friendofcasper (friendofcasper) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-11-02 11:10:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ellie sawyer, flynn russo |
Night Picnic
Who: Ellie/Flynn
What: Second Date
Where: Searchlight
When: Present
Ratings/Warnings: Low/Medium for Kissing, Cuteness
Ellie looked at the candid photograph she had taken of Flynn at the Barcode Burger date. The way his hair fell, the colors in his eyes like a kaleidoscope, the depth of the shadowed contours pit against the sharp lines of his jaw.
She didn’t let herself stare to the point of obsession; her dreams had been void of Flynn, more on the subject of floating objects. It was a recurring event, night after night, and she didn’t know why. The objects always changed but they never ceased their hovering.
And so her sleep was fitful.
Another day at work and then Ellie found herself back home. Over a paint can on the floor, and another, she moved toward the bedroom. Her mind kept rolling back to Flynn. She washed her hair, her frame, dressed in different clothes and decided to go get something to eat.
That was how she found herself on the road to Searchlight. It was a small town she had heard of but not been to. The neon sign of the truck stop came into view and Ellie decided at the last minute to see if Flynn was there, if he was working. She pulled her little black crossover into a space further back from the large windows and peered through the windshield. Why was she feeling nervous? But excited? Ellie chewed at her lip and then made herself get out of the Juke.
Careful steps took her to the doors and she eased them open, squinting in the bright, nearly clinical lights of the truck stop convenience store.
She thought she had seen him at the register, she hadn’t been wrong. With a smirk, Ellie withdrew her phone and lifted it, snapping a picture of him in his element at work.
Flynn looked up at the flash, eyes similarly lighting up when he spotted Ellie. He was glad this time that he didn’t happen to have a mouth full of burger.
“Miss Elladine.” He affected a good ol’ boy drawl, leaning against the counter. “What are you doin’ in my neck of the woods?” He grinned, closing a magazine he had been browsing. It was slow at work, which he didn’t much mind. And now he had the artiste herself for company.
He watched those baby blue eyes of hers first, then his gaze traveled to her nose, before landing on her mouth, all the features in a synchronous — and really damn cute — harmony. Flynn reached a hand up and ruffled his hair idly, for something to do to remind himself not to stare.
As her phone lowered she found herself offering a smile. “Honestly, I don’t know. I left to find something to eat and I ended up here,” she explained, approaching the counter. “I guess maybe I was excited to see…” Ellie began, biting at her lip for a moment, “...if Jim Bob is really any good at bowling.” Her grin grew and her expression feigned innocence.
That was not why she came but now that it was an idea, she was curious about the bowling alley. The sound of wood clacking was loud but not enough to be bothersome where they were.
“Oh, I see.” Flynn nodded, crossing his arms slowly. “You came all the way here just for Jim-Bob. Couldn’t resist that beard, huh? Or is it the patriotic attire that gets your motor revving?” He raised an eyebrow, not breaking eye contact. They were silent for a beat, and they could hear someone yell out a strike.
“You know,” she said softly, placing her hands on the counter. Ellie leaned forward slightly, keeping her eyes on his. “Patriotism is just so hot, I can’t resist it.” And then she burst out laughing. Thankfully she’d gotten her words in before the cry of Strike! rang through the convenience area.
“I’m not really into beards though.”
“Wait, I have an idea.” Flynn held up a finger, then turned his back on her. There was a display near the register of the usual Vegas souvenirs; postcards, key chains, et cetera. But there was also a pretty sizable sunglasses selection. He grabbed a pair with thick, plastic stars-and-stripes frames and slid them on.
He turned back around to face Ellie with a flourish. “What about now? Can I tempt you away from Jim-Bob?” Flynn sauntered over to where she stood, and then he reached out to place two fingers on her chin, tipping her head up. He knew she could probably see her own reflection in the black lenses.
Flynn leaned in. “And look. No beard.”
Backing up from the counter she watched Flynn walk off toward a rack of sunglasses that twisted. With interest she rose up on the balls of her feet as if to see what he was up to as he browsed the carousel. Her cheeks were still flush with a bit of color from their back and forth a second ago.
Ellie laughed softly when he turned back toward her sporting the ostentatious shades.
“Oh, my...well, an offer like that is one I just can’t refuse.” Her head lifted with his guidance. Ellie set her palms on Flynn’s chest. “You wouldn’t look so good with a beard,” she teased, words soft and light.
“I don’t know about that,” Flynn told her, his voice barely above a whisper as his lips curled up in a soft smile. He ducked his head down, inches from her face. Leaned in further. And planted a kiss on the tip of her adorable nose before pulling back.
“I've wanted to do that since the other night,” he explained. “You do this thing where you wrinkle your nose and I can’t stand it.” He chuckled. “And by can’t stand it, I mean, I really like it.” Flynn pushed the sunglasses up so that his hair bunched up over it.
Ellie felt lost in time. As if the seconds, minutes, stood completely still and let them continue onward. Those soft words floated into her ears and her smile widened a bit more. And then as his mouth touched her nose the end crinkled, she laughed softly and the expression radiated in her eyes. “What thing?”
“That thing,” he laughed, watching her. “You are so beautiful.” Flynn indulged himself, he let his fingers slide through the soft tendrils of her hair. One ear listened for the bell that would signal a customer. So far, nothing. And he knew his boss didn’t check the security cameras unless something noteworthy happened.
“I want to kiss you,” he added. “Like, a real kiss. Here.” Flynn brushed his thumb over her lips.
Her cheeks went scarlet. She was absolutely blushing and this time she couldn’t hide it being so close. “Thanks.” The idea that there were cameras around had been lost on her, Ellie was too caught up in the moment.
As his thumb brushed her lips, Ellis shivered and took a breath. She never did this; they barely knew each other but she couldn’t deny the butterflies in her stomach fluttering around. Her lips puckered, delivering a soft kiss to the pad of his thumb, though her eyes never left his. “Okay.”
“Elladine.” Flynn said her name, because he liked saying it, the way it sounded in his mouth, out loud, in his head. He leaned in again, closing his eyes, letting his lips meet hers as he cradled her chin. The kiss was gentle, getting used to the feeling of her mouth on his. And enjoying it, a lot. He couldn’t help but think of how the rest of her would fit against him.
She had kissed before. More than that. But it hadn’t been recently. At least the streak had gone on until now and she found that she didn’t mind. Her skin flushed with heat, her stomach swooped with butterflies, those blue eyes dropped closed. The way he kissed her was gentle, tender. One of her arms lifted, curling around his neck to keep him there.
He let his forehead rest against hers, one hand sweeping down to her lower back. Flynn was struck, suddenly, with an idea. “Hey,” he said, thumb stroking her cheek softly. “My shift ends in a few. Do you wanna maybe...get that second date out of the way?”
He pulled back, grinning mischievously.
She took a breath when that kiss ended. It left her mouth tingling, she could taste him on her lips. Looking into his eyes she stood there, at peace. “Really?” Ellie looked hopeful, grinning. “Okay.” It was impulsive, she wasn’t necessarily dressed for a date but then turning down the offer seemed wrong. “How long until you’re done with work?”
Flynn consulted his phone. “Twenty minutes?” He nodded his head toward the entrance that led to the slots and two-lane bowling alley. “If you want to kill time, you can check it out. Meet me back here?” He grinned, drifting back behind the counter to begin settling his till for the next employee who came in.
Ellie pulled away from Flynn and nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you in twenty minutes.” She bit her lip, blushed, and then wandered off to check out the bowling alley.
No Jim-Bob. She was only slightly disappointed. But she did catch a game that a small, local family was playing nearly losing track of time. Thankfully she was using her phone and noticed the time.
With a bit of rush in her step, she made it back to the area where Flynn said to meet.
Flynn had clocked out, then promptly went about collecting supplies for their ‘date’. Cold sodas, snacks, and the most romantic item he could find, two large birthday candles in the shape of the number one. He had a blanket in the trunk of his car. He grabbed the plastic shopping bag and turned to greet Ellie once again.
“You can leave your car here,” he told her, “And I’ll bring you back afterward.” He held his free hand out to her.
She nodded. Her hand slipped into his though her gaze had dropped to the bag, and she eyed it with a bit of playful suspicion. For as novelty as they had been, he looked good in those sunglasses. But she tucked the memory away for later when she was back in her apartment by herself with the paints.
“Okay.” Her car would be safe there with the cameras outside to watch it.
Ellie waited and then she was following Flynn outside, toward the idea of whatever date he had in mind.
He opened the passenger door of the red Challenger for her, then closed it behind her before tossing the bag into the back seat and getting behind the wheel. As the car started, the radio blared on. Flynn turned it down quickly. “Sorry,” he told her sheepishly. “I like it loud.” He backed out of the parking lot, and off they went. There was one place he liked to go, but usually he went by himself. Well, almost by himself; he was usually accompanied by a spirit or two.
They pulled into an empty patch of desert, the headlights illuminating the area in front of them. He flipped through the radio until he found a song he liked. Dreams by Fleetwood Mac floated from the speakers. Flynn exited the vehicle and went around to the trunk, grabbing the blanket. He let it billow out and set it down on the sand in front of the car before grabbing the bag of ‘supplies’. He stuck both candles into the sand and grabbed a lighter, igniting the wicks.
“And voila.”
She slid into the Challenger in spite of her own judgement. He was cute and trying really hard and she couldn’t help but want to see him continue to succeed. The seatbelt clicked into place, her purse nestled at her feet. And when he got in she looked over and smiled, the music blasting. Ellie laughed, turning the knob to crank the music back up.
The seat seemed to wrap around her as they moved. Her eyes found the window, the desert opening up around them. She hummed along until they stopped and then with a bit of wonder she sat up, unbuckling the belt to the seat.
He wasn’t kidding about it being a date and it was perfect. She was a simple person, and he seemed to understand. “Very nice,” Ellie nodded, settling down on the blanket. The stars overhead were beautiful.
Flynn grinned at her approval and began removing their dinner items. “On the menu tonight, we have charcuterie.” He held out an assortment of beef jerky and cheese-filled crackers. “Some crispy, sautéed potatoes.” A bag of Ruffles potato chips. “And for dessert, a decadent cake surrounding a delicate cream filling, coated in divine chocolate ganache.” A twin pack of Hostess cupcakes.
“Will the lady be enjoying some sparkling refreshment?” He gestured to the cans of soda.
“Oh,” she murmured, nodding as each item was presented. “Fancy. Why Flynn, you sure know how to plan a memorable date.” Ellie laughed, brushing back a few stray strands of hair from her face. She shifted closer to Flynn, tucking her legs beneath herself.
“I would love some,” she nodded, accepting a can of soda. The click of the tab crashed against the silent desert but otherwise the serenity remained uninterrupted.
“This is really nice. It’s beautiful out here.”
“Yeah, this is kind of my spot,” he told her, smiling as she scooted closer to him. “You have special, honorary status now because I brought you here.” Flynn watched as the light breeze whipped some strands of hair around her face. He reached out to smooth them down.
“I’m not sure how, but you look more pretty each time I catch a peek of you,” Flynn added, popping open his own can. “And you’ve got that Texas charm going on. Did you know you’re pretty much irresistible? I mean, you have to, right?”
Ellie offered Flynn a satisfied look. “Oh, special, honorary status? I feel so special!” The end of her nose wrinkled with amusement and she took a sip from the soda. And then her cheeks reddened. Fortunately it wasn’t as noticeable in this type of light.
The can of soda would be set down and instantly forgotten in favor of better things. “Flattery gets you everywhere,” she countered, giggling. “You know, you aren’t so bad yourself. You have that good hair.” Her fingers lifted, fluttering through his hair for a moment. “It’s so lush, and soft. Not fair.”
He leaned his head into her touch. He enjoyed the way her fingers felt, parting through his hair. “What else do I have?” Flynn asked playfully. “And please, feel free to point out these traits with your hands.” His hand found the point of her knee, and ran a ticklish finger over it. The birthday candles suddenly flickered and the radio station changed by itself.
Some old song came on instead, a ballad that Flynn barely recognized. He took a deep inhale of breath. I don’t need your help on this date… He tried to think it as loudly as possible, but ghosts weren’t usually also telepathic. His jaw clenched unintentionally and he pulled back from Ellie, trying to mentally recalibrate.
Her smile widened. “Well, for starters…” she began, letting her accent take over a little bit more than usual. The fingers dived from his hair, skirted along the line of his jaw furthest from the side she was on, “...your face is cute.”
She didn’t realize it but the soda had taken a tumble into the sand. The can itself was tab down in the granules, protruding in a way that suggested someone may have buried it considering only the bottom half stuck out.
But her grin fell the same way her hand did when he pulled back and set his jaw. Ellie frowned, snapping her hand back. Had she done something? Said something? “Are—are you okay?”
“No, I’m sorry. I’m okay,” He smiled again, turning his attention back to her. Flynn needed to not wreck this. He had wrecked so many dates, almost-relationships, and he really liked her. “Sometimes I -- I get distracted. But it’s not your fault. You’re amazing.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her gently closer, ducking his head so that his mouth was near the little spot beneath her ear.
He took in the scent of her shampoo, letting the scent ground him. Imagining a force field growing around them to keep everyone and everything else out. Flynn let his other hand rest on her knee.
“Oh,” she breathed out, her smile growing again. “Good. Okay.” She could work with odd - she, herself, was odd now and then, as long as he said he would be alright she would take him at his word. Her cheeks flushed at the compliment but Ellie nodded anyway.
She shifted closer again to make up for the lost space, finding comfort in the strength of his arm. The way his breathing tickled her skin gave her goosebumps, her heart fluttered.
Her hand dropped to rest against his at her knee, finding only warm skin there. “You’re pretty amazing, too,” she whispered to the night.
He planted a kiss against her neck, just below her earlobe. “Is this okay?” Flynn asked, the fingers on her knee traveling just a little bit northward. He pulled back to watch her face in the light, gauge her reaction. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
On the contrary, a small ember began to burn in her stomach. She knew what it was, she felt this before a while ago for someone else back home, and here it was again. But she also didn’t want to rush into something and let the wildfire burn out before it got started. Biting her lip, Ellie nodded at him. She tipped her head to the side for his mouth and every place it touched it left a burn of desire.
He kissed along her long neck, over her jaw, her chin, as he grinned. His hand settled on her upper thigh, just resting there, feeling the warmth of her skin through her jeans. Finally, Flynn reached her mouth, tongue parting her lips, tasting her.
The arm around her shoulders cradled her against him. The music faded to the background, everything faded to the background in his mind except Ellie.
Ellie felt her breath hitch the moment their mouths touched. Those star filled blue eyes dropped closed and she let the feelings swim through her veins like blood, pumping the racing muscle fluttering in her chest. She lifted a hand, set it on Flynn’s shoulder, and curled her fingers into the part of the fabric where the hems made a T shape. Lips parted to let him inside, and her tongue lifted to dance with his.
She felt amazing, he thought, for the second time that night. His tongue explored her mouth, thumb rubbing slow circles over her thigh. Flynn sank into the kiss, his breath calm and even. Her hand on his shoulder set off a fuse of longing, he wanted her to touch more of him. He shifted slightly against the blanket as that thought floated through his head.
He made her feel as if she had wings and could fly. It was an exhilarating, freeing feeling. All sorts of things flowed through her mind, her body, but she knew better than to give in that quickly. They barely knew each other, what if she gave in and he hurt her? She felt a trickle of fear.
A breath through her nose and she found her energy spike, making the kiss deep but no less hungry. The hand at his shoulder would slide up, into the short strands of hair at the back of his neck and then up into that soft hair itself.
Flynn gently extricated himself from the kiss, giving them room to come up for air. He smoothed down her hair, smiling softly as he tilted his head to look at her. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, blue eyes shimmering. With an index finger, he booped the tip of her nose.
“You’re a good kisser, Miss Elladine,” he told her.
Her eyes fluttered open as he pulled away and she took a deep breath. Calming herself, or trying, her smile was wide. Those kiss swollen lips still tasted like him, she never wanted to forget that sensation. And when he tapped the end of her nose she laughed softly.
Ellie’s cheeks flushed and she shrugged, “Thank you. Had a bit of practice.” Did that make her sound easy? Well, it was too late now and while she wanted to dwell on it she made herself not get paranoid.
He smiled, then kissed the top of her head. He patted the blanket with one hand. “Do you want to lay back and look up at the sky? It’s a nice view,” he told her. Flynn could lie there for hours, sometimes, getting lost in what he could see in the faint stars. He didn’t even mind the voices that surrounded him when he was like that.
At the offer, Ellie took another breath of the night and nodded. The blanket above welcomed them, while the one below was soft beneath her hands and promised more of the same. “Yes, I’d like that.”
She pulled away long enough to maneuver carefully around their feast of gas station food, laying down. Those blue eyes imbibed the stars, drinking in every shimmer and sparkle. “There’s Orion,” Ellie murmured.
Flynn settled next to her, but not before appreciating the way her hair fanned out around her as she lay there. His head was close to hers, and he reached down to take her hand. “You know what I like about stars?” he told her.
“The brightest stars are the ones about to die.” He raised his free hand to trace a vague outline of Orion. “Or they already have. Like Betelgeuse. People argue back and forth on that one.” Flynn went quiet, his eyes drinking in the night. “It’s like we’re looking at ghosts. Or almost-ghosts.”
The way he described the scene above them was poetic. Deep, thick, and heavy. She nodded, letting her hand settle into his. He was warm, but also cool to the touch. “Those ghosts are beautiful,” Ellie murmured softly. She tilted her head, resting it against his shoulder.
“Not as beautiful as you,” he told her, running his fingers through her soft hair. “And, bonus, you’re much closer.” The candles flickered out, the lights extinguished.
“I really like you, Ellie,” Flynn told her, his tone serious now. “I know you don’t know me. But I want you to. And I wanna know you.”
As the candles light left, she could catch whiff of the smoke and moved closer to Flynn. Her cheeks were red but thankfully nobody would be able to tell. “You’re really sweet,” Ellie replied.
“I like you too.” She’d be lying if she said otherwise and she didn’t want to lie to him. “I wanna know more about you, too. So, what do we do?”
Flynn knew eventually that he would want to tell her about himself. And then one of two things would happen, based on past experience. One, she would be concerned, and would suggest things to ‘fix’ it. Two, she would run far away. For now, he would let himself enjoy this.
“We keep doing this,” he told her, stroking her hair and holding her close. “Talking. Being. You know, maybe even a third date.” He grinned.
The solution had been obvious. Maybe she needed to hear him say as such to hear it aloud. To rationalize it. Ellie nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. “I want a third date,” she confirmed softly. Her head turned and she looked at him with star soaked eyes. Wherever this was headed, she was helpless to stop it by now.