bakerstreet | (no subject)

[ getting into the car, gansey holds out a hand for his things. he can keep them on his lap while she drives. ]

Where are you taking me?

[ he would rather avoid the hospital. it's just a sprain, most likely, so some ice and a brace or bandages should be enough. right? ]

[ Blue climbs into the car after Gansey, and upon his silent prompting, she puts the items directly into his lap. Just take a break already! At the question, she makes a face as though she means to think for a moment, reaching into the back for her bag. From it, she withdraws an open water bottle and a container of aspirin. ]

Well, I know you're opposed to the hospital, so. Home, I think. Here, you can have those.

[ She takes the cap off both the pills and the water, holding out a pair of the pills and keeping the water handy for when he might need it. She doesn't seem to be offering him the option of refusing. ] You do have ice in your fridge, I hope.

[ In the bathroom. You strange boy. ]

[ he knows better than to refuse! and he would appreciate the effects of some painkillers. they'll reduce the swelling, too. he takes the pills, pops them into his mouth and then takes the water bottle from her to drink them down. ]

There should be. If not I definitely have a bag of frozen peas.

[ he hands her the bottle for her to close up, giving her a grateful look. for the painkillers and water, but also for taking him directly to monmouth rather than the hospital. ]

[ Blue waves her hand back and forth, indicating Gansey should keep the bottle. It's not much of an offering, since some was already missing and it's probably not terribly cold, but for some reason she just can't take it back. Instead, she sets the cap on his knee, no fuss associated with the gesture. ]

I suppose that's better than a fridge full of butter and bacon.

[ She puts the key in the ignition, aware in the back of her mind that what she's about to do borders on a religion for these boys of hers. Best be cautious and not jostle Gansey lest he get hurt some other way. Or the hurt he already has gets worse. ]

[ gansey picks up the bottle cap to keep it from rolling off into the depths of the camara, palming it against his gripo n the bottle. he takes another sip. ]

Don't forget yogurt with the fruit in it. And those... [ he hesitates. ] teas. [ so called. ]

Edited 2015-12-04 21:57 (UTC)

[ The Pig offers its vocal opinion on yogurt with fruit in it on Blue's behalf, but obligingly sets them on the path back to Monmouth. At the wheel, Blue seems both relaxed and nervous, a bizarre combination that makes her look like a small, but somehow placid hurricane. ]

Oh, we rarely keep teas in the fridge any more. [ As if this should be reassuring. ] And I've adopted a scorched earth policy for fruity yogurts. [ It sounds remarkably casual, this destructive yogurt behavior. ] I can't have you over to eat it all the time, after all.

[ Or, she could. But she won't. ]

It's the best kind! I don't know how you don't like it.

[ let's not comment on how he wouldn't mind eating the fruit part of her yogurt all the time. at least blue is driving carefully, seeming both anxious and at ease. he wonders if it's driving that worries or, her driving the pig. either way, seeing her at the wheel doesn't bother him at all. ]

What's so good about it? Fruit just taints yogurt's inherent goodness.

[ Thankfully, she's still very careful behind the wheel in spite of her emotional outburst against the evils of putting fruit in the bottom of cups of delicious yogurt. She cranes her neck slightly so as to keep everything pertinent in view. Gansey has no trouble with this, of course, because he's so leggy. And tall. And not-short. ]

It's fruit. And it adds sweetness.

[ okay, she does look a little tiny behind the wheel. the camaro isn't huge to begin with.

he takes another sip of water, despite it being warm. the throb in his hand is ebbing somewhat. ]

When you mix it all together it's a two in one desert.

It's mushy.

[ It doesn't take much car to show off how tiny a girl Blue's size is - and the Pig truly is a monster of its own kind. Still, Blue might well be a similar sort of monster, just a bit smaller and not as loud. In that way, they're sort of suited to one another. ]

I disagree with the idea that just because something is sweet it's a dessert. [ She says this when the car is at a stop, furtively glancing over at Gansey, perhaps with the intention of checking to see how he's doing. Perhaps under the guise of doing so. ]

[ gansey is inspecting his hand at the moment, testing the tender flesh of the heel of his palm with his other hand, bottle tucked between his legs. ]

Mushy. [ he repeats it under his breath like a near scoff, but there's no disdain in it. he thinks that's a cute way to put it. ] Maybe you're right, but dessert is better when it's sweet.

[ looking up at her with a grin: ]

That much you can't deny.

[ While they're still stopped, Blue will take the opportunity to reach out and swat at the air near his hands, as if to dissuade him from what he's doing. ]

I didn't say "not all desserts are sweet," I said, "not all sweets are dessert." [ She averts her eyes after getting caught in the brilliance of Gansey's impossible smile.

Watch where you point that thing, mister! The right hand, or mouth as the case may be, that's a weapon of mass destruction. ]

I'm not as picky as you seem to think.

[ with the air of a scolded child, gansey lets his own hand go. he picks up the water bottle again, drinking if only to have something to do. he's gearing up to protest, playfully. ]

You won't eat the best part of fruit yogurt! It's a little picky.

[ the light turns green, and gansey points out of the windshield, water bottle cap held against his palm with his curled fingers. ]

What's your favorite kind of yogurt, anyway?

[ Appeased, Blue looks away so as to put her eye on the road again. Empty roads in the middle of nowhere are highly conducive for Blue to be both cautious in her driving and attentive to her passenger, whose comfort and well-being seems to be of some importance to her. Still, it's not as though she's going to stop paying attention to one or the other entirely.

She does out a sigh, however, purely for the purpose of drama, when he calls her out for her picky behavior. Once that's in the past, she can turn her attention to the question, which she does with startling (or not so startling) seriousness. Oh, and the driving. The car is in motion before she answers, however. ]

Honey. [ She bites her lip. ] Or vanilla with cinnamon. And I suppose yours is one with bits in it.

How did you guess?

[ gansey likes that she took the question seriously. he really had been curious, and he files the information for later. he'll bring her yogurt, sometime. without fruits.

for now, he drops his head back against the headrest, going between watching the road ahead and glancing at her. the road and driving should be keeping blue distracted enough that she won't pay it much notice. experimentally, gansey tries to move his thumb only to notice that the painkillers' effect works as long as he doesn't do that. he winces, hoping blue hasn't caught the expression out of the corner of her eyes, then keeps the conversation flowing. ]

What about other kinds of desserts? Anything our Jane favors?

There's no other reason you'd be so interested in my leftovers.

[ Little does she know. Her tone is as casual as anything, betraying only her lack of understanding as to how Gansey - a person she quite likes and occasionally respects very much! - could possibly find fruity yogurt acceptable. ]

Also, I've learned at least a few things about you in the time we've known each other.

[ She does miss the wince, which is lucky in a way, because it would have gotten her attention off the road and it's getting a bit hairy (as some country roads are apt to do) in terms of width and lane consistency. She's used to it, being Henrietta born and bred. Also, these were the roads where she first learned to drive.

She's much less comfortable in the Ford, which might be significant somehow. Speaking of distractions- ]

Who's your Jane? [ She makes a frustrated sound both at herself and the road when her reaction to the very words she's just spoken is the tiniest of swerves. Nothing dangerous, but she knows it happened and if she looks over, she'll know Gansey knows it happened, so she keeps her eyes fixed forward. ] I also like frozen yogurt.

[ She says that just to be contrary. ]

[ of course not. no other reason at all. gansey decides not to comment on that, in large part because he's not sure himself. only that sharing food with blue feels... nice. you don't do that with anyone and everyone, after all. it's a way to feel close to her without feeling like he's breaching their self established security parameter. ]

Frozen yogurt. Noted.

[ the tiny swerve is noticeable enough, but since she barely even glances at him, gansey doesn't over think it. he's selective about that. at times over thinking things into bigger messes than they are, at others, thinking too little about things he should definitely think about.

tucking the bottle between his legs again, he leans his elbow on the edge of the window, resting his head against his hand and watching blue drive. there's a curious smile on his face. ]

What else have you learned about me?

[ it's not conscious, but since he doesn't expect a very serious answer, this is his way to let her unload a little and focus on other things than his injury. ]

[ A lot of the ways in which they're close with one another revolve around negotiating the rules they've set for their relationship, which cannot be defined. According to the rules. Blue isn't entirely unhappy with it.

She's not entirely happy with it either. ]

Are you taking notes?

[ She's focused again, so there will likely be no swerving or any sudden movements that could be read as poor handling of the precious Pig. She's just going to answer Gansey's question in a cool, calm fashion. Sensibly, if you will. It's no trouble at all to do so. Why would it be? She knows a lot of things about him, most of which are basically harmless.

So, naturally, the first thing that comes from her mouth isn't. ]

You touch your lips when you're thinking sometimes. [ Her throat feels like it closes up for a moment, her knuckles turn white, and she keeps her eyes on the road, always on the road. ] And you chew a lot of mint leaves.

[ No, another comment about his mouth. She needs to get away from that area, lest it sounds like she thinks about it often. ] And you own too many pairs of boat shoes.

[ mental notes, maybe. he likes knowing ways to make her happy. before he can comment on that she's speaking again and gansey digs his fingers into the palm of his injured hand to try and control the rush he feels upon hearing them. it's nothing new, exactly, not like she'd noticed something about himself he hadn't, but hearing her say them like that, knuckles white on the steering wheel, is something new. watching her now evokes a strong tug in his chest, a desire to say screw everything else and do something about this, but he stifles it quickly.

at least the comment about the shoes is something he can comment on, a safer road to travel. it's frustrating for them to have this clear road ahead they both know they can't walk, and having instead to take the uncleared path diverging away from it.

frustrating, but there are a hundred good reasons to stick to it. he exhales. ]

Boat shoes are very sensible shoes, Jane. I would think you could appreciate that.

[ Blue would, if she were allowed to do so in this metaphorical universe of theirs, spend all her afternoons clearing that path of debris. What she'd like to throw on the fire is the biggest piece of debris of all, but that would be her whole self. Or, at least her cursed mouth, and she thinks perhaps - if there's something on the other side of that curse - she'd like to have it around if she were to be allowed a proper kiss someday.

No, not a proper kiss. She's had a kiss and it wouldn't be fair to call it something other than proper. Without anything else to base it upon and because it was a gift from a person she considers a friend, that is.

In the meanwhile, back in reality, she forces herself to become ever more concerned about boat shoes. Because boat shoes are a much more sensible thing to be concerned about than Gansey's lips. Gansey's mouth - from which come such wonderful and frustrating things. ]

I appreciate the sense, but not the volume. Do you even know how many different pairs you have? [ She lets a little combativeness into her voice, because that will keep her on the alert for more rule-breaking. ]

I have enough.

[ it's the kind of topic that leads itself to arguing. one of those differences between him and his friends that he has a hard time reconciling. and gansey has long ago learned that blue being upset with him is uncomfortable and unpleasant and something he would rather avoid as best as he can.

the combative note in her voice isn't lost on gansey, so he tries a light tease to appease her. ]

At least mine match.

[ its said as he leans over to glance at her feet, grinning at her from his spot where he's leaning over. ]

[ His teasing works. She responds with a noise of exaggerated affront, scowling softly. ] Now you've got a problem with my shoes?

[ She shakes her head, letting her foot off the gas a bit so she can make a turn. There's no fire burning in her eyes to make it seem like she's seriously upset, so it appears she's going along with this for the time being. ] I think you're jealous you didn't think that up yourself.

[ That's a bit weak, but she also wants to get across that she's kidding. He can say what he likes about her clothing - it's hers and she likes it and that's all that matters. And, she supposes, that goes both ways. If Gansey feels the need to fill his whole closet, floor to ceiling, with tacky and expensive shoes, well.

That's a bit more judgment than she really had to mentally exercise. She glances down very briefly at his shoes. They're not that awful.

Maybe. ]

[ good clothes can get you far, that's something he's always been told and still abides. he may not want the life his parents lead, nor the one they want for him, but he does find comfort in his boat shoes and his colorful polos.

just like he knows that blue's choices are hers, and that's what makes her clothes special. she spells out who she is with them. he might not always understand said choices, but that's part of the charm. ]

I'm not sure two different pairs of my kind of shoe would make much of an impact.

[ gansey watches the road again, watches as they drive past homes that charmed him in the end, as surely as henrietta had, as surely as blue had. ]

[ There's a spot deep inside where Blue probably understands this. Most likely. She knows she's trying to say something with what she wears, so why can't he? He's certainly more than President Cell Phone and somehow she thinks his uniform isn't the same as President Cell Phone's either. Not precisely.

Still, boat shoes are just not practical in all situations. That will always be true and she'll keep saying it forever. For his sake. ]

Well. [ She inches forward, hands gripping the wheel more firmly. ] I don't know what to say to that. How disappointing.

Yours works better.

[ he says this while looking at her again, even if the combination of his words and his stare could be dangerous. hers works better because it's hers. her statement to make. there's a lot about blue that gansey appreciates but that he might not have if it came from anyone else. all of her parts make a person he doesn't want to turn away from, if he can help it.

returning his eyes to the road before he watches her for too long (her profile is nice to trace with his eyes, addictive), he taps his fingers against the nearly empty water bottle. ]