Tonight you're perfect
I wanna fall in love with stars in your eyes

Tonight, You're Perfect - New Politics

April 6th, 1890 — Sweet Delights

With the work day coming to a close, Philip had just finished saying goodbye to his last employee and had washed down the stoves, using magic for that thankfully. He was in the back so it wasn't like any of the muggles would be able to see the enchanted sponges and mops going about their work. It had been Easter Sunday the day before which had meant a lot of work as people got their last minute desserts and the other things Philip tended to have on offer.

Philip found his eyes straying to the clock before he went to the pantry. He was anticipating Harper coming by so had set aside a turkey meat pie just for him. It was still warm but wasn't too hot that the other man couldn't just dive in if he was so inclined. Philip didn't particularly know why he got such a delight out of sometimes being the one to feed the oft-hungry healer when he got off from work but he did.

Nor did he ever really stop to consider why Harper James came to him right after work in the first place. It was just routine by now and Philip always felt a little like his day had not gone right if Harper didn't show up by the end of the day.

Harper James

  

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— set by MJ —

Wrapping up for the day, Harper jotted down a few more notes on a parchment for the intern before laying down his quill and sighing. It had been a rather long day. Not a tough one. Far from it - indeed, today was one of the easiest he had ever had at Hogsmeade Hospital as he had only dealt with two patients all day. The first in the morning who really only needed to be reminded not to point a wand towards a mirror, and the last came in just minutes before he was due to finish but was cleared up with a simple counter charm. Why the medi-wizards couldn't have dealt with that was frankly beyond him. At least it was something to do however.

As his stomach rumbled, Harper chuckled softly to himself. It was almost as if he had trained his stomach to expect something from Philip's store around this time of the early evening. Not that Harper was complaining, Philip was a dear friend and an excellent cook who never complained about Harper's constant grazing. With any luck Philip would be in the back room and wouldn't be surprised by a sudden apparition into the store.

As Harper vanished from the hospital and appeared in the back room of Sweet Delights, Harper went to open his mouth and say hello but before he could he spotted the fresh pie on the countertop screaming 'eat me', which Harper was loathe to refuse. Ignoring everything else around him, he reached right for a nearby fork and mangled the edge of the crust noisily. The smell was divine - chicken if he wasn't mistaken, though he preferred turkey. Finally he remembered some manners and said to Philip, wherever he happened to be in the shop "I might just have a sliver of this pie here if that's alright Phil. Smells rather delicious!"

  

Philip peeked out of the pantry and laughed as he heard Harpers voice. Stepping out of the pantry with the turkey meat pie in his hands, he had a look of faux thought on his face. "Hmm, I suppose I'll just have to have this turkey one all to myself," he said teasingly as he came over and placed it onto the counter next to Harper.

"Are you feeling more for pumpkin juice or firewhiskey today?" He asked as he got two glasses out for them to have their drinks in, whichever Harper would end up selecting. For their dessert, there was certainly a wide variety for them to choose from. "My chocolate rabbits sold quite quickly yesterday," he commented. Opening for a short while on Easter Sunday had been a good business choice despite Philip personally being more or less indifferent to religion.

  

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— set by MJ —

Harper's head whipped around as he heard Philip's voice behind him. "Oh no you don't. Step away from that pie Phil. You know better than to stand between me and turkey." he said with a tone of mock ferocity but a twinkle in his eye. He thought he could smell turkey when he arrived, and was very happy to find that his senses were not deceiving him. "Firewhiskey of course! And don't hold back when pouring this time either." he continued to joke.

As Philip fetched the glasses, Harper reached over and swapped the pies such that the turkey one was in front of him. Now that was much better. But his spirits may have just been crushed. "While I am so glad to hear you've sold well yesterday, I do hope you have squirreled one of your famous chocolate rabbits for me. I certainly need one after my day today." He really didn't, but of course there was no harm in playing it up. Philip was an excellent cook, but when it came to pastries and sweets he was a bona fide genius!

  

Philip couldn't help but laugh as he got the firewhiskey down from where he kept it. His mother would probably complain but she was always saying something snide about Harper though Philip never really knew why. All he had ever told her was good things about him and Harper had never done a thing to her. He had just chalked it up to his mother being contrary.

"Maybe I have.. maybe I haven't," Philip said coyly as he settled onto a stool beside Harper. "And just how bad a day did you have to be needing firewhiskey and chocolate rabbits?" He was pretty sure Harper was teasing but he did feel a pinprick of concern just in case that he wasn't. He did care quite deeply for his friend, after all - even if he wasn't quite aware how deeply just yet.

  

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— set by MJ —

"Well, truth be told it was not in actuality that bad. Just absolutely mundane." Taking the firewhiskey off Philip, he poured them both a glass. "Just two patients all day long, who really only needed the most simple of counter-charms or just time at home to recover. Surely the medi-wizards could have dealt with such a simple problem." Taking his glass of firewhiskey he downed the majority of it in one fell swoop. "Surely we could devise a better system where if a healer is not needed they can pop off home and apparate back in when actually needed to do something they are actually needed for."

Harper then finally noticed the tone of his voice and paused, looking over Philip. Here he was eating a pie presumably made for him, drinking Philip's firewhiskey, and needling for dessert as well. And he hadn't even asked Philip how he was doing today. That was a bit ungrateful of him considering how good a friend Philip is. "But enough about me." he said hurriedly, waving his fork in the air in front of his face, "How was your day Phil? As busy as the weekend?"

  

"How terrible for you that I'm the highlight of your day," Philip said with a chuckle as he let Harper take the firewhiskey from him. "Don't you all work in shifts anyway?" Far as he remembered, healers weren't exactly nine to five except for the higher ups who tended to have longer hours. So it wasn't like Harper would have been there literally all day unless he had taken on extra hours.

"My day has gone well enough," Philip answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "Not as busy as the weekend but the usual pace for a weekday." Which was mainly servants of both muggle and magical households alike stopping by for breads, cakes and the like. "Truth be told, your visit is the highlight of my day so far as well."

  

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— set by MJ —

"It is an absolute travesty of justice." Harper could barely get that out without smiling. Sometimes Harper was surprised Philip wasn't in Ravenclaw with his quick witted retorts. "And yes, yes we do. But why take away the fun of complaining about it."

Harper speared a large chunk of the pie with his fork and fairly unceremoniously shoveled it in to his mouth. It was just as good as its aroma promised it would be. "Well that must mean your usual weekday is an absolute chore if this is the highlight of the day." he said with a playfully arched eyebrow and mouth full of pie "I mean a man just apparating into your business expecting some food should hardly be a highlight of anyone's day. But regardless I am touched." Finally his tone slipped out of sarcasm and into a genuine sincerity. There was something comforting about the routine of their evening meals and discussions, and Harper did cherish it. A good friend like Philip was hard to find.

  

"All right, I give in, complain away and I shall soothe you with sweets," Philip said with a chuckle as if that wasn't what he did all the time anyway. He had no complaints about it, though. If anything, he wished Harper would come around a little more often.

Philip ate a bit of the chicken pie that Harper had discarded in favor of the turkey. "You have a point there - should I start charging you a fee plus interest?" He asked teasingly. Not that he ever would, he provided food for Harper free of charge and free of complaint.

  

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— set by MJ —

"No, no it is far too late now. The fun has been drained from the exercise as a result of your constant and incessant needling!" Harper exclaimed with mock outrage. "But the sweets will still help of course."

Harper clutched the pie close at Philip's last remark. "With interest? Am I to understand that you don't enjoy just making me free food on a regular basis? Is my company not enough for you? Well you will not be rid of me that easily my dear Phil." He took another bite of the pie. Why was his food so good? It almost made Harper want to move in just to ensure every meal was just that level of quality.

  

"Of course they will," Philip said, laughing heartily in response to Harper's mock outrage. "I don't think I ever met a man who liked food as much as you do - besides me, of course," Philip joked good-naturedly. It was nice, really. It always felt good to have your food be appreciated so heartily and so often.

Philip laughed once more as Harper clutched the pie to himself as if he expected Philip to rip it right out of his hands. "You're company is more than enough," Philip said, sincerity and a hint of something else in his tone as he spoke. "I wouldn't cook for you so often if it wasn't." Anyone else, he would have still cooked for but not at such a regular basis as he did for Harper.

  

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— set by MJ —

The food was good - no, the food was perfect, but nothing really compared to the sound of Philip laughing. Harper didn't know what it was, but for some reason no matter how he was feeling that laugh was so infectious, and so cheering, it would brighten him up without fail. Harper could no longer hold any attempt at mock outrage and cracked a wide smile and joined in the laughter.

It was in Philip's last words that he heard a tone he couldn't quite identify. It was sometime beyond the laughter that was just ringing through the store. Perhaps just a move to a serious and sincere statement? Harper internally brushed it aside for now. "Well I am honoured." Harper patted his hand down on Philip's thigh near his knee. "A true friend can be hard to find, and I thank you for your friendship and of course your hospitality."

  

Philip smiled as Harper said that he was honoured though he tensed up a little when Harper patted his hand on his thigh. A blush colored his cheeks and Philip could feel his pulse racing. "Of course. You know I'll always be here for you," he said, his voice inching a bit of an octave higher than its usual range. Merlin, what was wrong with him?

Philip had been aware somewhat since meeting Mister Fisk so long ago that he might harbor... attractions for his own gender but it had never occurred to him that Harper was one of those that he felt an attraction to since it had been under the surface of his emotions for who knew how long now.

  

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— set by MJ —

There was that tone again. Maybe even a little more pronounced. And was that a bit of a blush? Harper was immediately so curious as to what was going on inside Philip's head right now, but the question 'what are you thinking right now' was usually not taken well. He had learned that lesson the hard way at one party several years ago when he asked that of a fellow guest at a party who was perhaps a little drunk, and suffice to say the party atmosphere did not survive for much longer. No, if Philip had something to say he would say it - after all, their friendship had always been a blunt and honest one. Perhaps that was an inquiry for another time.

"Well that is a relief because I don't know what I would do without your desserts!" His hand left Philip's leg and moved up to gesture towards his nearly finished pie. "I do believe I remember the possibility of a chocolate rabbit being hidden away from the ravenous public? Is that possibility something that can be made to eventuate sooner rather than later?" His face was plastered with a wide hopeful grin, like a child waiting for his present on Christmas morning.

  

There were some things Philip just could not admit or say even to a dearest friend so he was glad when Harper didn't press him about why he was acting so odd. In fact, he was hoping that Harper had not noticed anything strange about his reaction to his touch at all.

He chuckled and got up to fetch the chocolate rabbit, setting it on the table as it hopped along before going still as was typical for most wizarding treats that were shaped like an animal. "Here you are, saved especially for you," he chuckled pointing out the 'Harper' written out in icing on the rabbits candy scarf.

  

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— set by MJ —

The rabbit hopped along the table between the two of them, and Harper clapped his hands together in joy. He should be used to magic by now of course, and especially magical food, but there was a level of inescapable whimsy that just inspired a pure delight. And then he noticed the icing on the candy scarf. This was not saved for him, this was made for him. There was that tiny niggly feeling again - there was something here that Harper had just not quite noticed or figured out, and that bugged him. He very much disliked that feeling. But more important right now was making sure he caught the rabbit before it hopped away from him entirely.

"Philip you have outdone yourself yet again. And I simply adore this scarf on him as well." Harper broke off a piece and popped it in his mouth, a look of satisfaction spreading across his face as the delicious chocolate simply melted in his mouth. "Please do have some as well. Though I suppose you may have had more than enough chocolate in your life over the last few days to need another bit more?" he said. He was fairly sure that Philip would understand he didn't want to share the chocolate, but again it would impolite to simply state that outright.