John Murphy [The 100] (awarinyourhead) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-03-09 20:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !log, ~2017 march, ~25 points, ~~arthur (infinitestairs), ~~~~jesse pinkman (imthechemistyo) |
Who: Jesse and Arthur
What: Random run in
Where: In town
When:
Warnings: Possibly talk of drugs and addictions
Status: Closed
Arthur had offered to cook a meal for Ariadne. He had been gung ho about it at the time, but now that he was down to actually doing it, he wasn’t so sure it was a good idea. He had half a mind to cheat and pick up something at one of the restaurants, but no. He’d said he would cook, so he would cook.
He had no idea what to make, and figured WalMart was his best bet, even though he hated the megastore. He sighed and steeled himself to go inside. He headed to the meat department, by way of the bakery. And stopped mid step when he saw a familiar face.
“Oh, hey,” he said awkwardly. He hadn’t seen jesse since he’d gotten meth from him. Yeah. That was awkward.
***
Jesse couldn’t survive on drugs and alcohol alone. He knew this. So he found himself in the meat department of Wal-Mart, attempting to figure out what to get for dinner. Maybe he’d just give up on trying to cook for himself and pick up some fried chicken from the deli. That was always the safest bet when it came to Jesse cooking real food. He could make meth quite well, but when it came to following a recipe for a meal? Jesse was hopeless.
That, and fried chicken sounded really good.
There was a familiar voice, and Jesse looked up toward the owner of the voice. There was a slight smile from the man, and he nodded. “Hey. You…. doing okay?” The last time Jesse had seen Arthur, the other man was wanting meth. It had been a while.
***
Arthur hated that he wasn’t as calm, as smooth, as he’d once been. Before he’d come to Madison Valley, very little rattled him. Now it seemed like every day something, or someone, set him on edge. There was no other explanation but that the masks he wore were crumbling.
He sighed, ran a hand over his face. “Yeah. I’m good.” Jesse definitely put him on edge, not because of the man himself, but because of what he represented to Arthur. Decline, and regression. Jesse had given him the drugs that showed his true self, the man he could have been, if he’d never escaped the darkness of his upbringing.
“You?”
***
Jesse shrugged a bit at Arthur’s question, not really sure how to answer it. “I’m… I’m okay. Deciding that alcohol isn’t nearly as nutritious as I would like it to be, and that I actually need actual food.” He peered at the selection of the meat in the meat department, and sighed softly.
“You’re sure you’re okay, man?” Arthur didn’t seem as alright as he had when Jesse first met him. But then again, Jesse wasn’t as okay as he had been when he met Arthur.
Jesse sighed softly, and looked longingly at the deli. “Fried chicken is real food, right?”
***
“Fried chicken is totally real food,” Arthur told him. “And has the added benefit of you don’t have to cook it because it’s already cooked,” he said. Hey, there was absolutely nothing wrong with premade convenience foods.
“And it’s definitely more nutritious than beer,” he added with a smile. “Maybe get some kind of vegetable to go with it? Or potatoes. Fries are always a good choice.”
Arthur was in a relatively decent place. He and Ariadne were confusing as hell, and he had no idea what to do about it. Other than that, he was fine. He’d found his footing, more or less.
***
“Well, it’s more real food than beer is, that’s for sure.” He offered Arthur a small smile, and decided fried chicken was definitely what was for dinner. And maybe a vegetable, like Arthur had suggested. What would that hurt? Absolutely nothing.
“Well. Potatoes are more vegetable-esque than beer.” Yes,that’s what he would do. Fried chicken and fries. Not exactly healthy, but food nonetheless.
“What’s for dinner in the Arthur household tonight?”
***
"Whatever I buy," Arthur said with a rolled shoulder. "Honestly, I don't know yet. I was hoping to get struck with some inspiration." He shifted his weight. "I mean, you could join us, if you wanted. Ariadne and me." Maybe it would be good for them all, to hang out. So it wasn't just Athur and Ariadne all the time, and Arthur had the feeling Jesse could use friends.
They'd met under awkward circumstances, but Arthur had overcome far worse in his life.