Log: takeout appreciation night

[searchandrecovery]

Who: Agent Washington and Oquirrh
What: A date and some reveals
Where: Washington's old apartment, now a safehouse
When: Saturday evening, 5/30
Warnings: Secrets have been kept. Potential language or temper tantrums



Out of all the things Wash has cleaned lately, cleaning the old apartment in preparation for Takeout Appreciation Night has been Wash's favorite. It was the biggest job by far, but once the roaches were swept away, dust eliminated, and furniture arranged, the apartment looked almost cozy, if slightly bare. He was never in it long enough to do full-scale interior decorating.

After the cleaning was done, Wash went to get the takeout. This time, it was quasi-Chinese: several paper cartons of noodles, stir fried vegetables, and teriyaki chicken. It wasn't the most creative of takeouts, but it was safe, and he knew the food was good. After all, who doesn't like takeout Chinese?

Now, he's waiting. The couch is set (after all, takeout should always be eaten on a couch), movies are selected if necessary, and he's all showered and dressed and ready to start. And oh, is he ready to start.

Comments

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

Getting dinner takes Oquirrh a little longer than it should have. She settles for a generic "Asian" restaurant from the same chain that she used to eat at in Armonia. They have delicious crab wontons, an amazing chocolate cake, and reasonable sticky rice, things that Washington might not think to get. She has also packed three more catnip mice (without their catnip or tails), the socks for Louisiana, and a drive with several of Jersey's pirated movies.

She should be more excited about this. She will be, as soon as she and Washington have talked.

She should have told him sooner. And if it's over between them--well, at least she can go home and eat well.

[searchandrecovery]

Wash has been looking out the window for a good ten minutes now, and breaks into a grin when he sees Oquirrh pull up. He's glad she's found the place all right. He rushes down to meet her. Sure, he could've just buzzed her in, but he's excited to see her and doesn't want to wait any longer than she has to. Plus, she might need help getting the takeout up the stairs. The building's elevator has been busted for years--it may have never even worked in the first place.

"Oquirrh!" He waves. "Glad you could make it!"

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

He's happy to see her. Oh, that's a good sign. So good. She calms considerably.

"Hey, Washington," she says. "So am I! Sorry I'm a little late. Dinner wasn't quite ready."

But she was. Very ready to be completely honest with him.

[searchandrecovery]

"Don't worry about it," he says. He hopes that's what she's worried about, and not something more serious. She seems to be relaxing now, though, so that's good.

"Do you want some help carrying the takeout up? It's a couple flights of stairs and the elevator doesn't really work."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"Sure," she says. Not because she needs help, but her hands are full and she can't take his hand in hers if she's carrying the food. She offers the plastic takeout bag to him, keeping the knitting at her side. "Thanks for offering. Elevators can be a menace, can't they?"

[searchandrecovery]

He takes the bag in one hand, and Oquirrh's hand in the other, lacing his fingers around hers. "The worst," he agrees, nudging the door open with his side. "We're not quite sure if the thing ever worked here, though. It's possible that it might've been placed as a really elaborate practical joke to the tenants."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

Oh, he's good. Or he wanted the same thing that she did, which is just as important. She lets him lead her inside. "Have you lived here long?" she asks. "That could be one way to know, maybe? It sounds like a game one of those corporate landlords might play."

[searchandrecovery]

"Nope, I was only here a few months before I moved to--" he nearly says 'the base,' but then decides against it. He doesn't want to give away his permanent residence if they're not supposed to talk about work. "Where I'm staying now," he finishes.

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

She catches the pause and feels a twinge of guilt. "It sounds like you liked this place enough to keep it, elevator notwithstanding," she says. "And I'm glad we can have somewhere to ourselves, you know?"

They'll talk about the base later.

[searchandrecovery]

He smiles. "Exactly. I knew I kept it for a reason." Because he totally planned on bringing chicks back here after he left it. Yup. It's a real chick pad, or whatever these places are called.

He takes the stairs two at a time, excited.

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"It's so thoughtful of you." His excitement is contagious. She matches his pace, grateful that she has been practicing running stairs. Not that he's too fast. She's just grateful to be able to keep up.

"And having a place to yourself is probably really nice if you ever want to get away from your team."

[searchandrecovery]

"Yeah, it is, although I really don't like leaving them for too long." Otherwise, next thing you know, there's a dick vacuumed in the carpet. Wash slides the handles of the bag over his wrist so he can reach into his pocket, grab the key, and unlock the door. "It's, uh, not much but it is private."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"You must have a good team," she says. "And they're lucky to have you." She only wishes she could be part of it.

"Hey, I used to spend four days per week in a reclaimed storage lodge in the mountains. This will be great for just us."

[searchandrecovery]

He gets back later than he wanted to. It's been at least an hour, maybe more, and it's dark outside. Part of him wonders if she's still there. He steps inside and removes his helmet before taking a look around.

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

Oquirrh doesn't know when Wash comes back. After he left, she put the leftover food in the fridge and cleaned everything up. She knew it was too much to hope that he would be back by then--he had probably only just reached his base--so she curls up on the couch to knit. At some point, she decided that sleep would be fine. She was up all night, first with Jersey and then talking to Florida. Closing her eyes for a minute wouldn't hurt.

Wash finds her lying with her head on the armrest, her limbs tucked close to take up as little space on the couch as possible.

[searchandrecovery]

He's glad he didn't call out her name when he sees Oquirrh curled up on the couch, gently sleeping. She must have really needed the rest. She's beautiful, he thinks. Peaceful and relaxed, at last. He tiptoes into the bedroom and brings out a patchwork quilt. He'd bought it at the market when he first got to Gulch, and it's served him faithfully. He drapes it over Oquirrh and sits on the floor next to her, careful not to wake her.

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

The weight at her shoulders wakes her only enjoy to curl into it tighter, relishing the warmth. Only half-awake, she's vaguely aware that she didn't hear Wash come in. He must have wonderful blankets that know exactly when to appear, then. She'll sleep with this one until he comes back. The thought makes her smile.

[searchandrecovery]

Wash wishes he owned magic blankets. That'd be pretty sweet. She seems to be taking well to it, though, and that thought makes Wash smile. She's safe now, at least. He doesn't want to think about the danger she's in. The danger that Florida says she's in. He'll just sit there, as if he's standing sentry. He picks up her knitting project, which must have fallen on the floor after she fell asleep. It's soft, intricate, amazing. Like her.

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

She's not sure what wakes her or why she opens her eyes, but when she does, Wash is there. "Hola, Querido," she whispers at first, because it's what springs to mind.

Then she realizes exactly where she is, what she's said, and the adoring way he watches her sleep, her knitting in his hands. She hides behind the blanket, embarrassed.

[searchandrecovery]

He perks up at the sound of her voice. While he doesn't know what each of those words means exactly, the sentiment is clear. He lifts the blanket, smiling, and pokes his head in. "Hello. I hope I didn't wake you up."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"Hi," she says, smiling back. He's so close now, her blush deepens. "You didn't. I didn't mean to make you wait."

[searchandrecovery]

"I wasn't waiting, I just got here. I'm sorry it's so late, though." He crawls on the couch and snuggles up next to her. "You looked like you needed the rest, anyway. And I don't blame you. There's been a lot happening."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"Don't be sorry. Not your fault. I'm just glad you're back."

They're snuggling. Her heart beats faster and she is definitely awake now. She leans close, enjoying his warmth.

"Did you get things figured out?" she asks.

[searchandrecovery]

"More or less. We have a plan now, at least. The others are gonna help you and Florida get Louisiana out of Control's grip." He frowns slightly at the mention of Control, but it can't be helped, really. Those bastards came after his friends, his family.

"It's going to be my job to keep you safe."

[oquirrh_at_the_wheel]

"It won't be easy," she says, "but I feel really good about that last part."