Golden Boy

33. The Prodigal Son

{ Pictured above: my concept designs for Nancy and Otto, illustrated by original author <3}

{DISCLAIMER: Rough sex, consensual begging, sexual aggression.}

It was really starting to feel eerie around the house without George.

Not because it was only Camellia and Fred- that part was wonderful- but being in the twins' flat, a place usually brimming with the energy and chaos of both brothers living together, was now a place of quiet and missing pieces.

One night, Camellia had woken up without Fred next to her, and she'd found him on the small couch in George's room, fast asleep... it was awful seeing him miss his brother so much. He often wrote to him asking to at least tell them where he was, but got no response. They'd already stopped by Diakos' and asked him, but he said that he and Zina had been gone for a while.

Camellia was upstairs in the flat after another exhausting work day, making a quick dinner for her and Fred while he finished up some paperwork downstairs, when a sharp tapping came at the window.

She turned to see Leticia holding a stack of letters, and she let her in. She pet Leticia's head while she went through them- there was one from Bill and Fleur, a Ministry notice, a couple of bills, one from Neville- and one from George.

She dropped the pile onto the breakfast table and quickly tore George's letter open as it was addressed to both Camellia and Fred. She read:

Fred and Cami,
I'm coming home. I'm sorry I've been gone so long, but I miss you both and I've been needing some things from the Burrow, anyway. We've been back in London for about three days now, and Zina's been taking a lot of double shifts at the restaurant that make her work really late.
Freddie, I feel terrible for not being around to work. These last few days have been such a blur, and I didn't realize how long I'd been away until this afternoon. I'll talk to you more on Thursday night, that's when I'm coming home.
I'll see you both soon,
George

Camellia's eyes went wide- today was Thursday, so Leticia must've gotten the letters to them late, which meant George was coming home today.

She clutched the letter and ran downstairs, her heart racing excitedly. "Fred!" she called out, looking around frantically for him. "Freddie!"

He rushed out of his office, looking worried. "Cam, what's the matter? Is everything alright?"

She handed him the letter. "It's from George- he's coming home tonight!"

Fred's eyes scanned over the letter. "What's he mean, "back in London?" Where was he before?"

"I dunno," said Camellia, beaming at the thought of having George back home. "He doesn't say, but that doesn't matter now! He's safe, and he's coming home, isn't that amazing?"

Fred didn't look nearly as happy as Camellia- in fact, he looked furious. In what was perhaps the worst timing of the century, there came the sound of the shop's front door unlocking.

George stepped inside, gently closing the door behind him, and Fred threw the letter down before walking over to his brother in a rage. All George could get out was, "Hey, Fr-" before Fred roughly tackled him to the ground.

"You stupid git!" Fred snarled, wrestling and beating up on his twin, who'd barely had time to react. George began to defend himself, but Fred already had the upper hand. Before long, Fred had George's arms pinned painfully behind his back, and George was protesting against his grip.

"Would you let go of me?" he growled. "So I can bloody explain instead of- ow! What the hell?"

Fred had forced his arms in a more uncomfortable position, and he yelled, "You were gone! For eleven days- and no one had any idea where you were!
We wrote to you so many times, and you didn't even think to write back once just to tell us you were alright, you piece of shit!"