noteasytobepink | Wheelsy AU ~ Tire changing

"Ninja stars would be cool." As long as he didn't hurt himself.

"Hey, it takes a town to feed a sheriff, or something." Yeah that wasn't the phrase, but Bill felt it should be.

As his own popcicle began to dribble Bill picked up the pace, and soon he was licking the stick clean, with very little mess.

Skills, he had them?

Tucking the stick into his mouth, Bill hopped down from the fence and offered Clarice his hand.

"Shall we?"

"Ninja stars are always cool, unless they're being thrown at you, then they're not so cool..." Oh the Hand, how she disliked them! But hey could learn! Easy!

She finished her own popsicle then eyed his offered hand with a syrup-stained grin. "You sure you're up for this?" Too bad if he wasn't, she was slipping off the fence and taking his hand anyway!

Her popsicle stick was being sacrificed to the greater good of traveling!

Ew.

Looking at his hand, Bill shook his head at her.

"You teach me ninja stars, an' I'll teach you how t'eat a popcicle." That seemed a fair trade to him.

Hey, it wasn't that bad! She'd gotten most the sticky!

Dork.

Her hand was fine.

"Sure sure, tease the girl who grew up without a freezer." Step lively now, that portal was as small and not-glowy as she could make it so people wouldn't notice it!

"I'd hate t'see the mess you'd make with a slice of watermelon, or some barbeque." Yes he was gonna tease, because it was fun, and because it helped him not think too hard about the whole teleporting business.

Just because he'd done it once and learned it wasn't so bad, didn't mean he didn't still have a few nerves about it.

He soon found out there was still nothing to it, though, as he stepped through to the other side.

"Bill...you act like I've never eaten before." She snorted. Watermelon and Barbeque were normal things after all! Utterly normal and not requiring freezing at all!

The portal flickered close behind them and she snickered. "I can even eat watermelon that has had Forge's engine degreaser added to it without passing out so I have passed every watermelon test I know..."

"Yeah, but did you make a mess with it?" Because that was the challenging part.

Looking around, he smiled.

"Wow, just where we meant t'be. You're good."

Giving her a nod, he started walking in the direction he knew the bar to be.

"Nope." She sniffed and dropped his hand in favor of hooking her arm in his. Easier to walk that way right? Also less self conscious about a sticky hand!

"And of course I'm good. I wouldn't trust the town sheriff to anyone but the best." She'd been leery about those plane pilots! She had!

He accepted her arm in his easily, and led the way.

"Well you're the best I know at doin' what you do, so I know I'm in good hands."

He got the door when they reached the bar, and stepped inside with her.

"Wanna get a table? We can grab a bite first, then see about some pool in the back?"

"Wanna get a sink," she muttered quietly. "Gonna wash my hands, I got cooties or something." Grumble grumble grumble.

She leaned up to kiss his cheek to prove she was teasing though and wove through the bar to the lighted 'restroom' signs. "Table sounds good!"

"I was only-- " he started to explain, but the kiss told him she already knew.

Giving her a smile, he nodded and went to find them a table.

Sitting down, he pulled a menu from behind the salt and pepper shakers, and looked it over.

Glancing towards the bathroom, he realized he really was starting to get used to this, having her around, and he really enjoyed it.

Yeah yeah yeah, he was only. Her hands were sticky! Pout!

She slid into a seat across from him a few minutes later and tapped fingers over the top[ of the menu. "What does the local guide suggest then?" Look ma, clean hands!

She may even have washed behind her ears...

Bill looked up when she returned, and laid his menu out flat on the table so she could see it.

"Burgers here are pretty good. So're the wings."

She leaned over the table, reading the menu upside down as a matter of course, then chuckled. "Which one, in your infinite wisdom, could I manage to eat without embarrassing you in public?" Teach her how to eat popsicles. Hmph.

"And either way we get a basket of fried stuff and beer."

"You know I was just kiddin', right?" he asked, starting to feel bad now for teasing.

"Baskets of fried stuff an' beer is the American way. I think I'm goin' with the burger."

"Of course I know," she chuckled and reached across the table to poke his nose. "Doesn't mean I can't pout!" Witness her pouty face!

POUT!

"And yay American food. I'll snag a burger too. That way there's no mistakes in the kitchen."

Bill nodded and waved over a waitress.

He ordered the burgers big, doubled the cheese, and of course added bacon, with beer on the side.

When the waitress left with the order he gave Clarice a smile.

"So, thanks for gettin' us here. I really was lookin' forward to gettin' out for a night."

"Hey, you deserve nights out just like anyone Bill," and 'out' sometimes meant 'out of town' and 'away from everyone looking at me funny'.

"Besides, it's a chance to observe you outside of your natural Wheelsy environment!"

He laughed at that, reaching for the bowl of peanuts on the table.

"What, am I science project now? 'Bill in the wild'?"

"Nah, you're just fun to watch." She leaned back in her seat comfortably and grinned across the table at him. "See? Like that right there, the smile tugging at your lips? Fun. And I bet you you're gonna look down at the peanut in your hand instea dof me until you can not blush..."

Hee?

"What? No, I-- " he glanced at the peanut, tried to find somewhere else to put his eyes, and finally ended up fiddling with the salt shaker and clearing his throat.

"I don't blush."

She chuckled softly and reache dout to tweak a bit of his hair gently. "Don't worry, you'll never beat me out in the pink department." So no need to worry or be self conscious right?

"You're not used to being complimented, which is weird to me given you're wonderful, so you get all hot and bothered when you do get complimented."

He glanced over and smiled, and it was more genuine and less flushed.

"It depends on who's doing the complimenting." Coming from her, a blush is almost always guaranteed.

"Is there someone else in your life who compliments you profusely?" She held a hand to her chest, dramatically shocked. SHOCKED! "Who are they? Tell me! I should make them an award for joining my 'get Bill smiling' crusade!"

Bill laughed, made a show of thinking about it, then replied with a bit of sheepishness.

"My mom? Sometimes."

Giving her a grin, he looked up as the waitress arrived with their beers. Accepting his, Bill took a drink.

"So maybe I don't get a whole lot of compliments. It just explains why it's so weird for me to accept them."

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