logan echolls will always believe in epic love (09erjackass) wrote in brightlightlogs, @ 2010-05-23 16:18:00 |
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Entry tags: | logan echolls, noah puckerman, veronica mars |
Who: Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls, and Noah Puckerman
Where: Las Vegas Metro
When: Right after this.
What: Veronica posts bail for Logan and Puck and then there are pancakes.
Rating: PG-13
Status: Complete
Veronica yawned as she leaned up against the wall of the waiting room at the Las Vegas Metro building. Logan's text had woken her up out of a dead sleep, and she'd stumbled from the apartment building and to several different ATMs to get all the cash she needed to bail out her idiotic ex-boyfriend and his bottom-dwelling new buddy. She hadn't told him that, of course. She'd continued texting him while she had a taxi drive her around to the ATMs and then to the police station. Maybe she still enjoyed watching him squirm a little. She really wished the deputy behind the desk would have let her back to the cells so she could have seen him and Puck locked up, Vegas-style. (She might have been planning to take pictures.) Alas, that was a luxury that was afforded to her only in Neptune. So she settled for the lobby. She yawned again, sticking her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt. It was black, and much too big for her tiny frame. She'd found it lying on the side of the couch as she'd headed out the door and pulled it over her head without thinking. She hadn't realized until she'd been sleepily snuggling into it in the back of the taxi, that it was Logan's. He must have left it at their apartment, or Lilly had stolen it from him. She'd considered taking it off, but with the sun down, it had been cold outside, and here in the police station, the AC was still cranked, even at 4am. The warmth of the sweatshirt would be worth whatever smartass remark Logan was bound to make upon seeing her in it. Maybe.
She smiled and stowed her Blackberry in the back pocket of her jeans after reciving Logan's last text. She could hear them making their way out to the lobby from wherever they had been locked up.
"Where's my pony?" She asked, leaning against the wall and smirking, her arms folded across her chest.
"Oh, let me go back to my cell, it's there grazing." Logan replied with a smirk, still a jackass even when partly hungover and still half-drunk. This wasn't as bad as the first night he was there, when he found out Lilly was alive. After that he thought he might actually die from one of the worst hangovers ever, so this was a piece of cake in comparison. Logan occasionally preferred to actually remember his night when he thought it would be a fun one, and they really did have a good time. Puck was a good companion. They'd hit several casinos and gotten kicked out of at least two for being obnoxious, but it wasn't until they decided to strip down and swim in a public fountain. While singing loudly, of course. That led to the police and being booked and then they decided it'd be hilarious to mock the officers. It was to see how pissed off they could get, and it worked enough that bail was set only in cash once they saw their credit cards. Oooooooops. Well Logan didn't regret a moment of it. This was just a nice introduction between him and the local police department. They'd searched him for a phone when he got in but it was properly hidden, so he was able to text Veronica instead of using his phone call. He didn't want to wake Piz up too, and have him come with her. Texting was easier and more sneaky. "See you Mike," he said in a friendly way to the officer behind the counter. "Sooner than you'd think. Don't miss me too much, okay?" He blew kisses to everyone inside, laughing and sauntering over to Veronica.
"Hey. That's mine." In his drunk, happy place, Logan was all smiles and sunshine, reaching out to grab Veronica into a boisterous hug and right off her feet. She may have been swung around a little. He was giddy. "Miss my scent? You could just snuggle in with the real thing, you know." She was set down on her feet, glancing over his shoulder to Puck. "This is the one and only Veronica Mars, the very best ex one could ask for, ready to bail us out and take us for pancakes." His look back to her was wheedling, expectant. "We do get pancakes, right?"
Veronica saw Logan's half-drunken hug coming, but responded just a split second too late. Before she could move he had wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up in the air. She could smell stale vodka on his breath and wrinkled her nose. "No I did not miss your scent." She said, waving a hand in front of her nose for emphasis once her feet were back on the ground. "I grabbed the first thing I found because I was too tired after being woken up before the sun is even up."
She looked over at Logan's new drinking buddy/partner in crime, assessing him. He looked pretty similar to a lot of the 09ers that Logan had hung around with back home. Well built and not too bright. Apparently Logan had a type that extended beyond dating blonds. She gave him an annoyed smile and a wave. He took a step forward and extended his own arms.
"Do I get a hug too? Rough night."
Veronica's skin crawled at the thought. "Do it and I'll get Mike to lock you back up again." She turned to look at Logan, giving him a stare that clearly said where do you find these guys?
"We can get pancakes." She said after a moment. "But I think the only thing open right now is Denny's. Think you can handle slumming it, Donut King?"
Logan liked catching her unawares because it stopped her from kicking him in the shins or finding her taser. He really didn't want to get tased, his head already hurt and the bed in the cell was hard. He pouted just thinking about it. "Ronnieeeee, it's not like you have to do anything today, right? We're free from responsibilities here. Live free, live hard. Live Free or Die Hard!" He snickered and clapped his hands lightly. "That was a terrible movie. Oh John McClane, how you've fallen so far."
Puck's offer to Veronica however caused his mood to abruptly and severely change. One moment he was laughing, and the next he was shooting his new friend a look that not only could kill, but could beat him to death and break kneecaps before death. That was the only warning he'd get. Just as quickly the moody 09er was back to his smiles and partially drunk revelry, heading to the door and pushing it open hard. It flung open and sunlight flooded in, momentarily blinding him, but Logan just embraced the spots in front of his eyes. Light was life!
"For pancakes and milkshakes, I'll slum it anywhere. I'd even slum it with your blockhead boyfriend." Logan gave one of his feral grins and pointed at her, practically prancing into the sunlight and out of the station. He trusted the other two would follow him, because Logan was used to people following his lead whether they wanted to or not.
It was true, she didn't have anything to be doing today. But that didn't mean that she liked coming down to the police station to bail him out of jail. Idiot. She crossed her arms across her chest and tried to look annoyed. Which wasn't that difficult. She watched him as he shot Puck an evil look. Clearly he still seemed to think he had a claim on her. Not that she minded in this case. The smirk on Puck's face made her want to reach for her taser. It faded, however, at Logan's glare.
"Whatever." Puck shrugged and held up his hands in defeat. He'd already lost on friend for going after the wrong girl. Contrary to popular belief, he actually could learn from his mistakes, and he backed down. Veronica may have been Logan's ex, but there was still clearly something there between them. Puck wasn't exactly the love guru, but even he could see it. Why else would she have come down here to bail them out? He followed Logan out into the sunshine, and Veronica brought up the rear, shielding her eyes as they made it outside.
The sun had just come up and the the whole sky was a crazy mix of reds and oranges. Veronica looked at the outline of the strip backlit by the gorgeous colors, and couldn't help but think that the beach would have been a better view. She missed Neptune.
"Oh, no." She said shaking her head, as they made their way toward the taxi she had instructed to wait for them. "Piz isn't coming anywhere near this mess." She said. "Do I look stupid to you?" She could see it all now. Logan slurping milkshakes and making snide comments about Veronica leaving Piz to come get him. No way that was happening. She climbed into the taxi's front seat leaving Logan and Puck to the back. "The closest Denny's, please." She instructed him, sleepily slumping down into the chair.
Even before he and Veronica started their romance he found himself strangely protective of her. Everything changed once she tried to help him find his mom. He'd rushed to her rescue that first time she kissed him, and that's what he'd done ever since. When he hated her, when he loved her, what he nothing'ed her, Logan knew she had to be safe whatever it took. And yeah, he was possessive too. He gave Puck an apologetic smile once they got outside, knowing he reacted on the strong side, but hoped the other guy would get it. Girls, right? They were always Kryptonite.
Dark eyes were shadowed by his hand as he looked at the colored sky, and it felt like the start of a good day. Give him a few hours and he'd disagree with that vehemently, but for now, he was content. He piled into the taxi with Puck and 'accidentally' kicked the back of Veronica's front seat. "Oops," he taunted and put hands behind his head, relaxing into the back seat. "Do you look stupid to me ... I feel like that's a trap blonds make when they know you can't answer honestly." She was smart about that one. Logan was already making snide remarks, but she could take it.
"It's been awhile since I got taken in on a misdemeanor. What about you, Puckosaurus? You ever get a misdemeanor before, or have you graduated like us lifetime troublemakers to felony charges?" He watched the back of Veronica's head, thinking about her hair and how it felt along his fingertips. With his inhibitions basically ignored at the moment, Logan reached out to touch the blond strands and then remembered what he was doing, pretending to playfully tug on them like he hadn't been overly affectionate. "Thanks for getting us out, Ronnie. The pillow they gave us was lumpy."
Knowing he could only see the back of her head, Veronica allowed herself an eyeroll when Logan kicked the back of her seat. Honestly, it was like he was five years old sometimes. She set her mouth in a thin line as the cab driver pulled away from the curb. It was his talk with Puck about misdemeanors and felonies that made her clench her teeth together. She cared about Logan. A lot. Probably more than was acceptable between exes. But when was he ever going to grow up? He lived on this magical 09er planet where anything could be ordered through room service, and getting arrested for causing trouble was so commonplace that it became small talk conversation.
"It's my first time." Puck grinned over at Logan in the backseat. "I grew up in Ohio, man." He shook his head. "There's nothing out there to actually do to get into trouble." Not that he hadn't tried. "Besides, the Lima cops don't care anyway. Glorified mall cops, most of 'em. One good glare, and the majority of them will leave you alone."
He watched as Logan reached toward Veronica's hair and raised an eyebrow. Logan caught himself in time, and just tugged on the blond strands instead, but Puck could tell what he was thinking. It was the same thing he'd find himself thinking when Quinn sat in front of him in Glee practice. For Logan's sake, he pretended he hadn't noticed anything and settled back down in his seat with a yawn.
"You poor thing." Veronica replied, leaning forward to get his hands away from her hair. She used the pretense of pulling the sweatshirt off. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was his semi-drunkenness, maybe it was everything. She didn't know. All she knew in that moment was in dangerous territory and she'd keep her distance if she knew what was good for her. "A lumpy pillow. I'm surprised you're even still able to stand after such a traumatic event."
He hated when she wouldn't respond to his antics. He also hated when she got sulky and he could practically taste her judgment from here. Logan frowned and slumped down in the seat, arms crossed against his chest, and his eyes glaring at the back of her head. As he considered a way to get her back, he continued his mild conversation with Puck, the wheels turning in his head. "Ohio sounds like dullsville, Vegas must be like a vacation in comparison. Neptune wasn't a big town either, but we found fun where we could. Plus there were always trips to Tijuana and LA."
He leaned his head into a waiting fist, still watching Veronica like a hawk. "Two blondes were in a parking lot trying to unlock the door of their car with a coat hanger. The first blond says 'I can't seem to get this door unlocked.' The second blond says 'Well you better hurry up. It's starting to rain and the top is down.'" He put his feet against the back of her seat but didn't kick or anything, he just applied pressure. Reminding her he was there.
"There's a blonde, a brunette and a redhead. They are all dead and want to go to heaven but there are 99 steps to heaven. On each step they are told a joke and if they don't laugh they can go up to the next step. The redhead made it to the 20th step and the brunette made it to the 50th step. The blonde was on the 99th step about to be told the last joke and she burst out laughing. The joke teller says 'Why did you laugh on your on the last step?!' The blonde replied 'I just got the first joke.'" Logan was a champion joke teller, even bad jokes usually came out more amusing because of the way he told them. He was animated and occasionally did voices with it, but this time he was just doing it to annoy her.
The taxi pulled up at the Denny's and his attention wavered now that they were there and he could get distracted by food. Yay. He leaned forward, past Veronica in the front seat, and offered his card to the taxi driver to run. Hey she got them out of the prison.
It was the fact that he didn't answer her that was the easiest tip off, but Veronica could swear she could actually feel his mood shift from sunny to dark. She made of show of leaning forward and folding the sweatshirt in her lap until she heard him slump back against his seat. It was only then that she let herself fall back against her own. Yeah. This was going to be a fantastic breakfast. Why had she agreed to this again? She kept her eyes forward as he turned the conversation back toward Puck.
"You've got no idea, dude." Puck said, shaking his head. "Lima is the definition of a cow town. I thought it was cool the first time Zenner brought me here, and I still do. I got nothing waiting for me back home but a mildly popular pool cleaning business." And a kid on the way. He added in his head. But Quinn and the baby were here too. Aw shit. His face fell. Quinn was going to lay into him when she heard about the arrest. And he didn't even get the option of make-up sex now that they weren't dating anymore. He leaned his aching head back against the headrest and shut his eyes for a second. Unlike Logan, who was still partially drunk, Puck was beginning to enter full hangover mode. He hoped the restaurant was close. He needed food and water.
He opened his eyes and gave Logan a side glance when the blond jokes started. He was staring a hole through the back of Veronica's head as he told first one joke, and then another. Under normal circumstances, Puck probably would have laughed. Whenever anyone told blond jokes, he always invisioned the blond as Britney. Half the things that came out of her mouth were good enough for blond jokes anyway. But this morning he stayed quiet. It was clear that Logan was telling them just to get under Veronica's skin. And if her rigid posture was any indicator it was working.
Veronica was moved involuntarily forward when Logan pressed his knees into the back of her seat. She almost said 'Screw it' to the entire thing and turned to tell the driver to turn around and take them back to the apartments. But then Logan would know he was getting to her, and she hated giving him that satisfaction. Instead she kept her mouth shut, knowing that not giving him any response was the best way to get back at him.
When the taxi pulled to a stop outside Denny's she watched his arm shoot forward, card in hand. The driver ran the card while she and Puck got out of the vehicle and stretched on the sidewalk. When Logan joined them, she held the sweatshirt she had been wearing out to him. "Here."
It wasn't that Logan wanted to make her mad, even if there was a part of him that strove for just that. His self-destructive behavior kicked in, and while a great deal of it could get eased away by getting into trouble and drowning it, sometimes the edges were still there when he had to deal with real people. He was heading to being sober again, although things were still at that tipsy dazed stage, and the pounding in his head was getting louder. As were the voices telling him how stupid he was being. Yeah. He knew. What else was new?
Even the taxi driver gave him a look, so when he got out of the taxi to meet them he was more subdued. Contrite, even. He won by getting her annoyed, he could see it in her eyes, and she won by giving him back his sweatshirt, indicating she didn't want anything of his right then. They were even, and he took the shirt from her without making a snarky remark or giving attitude. The sun felt especially bright now, his eyes stinging, and he glanced toward Puck. "Hey, man, could you go in and get us a table? We'll be there in one minute."
No, he didn't bother with any excuse. Like anyone was fooling anyone right then. Logan waited until the weary and hungover teenager did that and slumped his shoulders, turning toward Veronica. "Thank you for coming and getting us out," he said sincerely, his stomach circling either from nerves or hunger. He twisted and turned the shirt in his hands, glad it was there so he didn't try to do something like touch her apologetically or cause more trouble. Sincerity shown in his eyes, but then again, it always did.
"I'm sorry I woke you up. And oh great here comes the real hangover." Wincing openly, Logan lifted a hand to his temple and rubbed it, but again, he had worse. It wasn't even a plea for sympathy; being hungover was natural to him. "I owe you, so keep that in mind and file it away on that impressive list of favors people owe you." Then after some hesitation he offered her the sweatshirt again. "The air conditioning will be on in there. It's going to be cold. Just take it."
Truth be told, Puck was grateful when Logan asked him to go inside and get the three of them a table. It was nearing 7am and he'd been awake for nearly 24 hours. And while he had an awesome time causing trouble with Logan, the night was starting to catch up with him and all he was focusing on was his hunger, his hangover, and his weariness. In that order. He didn't want to stand around in the early morning sunlight, Logan and Veronica to bitch at each other some more. So he gave Logan a nod and disappeared into the cool, air conditioned building.
Veronica watched him go, before focusing her attention back on Logan. Really? Did he have to give her the puppy dog eyes? She sighed, not wanting to relent, but feeling herself do it anyway. It was hard to resist Logan when he dropped his pretenses and defenses. When she looked in his big brown eyes and saw the boy she'd known since she was twelve. The boy she loved. "You're welcome." She answered, feeling her earlier annoyance start to dissipate.
"It's okay." She replied. "You're right. I don't have anything to do today. I can always go back to bed when we get back. There's a boy back there waiting to snuggle in bed with me anyway." She let the pause last only a split second before she continued. "Cavalry is great at snuggling, but he drools all over my pillows."
"I'll add that favor to the Logan Echolls column." She said, taking the sweatshirt back again with a small smile. "I've made a spreadsheet." She put a hand lightly on his arm and turned him back in the direction of the restaurant's doors. "Come on, Charlie Sheen. Let's go get you your damn pancakes."
It was a good thing he was sobering up, because Logan had a tendency to get randomly emotional with her in that state. He barely managed to keep himself from kissing her when he was in control, so it was lucky that every time he got drunk in Vegas so far, she only saw the aftermath. He was clearly stung when she brought up Piz, swaying almost like she had literally struck him across the face with it. But instead of getting hateful and bitter about it, Logan just sighed and nodded his head. He deserved it.
He bit his tongue from trying to lash back and smiled weakly. "That's why you should get a cat. They don't drool, although you'd have to accept that they are secretly plotting to murder you and take over the world while you sleep." Logan didn't have any pets growing up, and they weren't allowed in the hotel. He wasn't exactly rushing to change that. The drool and kitty litter he could live without.
"Hey, I've worked off at least a few of those favors by now." Hopefully saving her life a few times evened it out. He trotted ahead of her to the restaurant and opened the door, flashing a smile and breathing in the amazing, delicious scent of breakfast food wafting in the air. Maple syrup was to die for at the moment, he could just drink an entire bottle of it. "Charlie Sheen? Please, I don't do the prostitute thing. But if that means I got to see Denise Richards naked, then I'm all in."
Logan spotted Puck and headed over to the table, managing to catch the waitress as she passed by. "Coffee. And water. And a gun to put me out of my misery."
Veronica faltered slightly when she saw Logan's reaction to her words. It took her only a split second to realize he had misunderstood her. Part of her wanted to be spiteful, to let him continue to think she'd been talking about Piz. It would serve him right after the times he had blatantly thrown his relationship with Lilly in her face. But he'd been being sincere with her, and she didn't want to undo the good. And she was honestly astonished when he didn't immediately snap back with an insult about her boyfriend. If he could be nice, then so could she.
"I was talking about the dog, you idiot." She said lightly. "Not Piz. Jesus, you're so much less fun when you're hung over. And yes, you may have managed to work off one or two of those favors over the years. But this one, I'm holding onto for a while..." she narrowed her face into a look of faux evil. "I'll wait until you least expect it, then WHAM. You're my bitch." She let out a fake haughty laugh as he opened the door to the restaurant and they both filed in.
She rolled her eyes after his Denise Richards comment, but said nothing more as she followed him toward the table where Puck was sitting. From the looks of the table, the waitress had brought out three glasses of water, and Puck had already downed all three of them. Her eyebrows shot up. This was exactly why she didn't drink. She smiled a little to herself as she slid into the booth opposite of Puck. Logan could sit by her or not. But that would have to be his choice. She pulled the sweatshirt back on as the AC immediately raised goosebumps on her skin. She was grateful to have it back. "Alright," She addressed the two of them. "Since I was dragged out of bed at 4am, I get full behind the scenes access. What the hell did you two do to get arrested?"
The intense relief on his face was borderline pathetic when she said it wasn't Piz waiting in her bed. Logan assumed they were sleeping together, and while it was fine if they were, he didn't think she'd be bitchy enough to mention it so forwardly. That was something he would do, not her. It was something he had done, so this time he simply assumed it was their eye-for-an-eye mentality coming back to haunt him. He was very, very grateful that for the moment it wasn't the case.
"Veronica, I'm already your bitch." He managed to smile at her when they stepped into Denny's, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. She was so unbelievably adorable sometimes. Cute wasn't a word he would associate with Veronica, because she'd pop him in the nose for implying it, but she was easy to adore. "I seem to recall one happy day when you were the one in the cell. Remember how fun that was? It was just like yesterday." Of course she never was there as long or as consistently as he was, and he really didn't like the way Sheriff Lamb treated her.
Logan only took a split second to decide where he wanted to sit, and slid in next to Puck and across from Veronica. For one, he didn't want to be close to her at this point and time, and for two, Puck probably already felt left out enough. Logan missed having a friend to get into trouble with, and while he never considered his connection to Dick especially genuine, it turned out he missed the blockhead. And so far he liked Puck. They could be miserable on this side, and Veronica could look judgmentally at them from that side. "An old favorite of mine. Public drunkenness and indecency." Logan gratefully took the water from the waitress when she returned with it and coffee. He tugged lightly on his collar. "These clothes were damp about an hour ago, when they forced us to put them back on."
"Isn't it considered public indecency any time you're allowed out among the populace?" Veronica questioned as she nudged her coffee cup forward so the waitress could fill it with the pot in her hand. "And do I even want to know why the clothes were damp?" She continued as she dumped a packet of cream and sugar into her drink.
"We decided to go for a swim in the fountains in front of Caesar's Palace." Puck finally spoke up again since they had arrived at the table.
Veronica wrinkled her nose as she looked up from stirring her coffee. "And this seemed like a good idea why exactly?"
"Cause I wanted to climb onto one of those statues of the hot naked chicks they have out front." Puck said conversationally.
"There were plenty of people walking by, women in particular, who didn't seem to mind our public indecency. Et tu, Brutus?" Logan grinned over to Puck and gave him a high five, before going back to his coffee. He needed like a hundred Advil and to sleep for a week. Unfortunately they'd be going to Tijuana soon, but that was fine. He bounced back quickly when he wanted to. Plus he figured with Lilly and co. he'd try to keep the partying down to a reasonable level. They were going for fun, not for alcohol poisoning.
"We didn't want to get our clothes wet. Nothing worse than sloshing around in wet clothes." Thus why their clothes were currently dry. If they'd gone into the fountain fully dressed, they'd probably still be dripping or at least damp. "We really should've gotten a tourist to take a picture of you on the statue, man. It took a few tries, but once you were up there it was epic." Logan had a feeling there might be some pictures taken though. Maybe even a video. They could title it drunk idiots in Vegas, and he'd probably just laugh.
Veronica sat across from them, her arms folded as she stared at them. Contrary to what others might believe, Veronica remembered all too well what it was like to be out with Logan Echolls. To get caught up in his excitement and spontaneity. Back when it was the two of them along with Duncan and Lilly, they had gotten into more than their fair share of trouble. Granted, that trouble never quite escalated to climbing statues naked, but she could see how it might have ended up there. Particularly as she watched Logan and Puck joke around. They may both have been idiots, but they seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company. And she was glad of that. She wanted Logan to be happy and have friends. Especially friends that aren't blond and currently sleeping with him. She heard the waspish voice in the back of her mind say.
"Dude." Puck laughed. "We should have. I need that for my collection. Think Caesar's will loan us a copy of their security tapes? There's gotta be some good footage on those things. Especially once the cops showed up."
Veronica groaned. "You two getting arrested together is going to be a routine happening, isn't it?"
Logan was a social guy, and the more friends and troublemakers and minions he could find, the better. It really did all start with the Fab Four, back in the day. Veronica, Duncan, Lilly, and Logan. They were inseparable once, and though he accepted it would never be the same again, he couldn't help but look for people who could at least partially replace what was lost. He would find friends wherever he'd go, and Las Vegas was no exception. John warmed to him whether he wanted to or not, and even Cameron - a freaking Terminator - was comfortable around him now. Now there was Puck, so Logan was doing just fine settling in to their new world. It was really not that different from life at Neptune. What did he have to get back to? No family, no real home, no girlfriend, and no particular ambition. This was as good a place as any.
"Puck, you have so much to learn. Let me be your Yoda as I explain to you the incredible truth about being filthy rich." A lifestyle Logan knew inside and out. "Caesar's will give us the tape for the right amount of money in the right hand, and pretty much anything else we want too. They'd probably sell us that statue." Technically Logan could buy the entire hotel if he wanted to. All the hotels. He knew where to stop though, since owning property just caused more responsibility in the end. He'd do without that part, thanks.
He winked to Veronica. "You always said I needed more goals. I wonder if I can break a record here." The waitress came over and he chewed on the end of a straw. "Pancakes. Bananas on top."
"Man. I'll drink to that." Puck held up his newly refilled water glass to toast Logan. "Although, they can keep the statue. It was cool and all, but statues...even ones of naked girls, are kinda gay." As he downed his fourth glass of water, he found himself happy despite the massive hangover raging through his body. He was out of Lima, he had all the money he could ask for, Quinn was actually being nice to him, and he had found a new partner in crime with Logan. Yeah, things were looking up for the Puckster. He wondered how long it would last this time before he was sent back again.
"How is it," Veronica interrupted his thoughts, "that the two of you can spend the night plastered and naked out on the strip, and then come in here and order a breakfast fit for a five year old?" She smirked. "Should they make a happy face smile out of chocolate chips too?"
She waited while Puck ordered his breakfast, than ordered her own. The Beligian Waffle Slam. Veronica may have looked tiny, but she could pack away the food when she wanted to. Especially when it came to breakfast.
"I wonder if they'll give you a discounted rate on bail. Maybe they'll give you some kind of frequent offender pass." She took a long sip of her coffee, finally feeling herself begin to fully wake up."
"They do that?" Puck asked, wide eyed.
Veronica stared at him.
"He swallowed too many of the chemicals in the fountain water, didn't he?"
He toasted Puck with his own water glass, and downed as much of it as possible. Technically his coffee was just dehydrating him more, so he'd have to drink twice as much water to make up for it. No big deal. This was second nature to Logan by now. "Never been a fan of statues either. Or art." His parents bought both, not because they liked them but because they thought it made them seem smarter and more cultured. Actors. Now pretty much everything that belonged to his family was sold and gone, and Logan was alright with that. Trina could have all of it. "Arty chicks, though, not so bad." If they bathed.
Logan shot Veronica an amused look, setting his elbow on the table and resting his chin on top of a waiting hand. "This from the girl who has dessert for dinner once a week. We're not the only ones to embrace the child within." He wearily glanced over to Puck. "Check out how she packs in the food when it comes. She could eat us both under the table and still fit into an overhead compartment. Women everywhere cry themselves to sleep at night just knowing she exists."
He had to laugh at Puck's comment. "And yet still smarter than Dick." Which was completely true, and not very difficult. "Don't be mean to him, he's hung over. Like you're brilliant when your brain is slowly trying to kill you." Logan had Puck's back. Bros before hos.
"Hey." Veronica said haughtily. "Never mock the Mars Dessert for Dinner night. A tradition in which you have partaken several times, if I recall. Extensive research, completely made up by me, proves that Dessert for Dinner is highly beneficial to the mind, body, and soul. I'm thinking of having pamphlets made. Share the good word." She nodded and took another long sip of coffee.
"It's all the repressed rage and sarcasm." She responded, looking in Puck's direction. "Burns off those calories like you wouldn't believe. It's how Logan and I both keep our girlish figures."
Puck watched the two of them go back and forth, his head still throbbing slightly. Were they like this all the time? It was exhausting to watch. He wondered how either of them managed it. He shrugged it off. Whatever. She may have talked a lot, but Veronica seemed pretty cool. She had come down to bail them out after all. He seriously doubted Quinn would have done that if he'd asked. He picked up his water glass and dumped some of the ice cubes into his mouth, crunching them noisily.
"Nah, it's cool." He said, stretching back in the booth. "I'm pretty much like this even when I'm not hungover. I'm okay with getting by in life based solely on my good looks."
Veronica shook her head, swallowing the comment she had been thinking about how just about everyone on the planet was smarter than Dick Casablancas. "So should I be looking forward to more of these "Come bail me out" texts at four in the morning now that you two are partners in crime?"
"The Mars family is just another few years away from developing diabetes through father-daughter bonding. Aww. How sweet." Logan loved dessert for dinner, although he didn't have the sweet tooth that Veronica and Keith had. Give him salty over sweet any day. "It's a good thing I don't have to resort to my heritage's way of handling carbs. A finger, a toilet, and a few dozen laxatives." Yes he was talking about gross things when they were about to eat, because nothing could harm his appetite. He knew Veronica could take it too; they could eat bloody steak after watching slasher films and barely blink an eye.
"It's good you know your strengths, Puckster. Now you've got your looks and an unlimited credit card. You could be mentally deficient and still be better off than the plebs." Puck wasn't dumb, he could tell that by talking to him, but he wasn't as quick witted at the two of them. There was nothing wrong with that. Logan was pretty sure there weren't many people that could keep up with him and Veronica when they got going. Not even her precious Piz.
The waitress came over with their food and set it down, and he smiled in boyish delight. The syrup was poured over the steaming hot pancakes, but he remembered to answer Veronica before stuffing food into his mouth. "Probably, but keep in mind, sugar plum, we'll get to come to Denny's afterward and rub elbows with the local white trash. It's a win-win for everyone." And then ... food!