bakerstreet | (no subject)

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The Trapped Meme

You are now trapped somewhere and there's no immediate escape occurring. What now? I'd add more loving flavor text, but I figure we've all been there. We've all sat around wishing that we could just...leave, but we couldn't for some reason or another. So let's just cut to the chase.

Comment with your character!

Reply to other characters. You are now stuck somewhere. Where are you stuck? I don't know! Maybe it's some intangibl- I guess I'll just list out some possibilities.

1. In an elevator!

2. In an airport because your plane got delayed for three hours!

3. In traffic!

4. In a boat or some similar vehicle - a plane, an airship, a living island, a spaceship - in which getting out means that you'll probably die.

5. In some obligation like a boring party, a class, or a meeting, and your only hope for some scant entertainment is some clandestine texting or someone being cooler than they first appear.

6. Or something else.

And have fun.

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[Derek's jaw is still set, but at least Stiles has enough sense to take the suggestion and she pulls off the road, using the shoulder probably illegally to get to the exit ramp sooner, because it's clear, because she can, and Derek likes to think because he said so.]

It wouldn't be so bad if we weren't just sitting; I barely noticed when there was air circulating, but that's beside the point, since you're doing exactly what I said, anyway.

[He sounds more smug than he has any right to sound when he says that. He might've been able to see that the coast was clear so that Stiles pull off the maneuver, but she's the one who's actually doing it, so he really has no leg to stand on there. What was she supposed to do otherwise? Continue to remain stagnant in the never-ending line of traffic just to stick it to him for being a smug asshole? Derek doubted even Stiles could torture herself for that particular cause.]

This trip was a stupid idea, clearly. You have money for a room? I'm sure there's a motel somewhere off that exit; there's gotta be lodging.

[He wasn't asking her if she had money for a room for them to share or for both of them to get their own; Derek was financially prepared to get his own to disappear into for the night. He'd gladly just see Stiles in the morning. They were in the middle of nowhere, right? There was no way that they'd end up off an exit with no motels or with one that was no vacancy. They'd be fine so long as Stiles could pay her own way and he could pay his.]

[It's hardly surprising, really, that she listens to the suggestion. There's only so much more she can take, of being cooped up inside a car for hours, where it's warm and a little cramped, and her adderall is wearing off slowly. The conversation has been non-existent, unless she reads between the lines of Derek's set jaw and scowl, the aggravated huffs of breath he exhales every now and again. She wasn't about to punish herself, and stubbornly stick it out. Not to mention the amount of cases she's seen her Dad handle for driving whilst tired. Derek might be able to walk from something like that, but she wouldn't be so lucky.]

Hey, if you'd wanted to take a damn walk to figure out what was going on, I wasn't about to stop you. You don't get to take the high road just because you didn't think of that. You were too busy scowling and brooding.

[She indicates vaguely at Derek's pocket, as she takes the ramp. She isn't really worrying about whether or not someone will catch her pulling an illegal, she can always try and get her Dad to pull some strings -- if anything came up. She doubts anyone would begrudge her pulling off the road. It's likely that they're not the first.]

Check your phone. We'll find somewhere for the night, and head back out in the morning.

[She's not sure that she does have enough on her card for a room for the night, and she only has a five and some change in her pocket. At worst, she has some blankets shoved in the back of the Jeep (her Dad has instilled in her the importance of keeping an emergency kit in there) and she can just sleep in here for the night. But she's not about to tell Derek that. It's not his problem or responsibility to make sure she has somewhere to sleep. She just wants to get off the road for now.]

Stiles? Shut up.

[He looks over at her briefly as if to cement the fact that he means it when he says it, his expression drawn with aggravation and general disinterest in the entire goddamn situation. How is it, exactly, he wonders...that he manages to get himself into these situations, anyway?

Derek catches the vague gesture in the corner of his peripheral vision and he lifts his eyebrows incredulously.]

What am I checking for, exactly? To see if the battery miraculously charged itself in my pocket? It died hours ago, Stiles, when we were still in the library.

[His relief at the signs on the ramp that indicate left for a Hilton and right for a Super 8 is palpable. Good, those are both reasonably priced, even if he'd prefer the damage a room at the Super 8 would do to his wallet over a Hilton; he'll take what he can get. Something tells him Stiles would probably prefer the latter for the semblance of luxury that comes with it, but he's got enough, either way, so he isn't going to complain. He is, however, going to make a suggestion.]

Hang right.

[She can be economically aware or be surrounded in the mediocre illusion of luxury, Derek thinks, maybe she'll make the right choice.]

[Her fingers tighten around the wheel, the only thing stopping her from throwing them up in exasperation. He pushes her just as much as she pushes him, sometimes. Except she's tired, running on empty, and she can feel the persistent itch of needing to move around.]

Because you mentioned that when it was relevant. Jesus christ.

[She's already pulling right, before Derek even suggests it. She doubts she'll be able to afford a Super 8, never mind the Hilton. She's mentally counting up what she has in her account, which is barely even thirty dollars after paying gas to get up here in the first place, so it's looking increasingly more likely that she's going to be making use of that blanket tonight.]

No shit.

[She parks in the lot outside the Super 8, shutting the Jeep off, stretching her arms out over her head and arching her back.]

[Lifting his eyebrows at her, Derek gives a huff of indignation.]

I did, actually, but evidently, you weren't listening. Why am I not surprised?

[With Stiles increasingly as irritable as she's become, Derek is beyond relieved when she finally parks the car. It only takes him as long to get out of the car as it does for Stiles to shift into park and let off the brake. He needs to stretch his legs. What he needs is to lay down and try to sleep the frustration off. He's hoping maybe tonight will be one of the few nights he can actually manage it.

It takes him a moment to realize Stiles hasn't followed him out of the car.]

Let's go.

[It seems simple enough. The car is parked...why the hell is she still sitting in it when they could be booking rooms and crashing out for the night? They both know they each need it, after all; the fuck is she even doing?]

[She must have really been wrapped up in one of the tomes, to not have heard Derek mention that his phone had run out of battery. She usually wouldn't have missed a detail like that, not unless she had something else on her mind.

She steps out of the Jeep eventually, trying to look as indifferent as she possibly can. She shuts the door behind her, before leaning against it. There's no point her even walking up to the Super 8, her wallet is heavy in her pocket, a reminder that she definitely cannot afford this. At all. She shrugs, waving Derek off.]

I'm good. I just need a minute, you go ahead.

[She hopes her heartbeat isn't giving her away, because she's not lying, not exactly. The fresh air is good for her. She just isn't going to be joining him.]

[For someone as tired as Stiles appeared — and still appears to be — she's certainly taking her damn time when they've finally gotten to a place where they can rest their heads. He pauses to narrow his eyes suspiciously at her for a moment before looking around and scenting the air by reflex. The sun has set, it's darker and there's no one around that he can see, but he hears heartbeats behind doors. It doesn't look like the worst part of town, but it's definitely seedier than he feels comfortable leaving a teenage girl standing alone in. So he shakes his head and leans against the Jeep, too.]

I'll wait. I don't get the greatest feeling about this area, Stiles, I gotta be honest. Not that I'm worried about me, but...you're a reasonably attractive, young, human girl. I'm not leaving you out here alone.

[She's stayed in worse places, in all honestly. The Glen Capri comes to mind instantly. This place, and the parking lot, looks like a five star place in comparison. She got away with sleeping on the bus there, she's perfectly sure she's going to be fine sleeping in her Jeep here. Derek is being over protective for no reason at all. Not that he knows that she's planning to sleep out in the parking lot. She just needs to figure out a way to get him to head inside, and leave her here.

She barks out a laugh, shooting him a look.]

Reasonably attractive? Flatters. Look, just. I'll be like... fifteen minutes? I want to get a little air.

[Rolling his eyes, Derek's entire head rolls on his neck with it, a general sign of loss of patience that he tends to show a little too often for his own good. Stiles is capable, he knows that, but if something bad did happen to her because he left, he'd never forgive himself for it.]

Yeah, well, you're cute enough. Look, just lets get the rooms and then at least if you need to, you'll have somewhere safe to duck into, okay? Come on.

[He pushes off the side of the Jeep and reaches an arm out, meaning to guide her with a hand on the small of her back, and dropping it again because that's awkward and no.]

[She doesn't push herself off the side of the Jeep to join him, just looks at the arm extended out to her before he drops it, and wonders just how she can make him leave her and go into the hotel. He's about as stubborn as she is on a good day, and she's feeling so run down and her patience is pulled so thin that she's not sure that she'll be able to keep this up for much longer.]

Please. Can you just- I need five minutes. Alone.

[She feels her heartbeat tripping over itself. Lie. Lie, lie, lie. And he can probably hear every inch of it. She doesn't want to admit that she doesn't have enough for the hotel room, just wants him to get a room for himself, and then she can play innocent in the morning.]

[ The lie catches Derek off guard because he doesn't see it coming. In addition, he can't figure out why she feels the need to lie. He opens his mouth to call her out on it and then thinks better of it. Let it be known that Derek Hale does know, once in a while, how to pick his battles and wondering why Stiles is lying about needing a minute is not one that feels particularly worthwhile.

So Derek looks around again and sighs. ]

...fine.

[And five minutes is exactly what he gives her when he disappears behind the door marked Office. He books his room and when he tells the guy his friend will be right in afterward to book her own, the man behind the counter shakes his head, reaches behind himself to grab the last key on the wall, and hands it to Derek before flipping the vacancy light on the door off with a flick of his finger over a switch behind the desk. Super.

He's not exactly raging, but he's certainly not pleased when he strolls back out of the office, swinging the key ring around his first finger.]

Come on.

[At least there'll be two beds. Right? There'll be two doubles, because Derek cannot possibly be that unlucky today.]

Let's go.

[She's not expecting Derek to come back, once he leaves her out in the parking lot, disappearing inside the hotel to book his room. She turns back to her Jeep once he's out of sight, moving around the back so she can liberate a couple of blankets. It certainly isn't going to be the most comfortable place that she's ever slept, but it's going to be better than nothing at all.

She's in the middle of leaning across some of the seats, clearing out as much of the trash that she can, so she can push the seats back to lie across and drape the blanket over. Of course, then Derek's voice startles her out of what she's doing, and she jumps -- shoving the blanket hastily away, so he can't see it, and turns, face flaming red.]

He-ey. You're back.

[Derek knits his brow in annoyance.]

Yeah, well, I wasn't going to sleep in the office, was I? Quit acting weird, let's go. They only had one room. You can get me back for half later.

[It isn't that he knows something's wrong, he just assumes she's carrying plastic, because isn't that what most girls carry with them for method of payment these days?]

[Well. Fuck. Either he'd figured her out before heading into the hotel, or he still has no idea, and she's leaning towards the latter considering the look on his face, but either way she's screwed. Because chances are she doesn't even have the money for half the room, and now she's been backed into a corner, so she'll probably have to admit it.

She grabs the bag she'd been shoving things into hastily, trying not to move too much so she can keep the blanket out of view.]

I- uh. [Oh god, she's panicking. She can feel her heart about to burst out of her chest.]

[Stiles is taking her sweet time and her heart is racing like she's just run a goddamn marathon.]

Stilinski. What the hell is your problem? Let's go. I'm tired.

Edited 2014-06-04 02:35 (UTC)

[And that's pressing just enough, and she shoves the bag a little rougher than intended into the back of the Jeep. She can't quite meet his eyes when she finally blurts out--]

I don't have enough, okay. To split a room, or for my own.

[Maybe it's because Derek does have enough that he doesn't actually see the problem here. It shows on his face and the shrug that goes from his shoulders all the way down to his hands.]

So pay me back when you do, Stiles, Jesus. It's not a big deal. Let's go.

[She grabs the blanket from where it's falling just under the drivers seat, shoving it into the back as quickly as she's can, hoping he isn't paying that much attention. It- feels more important to her than it probably should. Not having the money for a Super 8. Her cheeks are flushed red from a low grade embarrassment.]

I- fine. Okay.

[He waits probably a little more impatiently than he ought to for Stiles to finish whatever she's doing and he catches a flash of fabric, knitting his brow.]

...Stiles?

[He takes a few steps closer, raising his eyebrows.]

What are you doing?

Nothing.

[She turns around a little quicker than she intends, knocking into him with an 'oof' sound, before trying to push him back -- her hands splayed against his chest. The blush is spreading to the tips of her ears now, and she should have just left the damn blanket where it was.]

Let's go...

[She's not fooling him, because the lie is accompanied with the tell in her heartbeat. Derek lifts an eyebrow and looks over her shoulder into the car, fingers curling around her wrists when she puts her hands on his chest to try to push him back. He remains unmoving.]

You weren't going to sleep in the Jeep. Please tell me you don't think I'm a big enough shitbag to let you do that.

[His eyes return to her face, then.]

[She can't look at him, as soon as he connects the dots together, the embarrassment washing over her in thick waves.]

That's not- I wasn't going to say anything.

[Rolling his eyes a little, Derek lets go of her wrists and puts an arm around her to drag her forward with him before he drops it away when he figures she's got the hint.]

Number six. Go on.

[There's only one thing for it now, and that's to head to the room with Derek. The last one in this place, apparently, because it'd appear more than one person had had the same idea as they had -- they'd just given in long before them.

She walks in silence, stopping outside the door as soon as they reach it, keeping herself to one side so he can open it.]

[Derek comes up behind Stiles and he's praying to himself that the damn room has two doubles when he pushes the key into the slot, turning the knob and pushing the door open.

...and of course it doesn't. Because that's Derek's life today.

Heaving a sigh, he notes the less-than-comfortable looking chair off to the side and figures he'll just sleep in that. She can have the bed; she needs the sleep more than he does since she's the one who'll be driving in the morning.

The room smells like a gym locker to him as he ushers her forward with a hand on the small of her back before starting forward himself.]

Super...

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That was also supposed to say 'flatterer'... whoops

haha I didn't even notice the mistake until you just pointed it out lmfao

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