noteasytobepink | The DINNER ~ Wheelsy AU

The DINNER ~ Wheelsy AU

She'd been working two days, a day to get a handle on the simple art of flower arranging (complicated stuff would come later) and to start learning delivery routes. It had been nice to be moving again, doing something, anything, constructive and today...

...today she actually teleported back to Bill's house with an armload of groceries and flailed. "I'M RUNNING LATE! DID THE ROAST IN THE CROCKPOT TURN OUT...wait. YOU"RE NOT HOME ARE YOU?!"

It probably wasn't time for him to be home. Meep. Talking to an empty house and running late on starting the meal still! Right! Dough! Dough first, for bread and a sweet dough for tarts. Those needed to rise, then she could start peeling potatoes...

Right. She could do this. She flipped on the radio, tossed her floral shop hat on the counter and stared COOKING. Dancing and cooking but hey who didn't need music to cook well? "Knife!" she called out, years of habit having the warning go out amidst the music so no one got hit by the knife headed toward the sink.

She tended to throw things when she was cooking. Yep.

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To June's credit she only faltered slightly when catching sight of Clarice. Word had of course gotten around town about the pink girl staying at Bill's house, but seeing her was a bit of a different thing than hearing about it.

"Hello, there."

Bill took in a nervous deep breath, and stood to the side so he could do introductions.

"Mom, this is Clarice. Clarice, this is my mom, June."

Clarice stepped fully into the hall to offer a slightly flour dusted hand. "Clarice Creed," she added easily. "Bill's live in headache and flower delivery girl. He's told me a lot about you!"

Granted the house was cleaner and she was less of a headache for him now as she used to be but...

Bill hesitated, wondering if now would be a good time to tack on the 'girlfriend' part, but decided maybe not quite yet.

June didn't hesitate in the least at the flour, although she held onto Clarice's hand a moment longer than normal to get a look at the pink.

"Live in headache?" Chuckling, she moved on past Clarice into the kitchen to set the pie down. "Oh, now I'm sure that's not true."

Yep, solid, non-smearing pink. 100% natural even! At least it felt like normal skin? Odd calluses on her fingers, but otherwise soft and supple? "Well, I do confuse him fiercely sometimes," she admitted with a grin.

Hmmm, that pie was...going to have to move, yes. "And you're tempting Bill on purpose setting it there aren't you?" she grinned. "Is this part of the 'I sugar them up because they don't live with me anymore' ploy?"

Glancing at the pie and then Bill she laughed at Clarice.

"Oh, no. He knows much better'n that."

True enough, Bill was hovering, but still giving the pie a wide berth.

"Y'both act like I'm a little kid in the kitchen," he said with a slight pout.

"You stuck your finger in my mashed berries!" Clarice laughed and shook a finger at Bill as a matter of course. "But where are my manners? Dinner's about ready, have a seat!"

Yes, even you Bill, with that tempting pie on the table. "What does everyone want to drink?"

"Wooden spoon'll fix that quick," June replied, giving Clarice a wink.

Bill pulled out June's chair for her and looked worried between the two of them, suddenly realizing he might be outnumbered here.

"Some sweet tea'll do me," June answered Clarice.

Sitting down, Bill replied, "I'll have some of that, too."

...sweet tea. Well, here was to hoping Bill had made some? IT HADN'T OCCURRED TO HER! She pulled open the fridge with her fingers crossed and smiled when she saw the pitcher. Saved?

Totally saved!

"I think Bill would pout at me if I smacked him with a spoon, and I'm weak against pouting."

"He does use it t'get away with a lot," June agreed, but with a certain bemused fondness.

As the subject of their conversation Bill sat back and tried not to squirm.

"But he's adorable so sometimes it's alright," Clarice admitted once glasses were filled. "And at least sometimes he'll eat veggies for me so I can't complain."

"Really?" June asks, arching a brown and turning to regard Bill. "What's your secret for that?"

"Oh, c'mon, mom, I eat my vegetables."

"When they're drowned in dressin' or hidin' with meat."

"A willingness to hand feed him in front of the precinct," she deadpanned.

Yep. Easiest secret ever.

There was a loud whoop, and then June was laughing bright and ecstatic.

Bill sat by, the tips of his ears burning red and not looking at either one of them.

Clarice wrinkled her nose at Bill, then reached over to trace fingers along his cheek gently. "We're both stubborn people, sometimes we have to think outside the norm."

Despite himself, Bill smiled, though his features were still flush with embarrassment.

June calmed, dabbing the corners of her eyes with a napkin and shaking her head in mirth.

"Well, it was a good idea... " Looking up to see the touch and Bill's smile, June's voice faltered a moment before picking up again. "especially if it's workin'."

"Yeah, we seem to be managing alright," she noted with a grin before letting her fingers drop. "Well enough to invite his mom to dinner anyway! We should actually serve stuff up huh?"

"Whatever you've made smells delicious, so I'm certainly ready t'dig in," June replied.

"I'm starvin'," Bill put in. "Let's eat."

He turned to throw a grin at his mom and saw the thoughtful expression she was regarding him with. Her eyes on Bill, June spoke to Clarice.

"So, now, I never did get the whole story on you endin' up here. Just bits an' pieces of the gossip goin' around town, an' I hate t'put any stock in all that. You been here how long, now?"

Yep, see, this was the part she'd known was coming! Thankfully this one they had covered. Kinda. "Bill found me at the edge of town with a knife in my shoulder," she admitted easily enough. "I've been here going on a few month now? Enough to heal up properly." And a little bit more honestly.

"As for how I got there, well, that's a long story and I'm not suppose to tell all of it since I was found when I went into witness protection."

June's eyes widen, and her expression shifts to surprised concern.

"Oh my, that-- you poor dear. Are you safe?" She turns to Bill. "Bill, what's the department doin'? How long's she gonna have t'hide?"

"It's alright, we're handlin' it," he reassures her, feeling a small pang of guilt for the lie.

"I'm perfectly safe here ma'am," she noted. "I did a very good job of losing the man after me, even shook the handlers who were trying to help me, and they figure that staying here in a quiet little town is best." She was a little better at lying, honestly, came from world hopping.

"Besides, I'm living with the sheriff and now that I'm back on my feet I can pick up my self defense stuff again. As for how long..." she shrugged, at a complete loss for ideas. "Trial for the guy I testified against, then making sure he doesn't have any friends left outside...could be a while."

"That's good, I'm glad that you're gonna be alright." She honestly was, the whole situation sounded very scary.

Reassured of that, June turned back to her personal agenda with the situation.

"So, in the meantime you've been stayin' here with Bill. Don't think I need t'tell you the rumors floatin' around that." She gave Bill a pointed look, then turned a curious glance to Clarice.

Well, yes, the actual situation was a bit scary, but things were alright now. Clarice had settled into eating when she mentioned rumors. Oh.

Swallow.

"Well, they can't be worse than the truth I guess? Let's see, no I'm not intending to sell Bill's organs on the black market, I'm not a plant to strike at the heart of the town government, um, what other rumors are going around?"

Bill was very intently poking at his plate when his mom turned her gaze on him.

"Bill?"

Mmm, food. Yep, Bill was totally engrossed in the food...

"Bill."

The potatoes, and meat, and...

"Bill."

"Hm?" Lifting his head swiftly, Bill chewed on a mouthful of everything.

June set her fork down. Waiting.

Bill swallowed, choking down a hunk and a half of pot roast to clear his mouth to speak.

"Well... some of it uh, may not be all rumor." He glanced over at Clarice, but knew he was the one who had to answer. Turning back to June, he gave her a tilted smile. "Clarice an' I have started datin'."

"It doesn't happen to be the end of the world," Clarice noted to those faces. Yep. Wow. Dating was obviously BIG DEAL here.

Oops.

"And yeah, that's not a rumor, it's truth. 'Bout...a week now? When did you get the flat Bill?"

There were many factors making this a big deal for June, beyond it being her only son. Part of it was Clarice was a mystery woman (a pink mystery woman), who Bill had literally found on the side of the road. June didn't know anything about her or her background, and the stabbing witness protection thing wasn't painting the best picture.

Then there was the fact that they were already living together.

And finally, there was Bill, and his history with women. Bill was a good man, a sweet man, who was as easy to walk over as a bridge. Like everyone else in Wheelsy June had heard about what happened with Starla, and now, no more than a month later, this.

Wary didn't come close to describing how June felt right now.

"A week?" She looked at Bill, who nodded to concur.

"'Bout. Last week we kinda had our first date." Kind of in that it started out as a simple night away from town, and ended with them falling down drunk, but his mom didn't need to know that part of it.

He smiles, trying to reassure his mom.

"We had a nice time. An' Clarice has been great since she got here."

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