thisavrou_log | Life is like a box of chocolates

Life is like a box of chocolates

Who: Trish Walker and you
When: Tail end of first week of March
Where: Garden and Bruce's room
What: Sullenly eating chocolate and cursing the existence of Feelings
Warnings: Will add if necessary

Garden

When a man and a woman like each other very much... they sometimes come to the conclusion that it would still be best if they didn't make things complicated by trying to have a relationship whilst traveling through space in a ship whose captains kidnapped them from another dimension.

And sometimes, even knowing that that decision really is a very sensible and mature way of handling things, the woman decides to hang up a blanket between a couple of bushes, wrap herself in another blanket and sit in her little makeshift tent and eat chocolate and drink a lot of something that at least tastes a lot like milk. She's never sure about anything she gets from the mess hall here, in all honesty.

Look, sitting alone in her bed just made her think of Bruce's bed and that just started up a whole cycle of sad thoughts so she decided to go for whimsy.

She's sitting cross-legged and balancing a notepad on one knee, thoughtfully chewing on a piece of chocolate as she tries to come up with what to talk about during the following day's broadcast. "Interstellar dating" it says on the top of the page, though she isn't actually going to ask anyone on board about their love lives. She's just brainstorming a bit because it beats sitting around dwelling on her own frustration.

It's a crush. It'll pass.

If it doesn't, she might start breaking things.

Insomnia crisis (closed to Bruce)

For a while there, Trish went back to pretty much hardcore ignoring Bruce because she simply couldn't figure out how to talk to him without screaming 'KISS ME, DAMN IT' with her entire being, which not only felt uncomfortably needy but also wasn't at all a good step in the whole 'let's be friends' direction that they have sort of agreed to take.

It does help a lot that Jessica is on board now, since that kind of shifted her emotional centre of gravity in a big way. She still aches for Bruce pretty much all the time, but he's definitely not the person on board that she's closest to anymore.

That said, when night comes creeping and she can't sleep, it's not Jessica's arms she wishes she could feel around her, and eventually she just sort of cracks and gets out of bed to make her way over to Bruce's room and knock on the door.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

For a few seconds after she closes the door and turns on the water, Bruce is almost rendered useless by the mere knowledge that she's right on the other side of that door, wearing nothing at all while underneath the spray of warm water. But unlike her, he doesn't indulge in those thoughts, he can't– so he focuses on getting ready instead.

He takes the chance that she's not there to change into his civies, pajamas tucked underneath his pillow, putting on his shoes too. He uses his leftover time to get together whatever else he needs for the day, then offers her a small smile when she comes out of the bathroom.

"I showered last night," he clarifies, just in case she's wondering why he's dressed already. "I just need to freshen up a little, then we can go and have breakfast together?"

Actually knowing that just the thought of her naked has the power to render Bruce useless for any amount of time at all would be pretty nice.

Trish folds up the borrowed clothing and puts it in a neat pile on his bed, figuring that he will know better than her what to do with them.

"Sounds nice."

Going off to have breakfast together, another item added to the "I could get used to this" list.

Those clothes are going straight to wash before Bruce gives into some ridiculous desire to sniff at them like some infatuated teenager.

Breakfast, though, that he definitely would like to get used to, either way they decide to go about this. That or any other meal, much like he told her before, he would very much enjoy her company, and that is only truer now.

He's quick in the bathroom, washing his face and brushing his teeth, and joining her a few minutes later. Grabbing his things – books, glasses and lab coat mostly –, he gestures to the door.

"Let's go?"

Trish nods and takes the lead stepping out of the room, her hand itching to reach for his though she resists that impulse. Probably not a good idea to walk hand in hand into the mess hall before they work out what sort of relationship they really want to be having.

"Thank you for... everything. I'll try not to make a habit of scratching on your door when I can't sleep."

If the man needs to think he also probably needs space.

For what it's worth, it's an urge Bruce is fighting back right now too, and once he closes the door behind him he ends up pocketing his free hand just so he won't give into temptation, or to avoid their hands from doing that awkward brushing thing as they walk down the hallway side by side.

"That's alright. I liked this, it was nice."

Even if, granted, it doesn't help much in giving him time alone to think about all this. Hopefully it won't take him that long to figure all this out.

"It was."

Actually she'd say nice is a bit of an understatement, but it's not wrong.

"What's on your to-do list today?"

Someone give her the strength to not find a hole in their schedules to come looking to sneak in a kiss or two. That would be bad.

Well, it was pretty amazing, but 'nice' is a simpler and more neutral way to put it, which is what he was going for.

"Doing some work at the department, but also finishing what I was doing yesterday at the cargo bay. Also hopefully not getting darted again, that's definitely on my to-do list."

He smiles a little, jokingly. He has a feeling Niko will be extra vigilant today anyway, after what happened.

"What about you?"

"I like the sound of you not getting darted, yes."

She bumps his shoulder a little with hers as they walk.

"Jusy the broadcast. Thinking about making an announcement to call for other nedia types on board to create a hub of sorts where we can all work together. Like your department but for my people."

He smiles lopsidedly, leaning in when she bumps against him lightly, stopping just as they reach the lift. Door opening, he waits for her to step inside, then he does the same.

"That sounds nice. So sort of developing all kinds of media on board, right? I know there are some people whose job post is journalist, so maybe you can start there. It'd be interesting to see a core system tying it all together on board the ship, and you could do as much entertainment stuff as you could cover actual news and events."

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking."

She smiles brightly at him, pleased that he can see what she's trying to do.

More information is always a good thing, and let's be honest here, Trish enjoys being a boss.

"That sounds great. I hope you manage to get something going."

He smiles at her, then settles into a strange sort of silence while the lift takes them down to the mess hall, the quiet only more awkward considering they just spent the morning kissing in bed.

Well, they're going to have to learn to be quiet around each other eventually but Trish keenly feels the oddness of the whole thing as well, which is why she lets out a quiet little laugh.

"Okay this is probably going to make things even more awkward but... am I the only one feeling like it's weird that we're not touching now?"

She doesn't mean to say that it actually is weird, of course, but she has a feeling he'll get her meaning without her having to explain it much.

Bruce has experienced much more uncomfortable and loaded moments, for what it's worth, and he likes being with Trish more than enough that the awkwardness isn't anything he can't handle.

He does chuckle a little when she speaks up, though, his head ducking.

"Well, I'm pretty sure it would be weird and frowned upon if we started doing now what we were doing in bed. I mean, in, uh... before."

Wow, good job at not making things more awkward, Bruce. But at least he makes up for it a little by reaching out and holding her hand lightly. It won't last long, but it's nice to share that touch for just the duration of the lift ride.

She laughs and gives his hand an affectionate squeeze. He's such a dork.

"I don't know, some people would probably enjoy the show."

Well yes he is, but she knew what she was getting into long before now.

"Maybe," he curls his fingers around her hand a little, his smile shy. "But it wouldn't be a kind of show I'd like to put on."

Regardless of relationship status, that is— Bruce really isn't the type for more blatant public displays of affection.

"Guess I'll have to stick to giving you private shows then."

Okay, that one slipped out before she actually took the time to think things through, and she winces before giving him an apologetic look.

"Sorry."

She really should know all about not coming on too strong considering how often people have done that exact thing to her.

For what it's worth, Bruce takes that more as a poor choice of words than anything else, even if he still flusters profusely at that. He chuckles, a sound somewhere between mildly amused and incredibly embarrassed, and he shakes his head.

"It's fine. I got it, I— I know what you meant."

"You know, I have had people hitting on me in the grossest way since I was a teenager. You'd think I'd be a bit smoother than this."

But something about Bruce apparently makes her act like she really is a teenager again, clumsy and fumbling and infatuated.

"I promise you, you're not being gross. Or creepy in any way. And it's not like I can talk when it comes to being smooth, so."

Honestly, he may as well earn a prize in being a clueless dork when it comes to things like this.

The elevator stops and she lets go of his hand before the doors open, giving him a relieved smile.

"Actually you're not as bad as you think. You mean well, and you never make offensive assumptions."

She steps out of the elevator and heads toward where she can get herself something she is going to call coffee even if she's not sure that it actually is coffee.

There's a weird sense of loss and disappointment when she lets go of his hand, but he says nothing to it. They had to let go eventually after all, he knows that. He smiles back at her instead, following her out of the lift and towards the mess hall.

"Thanks."

He means it, really. That's kind of what he aims for, at least around people he likes— he can still be an asshole to those he doesn't.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Life is like a box of chocolates

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject