scurvyknavery (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
scurvyknavery) wrote2009-10-10 11:12 pm
scurvyknavery) wrote2009-10-10 11:12 pm
Ficlet Time! (HSM RPF 1950s AU, PG)
Originally posted 6 September, 2009.
Both of these are set in a sort of weird limbo, sometime after Backseat Sweetheart.
consider me when the scores are settled, 400 words
hsm rpf 1950s AU, Zac-and-Ash, implied Zac/Van and Van/Ash
Ash is out working on her car when she sees Zac again. He looks a little sheepish as he walks towards her, all greasy hair and scuffed motorcycle boots, but she can't tell if that's because he feels bad for putting the moves on her girl or nervous because she hit him. He stays a healthy distance away and watches her, leaning back against the neighbors' broken-down fence. Ash is tempted to tell him he should watch himself, the thing is about to fall down any day now, but she keeps her mouth shut.
If it does fall, he'll figure out his mistake quick enough without Ash talking.
She's not really fixing anything, just tinkering, tightening bolts and checking the oil because she can, because she likes the way she feels in greasy coveralls wrist-deep in the engine, doing things that'll make her baby run smooth. (She knows, she knows, it's a little like a metaphor. That's fine with Ash.) After a while, when it looks like Ash isn't going to rush over and hit him again, Zac wanders up to the car, both hands resting against it. "She's a beauty," he says.
Ash laughs, short and not like he's funny. "The car, or the girl?"
He lifts his sunglasses off his eyes, rests them on his forehead so he can really look at her face. Ash keeps staring at the guts of her car. "You going to hit me again if I say 'both'?"
Ash pushes away from the car, standing up. She reaches for the rag she keeps in her back pocket and wipes her hands, slow and methodical. She's not really going to hit him, she's not the fighting kind, but Zac doesn't need to know that. "I might."
"I'd really rather you didn't," he says, and turns so that he's leaning against the front bumper, rear end pressed to the headlights. Ashley turns to lean the same way.
"I'll keep that in mind," she says. Then, they're quiet.
"I didn't mean it," he says after a spell. He looks at her like he really didn't. "Nobody told me she was anybody's girl."
Ash rolls her eyes, nodding. "Nobody would."
"I like you, Ash," Zac says, and when Ash glances at his face he just looks like this scared little kid, nervous and wide-eyed and really hoping for a friend. He offers his hand.
Ash takes it.
set them straight and then, 754 words
hsm rpf 1950s AU, Zac-and-Ash, implied Zac/Van and Van/Ash
The next time Zac comes around, it's a Saturday. Ash doesn't know how he does it, but he manages to stop by on the one day when Van's working but she's not.
She's tinkering with the car again, wondering if it really needs an oil change or if she's just fishing for something to do. The dogs are piled on top of each other, looking bored, but when Zac crunches up the driveway they go running, this delirious mess of barking and tail-wagging - he hasn't even met them, and already he's their new best friend.
It sort of seems like that's catching, around here.
"Afternoon," Zac says as he walks up the driveway, stepping over the dogs as they jump around his ankles.
"It is," Ash says back, straightening. Her hands are still in the guts of the car, like she'd really rather be working, but she's up and she's looking at him, and that's something. Zac smiles, boyish and a little shy, like he gets that.
"How's she doing?" he asks, nodding at her, and Ash figures he's talking about the car.
"She's just fine," Ash says, but she might be talking about Van a little, too.
There's a pause, long and a little awkward. Zac reaches down to scratch Maui between the ears, and she rolls over onto her back in giddy ecstasy. "You've got a new friend," Ash says, before she can stop herself. He's still the guy who tried to put the moves on Ash's girl, he's still that new kid in town who's bad news, but here she goes being soft on him, all the same.
Zac chuckles, looking down at the dog like it's something new. "Looks like." He swings his arms back and forth, trying to work up the nerve for something. Ash notices, for the first time, that he's carrying a brown paper grocery bag.
She lets Zac fidget, waits until he's ready. She's not his mother, and it's not her job to help him say what he wants - even if there's a part of her that wants to help him out, she's not going to give in to it. Finally, he half-smiles and rubs the back of his neck and says, "I brought you something." Then, a few beats later, "If you want."
"Oh yeah?" Ash says, trying to sound aloof, but she's cleaning off her hands and sitting back against the front bumper, despite herself.
He opens the bag, and it's sandwiches and cold beer. That sounds so good right about now, and he's looking so earnest and hopeful, Ash can't say no.
By the time Van gets home, the hood of the car is closed and Ash and Zac are sitting on it, trying to teach each other about sports. Zac's talking up basketball, Ash is laying out the rules of baseball, and between them they're muddling through. It's honestly a bit of a surprise, how easily they get to talking when it's not about Van. But when she wanders up the driveway, looking tired and a little bit concerned, the two of them clam up like a pair of schoolkids caught misbehaving.
"Hey," Ash says, just to Van. She hears it in her voice, those girly, hey you notes that she'd never use with anyone else, and being in front of Zac makes her ears burn, a little.
But Van smiles right back, wide and easy, and says, "Hey, you." She does it in that voice that's just for Ash, and that makes it all okay. She snakes her arm around Ash's waist, even though Zac's right there and he can see, and Ash can tell Van's holding back from giving her a kiss, but just barely. "Zac," she says, like it's a little funny that he's there.
"Afternoon," he says, picking at the label on his beer bottle. He glances over at Ash, suddenly shy, and moves to stand. "I was just leaving."
On any of the days before this one, Ash would've let him, and gladly. But, well. Maybe Zac's not so bad. Maybe she sort of likes the idea of having him as a friend. "No you weren't," Ash says, eyes flicking to Van to see if it's alright. She's smiling, like she's proud of Ash, and that helps a lot. "Stay. At least for another beer."
Zac beams, like that was the best thing Ash could've said, and relaxes back onto the car. Maui hops into his lap, panting happily, and that settles it. He stays.
Both of these are set in a sort of weird limbo, sometime after Backseat Sweetheart.
consider me when the scores are settled, 400 words
hsm rpf 1950s AU, Zac-and-Ash, implied Zac/Van and Van/Ash
Ash is out working on her car when she sees Zac again. He looks a little sheepish as he walks towards her, all greasy hair and scuffed motorcycle boots, but she can't tell if that's because he feels bad for putting the moves on her girl or nervous because she hit him. He stays a healthy distance away and watches her, leaning back against the neighbors' broken-down fence. Ash is tempted to tell him he should watch himself, the thing is about to fall down any day now, but she keeps her mouth shut.
If it does fall, he'll figure out his mistake quick enough without Ash talking.
She's not really fixing anything, just tinkering, tightening bolts and checking the oil because she can, because she likes the way she feels in greasy coveralls wrist-deep in the engine, doing things that'll make her baby run smooth. (She knows, she knows, it's a little like a metaphor. That's fine with Ash.) After a while, when it looks like Ash isn't going to rush over and hit him again, Zac wanders up to the car, both hands resting against it. "She's a beauty," he says.
Ash laughs, short and not like he's funny. "The car, or the girl?"
He lifts his sunglasses off his eyes, rests them on his forehead so he can really look at her face. Ash keeps staring at the guts of her car. "You going to hit me again if I say 'both'?"
Ash pushes away from the car, standing up. She reaches for the rag she keeps in her back pocket and wipes her hands, slow and methodical. She's not really going to hit him, she's not the fighting kind, but Zac doesn't need to know that. "I might."
"I'd really rather you didn't," he says, and turns so that he's leaning against the front bumper, rear end pressed to the headlights. Ashley turns to lean the same way.
"I'll keep that in mind," she says. Then, they're quiet.
"I didn't mean it," he says after a spell. He looks at her like he really didn't. "Nobody told me she was anybody's girl."
Ash rolls her eyes, nodding. "Nobody would."
"I like you, Ash," Zac says, and when Ash glances at his face he just looks like this scared little kid, nervous and wide-eyed and really hoping for a friend. He offers his hand.
Ash takes it.
set them straight and then, 754 words
hsm rpf 1950s AU, Zac-and-Ash, implied Zac/Van and Van/Ash
The next time Zac comes around, it's a Saturday. Ash doesn't know how he does it, but he manages to stop by on the one day when Van's working but she's not.
She's tinkering with the car again, wondering if it really needs an oil change or if she's just fishing for something to do. The dogs are piled on top of each other, looking bored, but when Zac crunches up the driveway they go running, this delirious mess of barking and tail-wagging - he hasn't even met them, and already he's their new best friend.
It sort of seems like that's catching, around here.
"Afternoon," Zac says as he walks up the driveway, stepping over the dogs as they jump around his ankles.
"It is," Ash says back, straightening. Her hands are still in the guts of the car, like she'd really rather be working, but she's up and she's looking at him, and that's something. Zac smiles, boyish and a little shy, like he gets that.
"How's she doing?" he asks, nodding at her, and Ash figures he's talking about the car.
"She's just fine," Ash says, but she might be talking about Van a little, too.
There's a pause, long and a little awkward. Zac reaches down to scratch Maui between the ears, and she rolls over onto her back in giddy ecstasy. "You've got a new friend," Ash says, before she can stop herself. He's still the guy who tried to put the moves on Ash's girl, he's still that new kid in town who's bad news, but here she goes being soft on him, all the same.
Zac chuckles, looking down at the dog like it's something new. "Looks like." He swings his arms back and forth, trying to work up the nerve for something. Ash notices, for the first time, that he's carrying a brown paper grocery bag.
She lets Zac fidget, waits until he's ready. She's not his mother, and it's not her job to help him say what he wants - even if there's a part of her that wants to help him out, she's not going to give in to it. Finally, he half-smiles and rubs the back of his neck and says, "I brought you something." Then, a few beats later, "If you want."
"Oh yeah?" Ash says, trying to sound aloof, but she's cleaning off her hands and sitting back against the front bumper, despite herself.
He opens the bag, and it's sandwiches and cold beer. That sounds so good right about now, and he's looking so earnest and hopeful, Ash can't say no.
By the time Van gets home, the hood of the car is closed and Ash and Zac are sitting on it, trying to teach each other about sports. Zac's talking up basketball, Ash is laying out the rules of baseball, and between them they're muddling through. It's honestly a bit of a surprise, how easily they get to talking when it's not about Van. But when she wanders up the driveway, looking tired and a little bit concerned, the two of them clam up like a pair of schoolkids caught misbehaving.
"Hey," Ash says, just to Van. She hears it in her voice, those girly, hey you notes that she'd never use with anyone else, and being in front of Zac makes her ears burn, a little.
But Van smiles right back, wide and easy, and says, "Hey, you." She does it in that voice that's just for Ash, and that makes it all okay. She snakes her arm around Ash's waist, even though Zac's right there and he can see, and Ash can tell Van's holding back from giving her a kiss, but just barely. "Zac," she says, like it's a little funny that he's there.
"Afternoon," he says, picking at the label on his beer bottle. He glances over at Ash, suddenly shy, and moves to stand. "I was just leaving."
On any of the days before this one, Ash would've let him, and gladly. But, well. Maybe Zac's not so bad. Maybe she sort of likes the idea of having him as a friend. "No you weren't," Ash says, eyes flicking to Van to see if it's alright. She's smiling, like she's proud of Ash, and that helps a lot. "Stay. At least for another beer."
Zac beams, like that was the best thing Ash could've said, and relaxes back onto the car. Maui hops into his lap, panting happily, and that settles it. He stays.