wounds. He could still feel the burn of the knife in his back from when he’d laid in the bottom of the cell with the death eaters.  He shook off those emotions, and proceeded to get dressed. He made his way to the basketball courts, only to have to reach for a ball coming towards his face.

“You trying to knock my head off?” He smirked amused as he bounced the ball.

Brian was about to go after the ball and retrieve it when it was caught by another person. It only took him a moment to recognize the person who had joined him just then: Malachi Lancaster. The two had been friendly back in Hogwarts and even had a few mutual friends. They had crossed paths a few times since school, but Brian had not seen Malachi since the war. It had been a stressful, hectic time for everyone, the McShane family included. Brian’s parents had been forced to flee the country, seeking refuge with his mother’s family in Mexico, where the war had not yet spread. Fortunately for their family, they had avoided tragedy during the turbulent months of uncertainty. Not everyone had been so lucky. He found himself briefly wondering if Malachi had experienced persecution, for Brian vaguely remembered that the other wizard was a Muggleborn.

“You trying to knock my head off?”

“Malachi. Sorry about that, mate,” he said, a low chuckle spilling from his lips as he began to cross the court, heading toward Malachi. When he arrived at the spot where the other man was standing, he reached out his right hand, clasping Malachi’s as they simultaneously leaned in so Brian could give the taller man a friendly slap on the back with his left hand. “How the hell are you?” Brian asked as they broke apart and he took a step back in order to give his friend some personal space. It had been too long since he had been in touch with Malachi, a fact that Brian regretted but did not dwell on, for what was the use of worrying about the past? They were here now, and this time he would be sure they exchanged contact information before he left.

“Fancy a bit of one-on-one?” he asked as he caught Malachi unawares and teasingly stole the ball from him. Brian began to dribble the ball, jogging slowly in the other direction, back to the hoop. “Or maybe a game of Horse?” he asked, raising a questioning eyebrow before jumping up and taking another shot. This time, he hit his mark, and the ball sank cleanly through the hoop, the net swishing as the ball passed through it. Though his basketball skills may be a little rusty - some might say they were shit - Brian still enjoyed the game, finding the mixture of fun and friendly competition too hard to resist.