... (cruelwanting) wrote in the_dome, @ 2013-06-19 08:53:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | 04-02-2017, kenzie, kenzie and mickey, mickey |
Not A Real Date
Who: Kenzie and Mickey
When: Evening
Where: Eatzy's & Movie
Warnings: Language
Mickey was dressed well again, for the second day in a row, though he hadn’t bothered with shaving again, the edges of scruff showing on his chin and cheeks. He’d scrubbed his hands though, despite having worked on some leaky pipes as well as a generator during the day. When he arrived at Eatzy’s to meet Kenzie, he was in his best jeans and a plaid button down and surprisingly enough, nothing was stained with grease.
Kenzie had almost forgotten about her date with Mickey. She had spent most of the day sleeping, or high from the weed she'd bought from Skylar, and she probably would have been lazy on her pcouch right through the evening if her cousin hadn't reminded her of her plans. So after showering, she had kept her face free of make up, but for a little bit of mascara, and wore her hair back from her face. She had on a simple black dress with a leather jacket. Unfortunately her dirty Converse were the only pair of shoes she owned that she actually liked. She probably looked a hell of a lot different than when Mickey first met her. Probably even younger. But that was good. She liked being unpredictable, especially since he had pegged Skylar as her type simply by her appearance.
She arrived at Eatzy's before Mickey, being seated in a booth near the window. She ordered a water and waited, rather impatiently. Then when she saw him walk in, Kenzie lifted a hand and waved it, to draw his attention.
There was a moment where he unashamedly scanned the diner for a set of red dreds, wondering if Zania could even see over the counter, but then someone was waving and Mickey’s attention focused there. There was a moment of hesitation, where he was forced to study the girl in front of him before he made his way there. She didn’t quite look like he remembered, far more clean cut than before. He hadn’t had anything against her look, one of his only friends and the woman he was painfully smitten with was a goth at the very least, but Kenzie looked completely unlike the girl from the day before. “Hey,” he greeted, not able to keep the confusion out of his voice.
Kenzie's smirk was slightly lopsided as she tilted her head and gave him a quick once over before motioning for him to sit. "Hey back. You sound like you're not sure if you're supposed to be here or not." Yes, he sounded a touch confused, but she had to figure it was because she didn't look as strung out as the day before. Or maybe it was the lack of eye makeup. Or torn clothes. But throwing him off a bit was part of the fun.
"I guess I'm not," Mickey admitted, realizing belatedly the he was going to have to talk through this. He couldn't just be silent and work like he normally did. "How are you?"
“Well, I’m on a pretend date with a guy I don’t know all that well, so I’m fabulous,” Kenzie remarked. “But after food, we get to watch a movie about a shark eating people, so that ought be fun, huh?” She snatched the menu from the holder and stared at it, hoping for pictures, of which there were none. And she had no idea what any of it said. “How ‘bout you?”
"Pretend?" Mickey asked, not needing the menu. He knew what he liked here. "If I remember right as a kid it was a terrifying movie." It wasn't often he talked about himself, but it was a start. "I'm fine I guess." Saying out loud that he felt uncomfortable and confused wasn't really appropriate, so he kept it to himself.
“Mmhmm...” Kenzie chewed on her lip, staring at some of the words on the menu before setting it down and shifting her gaze to Mickey. She could always just ask for french fries. This place had those, right? “Can you really consider a date created by an auction to be real? But it’ll be fun, huh? We can watch a scary movie, and that’ll be that. You smoke?”
"No I guess it's not real. Though we are here." And Mickey still wasn't sure why. "No. But you do." He remembered that from the day before. "Tell me about yourself."
Kenzie shrugged, thinking the joint in her pocket would be just for her then. It was always nicer when she didn’t have to share it. Settling back against the booth seat, Kenzie stared at Mickey with a raised brow. “Not much to tell. I’m a trader with my cousin and uncle. I like to smoke pot and bid on cute boys at silly charity auctions. What about you then? Who’s the girl you wanted bidding on you yesterday?”
That definitely wasn't much to tell. Mickey fought the urge to think she sounded childish when she said it like that. He wasn't that old himself, but he felt older. And not everyone had grown up as quickly as he had. "I fix things. I was a handyman to help with my rent before and it stuck on after." He shrugged one shoulder before looking away, almost reaching for the menu he didn't need. "A friend. She and I traveled together before here, but she wouldn't bother with such a thing." Or me.
Honestly, Kenzie didn't really care all that much. She was just wondering if the dark haired girl with the money was the one Mickey had been hoping would bid on him. She was kind of guessing the two were the same, just by his comment alone. The girl hadn't bothered bidding on him herself, and had bribed a total stranger to do it instead. Was that love? Or just pity? Kenzie had to bite her lip to keep from grinning. "Oh. A friend friend? Or a, 'wish you were more than my friend', kind of friend."
"Does that matter?" Mickey asked, not sure he wanted to answer the question to a stranger. Honestly, he was still defining the answer himself.
“Guess not. Just making conversation.” Kenzie shrugged and glanced down at the menu again. She wanted some damn french fries. Thankfully the waiter came around at that moment, and Kenzie got a water and her fries before shoving the menu back into place.
Mickey watched her order next to nothing with a frown. When she finished he ordered her a club sandwich to go with her fries because he had decided she needed to really eat and then ordered his own sandwich before turning back to her. "Maybe a little of the second," he admitted, for the sake of conversation.
Kenzie didn't necessarily want a sandwich. Or maybe she did and she just didn't know what kind to ask for. If her cousin had been with her, he would have read off the choices for her, but she didn't know Mickey well enough at all to ask him to do that for her. And Kenzie decided to let it slide, simply because she was hungry and has some extra cash now to actually pay for it. Placing her arm on the table, Kenzie rested her chin in her palm and studied Mickey. "Is she pretty?"
This was not the line of questioning he wanted to suffer through. "I think so. Most might not though," he explained. People thought December looked unconventional, but Mickey saw want lingered behind the piercings and thought she was stunning.
"Eh, who cares what other people think." Kenzie shrugged one shoulder again and resisted the urge to find a cigarette in her jacket pocket to light up. She was used to being able to smoke wherever she wanted, but she supposed things were different in the dome. "Hope it works out for you though. I don't got any advice, 'cause... I wouldn't know the first thing to do with a guy beyond... you know." She lifted her brows suggestively and smiled.
"I don't care, I just know it makes her stand out in a crowd." Which was another reason why he knew December hadn't been at the auction. He was sure he would have seen her. "I doubt it will, but it's okay." Just so long as she didn't push him out of her life again. "I think I can follow. Makes me wonder why you went and bid on a guy when I'm sure you could have gotten that for free with minimal effort on your part."
With the girl's piercings and stuff, Kenzie could simply assume now that Mickey's girl, and the bribing girl were the same person. She wondered what Mickey would do or say if he knew Kenzie had been given money to bid on him. Lifting a brow, Kenzie tapped her nail against her cheek a bit absently, still watching Mickey. "Well... for one, I bid on you 'cause it was for a good cause and all that. I'm pretty sure that me buying you doesn't mean I bought your dick too." Her lips twitched in amusement. "And yeah, I'm sure I could have sex for free, but you'd be surprised at how uptight some people are here. Like there needs to be an established history or something. People put out a lot more freely outside the dome."
"Which good cause is that?" Mickey asked, mostly curious if she remembered. "And no you didn't. But I'm sure not every date bought ends with a handshake." He frowned a little at her assessment of people in the dome. "It's because people outside still think they could die." And that loosened anyone's morals, even Mickey's though only for a moment.
"The one for the kids," Kenzie replied simply, because she had remembered. For the most part. She knew it had to do with kids, anyway. "Yeah, sure, for some it's about the possibility of death, but that's not how everyone sees it. Some people see it as the opportunity to live without strings. If you find someone attractive and want to fuck, why not? Experience as much as you can, when you can. Here, it's like walking back into a place with...rules and like...social niceties or something."
"You put a semi-positive spin on living like you might die," Mickey pointed out. "From a place of making the most of it rather than living in fear." He shrugged and looked around. "People crave the normality."
"No, 'cause knowing I might die isn't the reason I live my life that way. I know I'm going to die, whether I'm in here, or out there, it's gonna happen. You're going to die too, someday. So's that guy... and her." Kenzie nodded to the people behind Mickey's shoulder. "But I like being able to do what I want without people judging me for it. Yeah, I make the most of it. Shouldn’t everyone? Out there, I'm free to be who I am, smoke what I want, fuck who I like, and I don't have anyone labeling me a pothead, or a slut because of it. In here, it's not the same. In here, normality is someone looking at me without knowing me and assuming that a scruffy guy with a skinny tie is my type simply 'cause he looks like he can 'keep up' with me, whatever that really means.” Kenzie took her straw off the table and began to tear the white paper off.
Mickey leaned on the table a little more, watching her. "What I said got that under your skin?" He asked. "Because he can probably keep up better. If you're out there still alive, your probably fast considering how small you are. I'm not fast. Not anymore. I'm brute strength and I haven't been on a date in years. It's been years since I've done much of anything with a woman." That wasn't including Zania, but Mickey wasn't sure she counted. "I know I can't keep up. I can't figure out why you'd pick me either. I also don't think people are judging you as much as you think. I know I'm not."
"I don't think I plan on running a marathon anytime soon, so I don't think it should matter whether or not you can keep up with me. And if it makes you feel better, I've never been on a date. Ever. This is my first date ever, and it's not even a real date." That didn't bother Kenzie the way it might have bothered other women. Her life before the outbreak hadn't been football games and high school dances, and after the outbreak, it had been survival. Dates were as foreign to her as relationships, and she knew she would suck at both. Kenzie sipped her water before arching a brow. "You really ought to stop thinking so much on why I picked you. You put yourself in the position to be bid on by a stranger for a date. If it wasn't me, it would have been someone else, and it's like you can't grasp that concept."
Mickey was pretty sure Kenize hadn't realized just how slow he was but he shook his head. "We can call it a real date," he conceded. "You picked me, fair and square, so you must have been after a real date. I might even buy you dinner." That was him accepting, letting some cute girl pick him and not worrying about the why.
She sipped her water again and he spoke, then shook her head and swallowed before speaking again, "Nah, it's okay. The whole point of this auction thing was to buy a guy with money and take him out. So it's only right I follow through on my end of the deal. Besides, if I ever have a real date, or even want one, I think I'd rather it be with someone I didn't have to bid on. And someone who wasn't probably wishing he were out with someone else." Kenzie grinned, because that particular fact didn't bother her at all. Mickey was obviously hung up on Ms. Bribery, and that was cool. None of her business, beyond the money in her pocket. Their meals were set in front of them and Kenzie had to keep herself from shoving several fries in her mouth all at once. It smelled really good and it had been awhile since she ate a decent meal. "You sure you don't smoke?" Kenzie asked as she reached for the ketchup. "You have to think a movie with a shark eating people is a lot better when you're high."
"I never said I didn't want to be here," Mickey corrected. "You assumed that. Being disappointed she didn't bid on me and wishing I was out with her are different things. Hell, her not bidding is sign enough." He shook his head and picked up his sandwich. "I think it'd be scarier, but you go for it and I'll hold your hand when you get freaked out."
"I said you probably wished that you were here with someone else. Not that you did." She stuck her tongue out at him before picking up her own sandwich to take a bite. Kenzie could have probably wondered more about why Ms. Bribey didn't just bid herself, but really... she didn't care all that much. Mickey wasn't going to put out. He wasn't even going to smoke some weed with her. So she was thinking it would be a vanilla end to a vanilla date and that would be that. But at least she got some food out of it. Kenzie would just save her joint for when she found Clementine again. Or something. Smirking after she swallowed the first big bite, Kenzie looked up at Mickey. "Aw, you'd hold my hand if I got scared? That's nice. Would you walk me home after it's over too?"
"Well I don't. You bid on me because you wanted to and I've accepted that. I've settled in with a date with a cute girl." Who was nothing like him. "If you wanted me to, sure." He couldn't help it. He was that kind of guy.
Maybe she was going to smoke that joint, after all. She didn't know if she had the attention span for a long movie, but if she was buzzy, it might help. Kenzie took another bite of her food and nodded. At least she didn't feel the need to ditch him yet. Though it would be nice if he loosened up a little. He seemed awfully serious about stuff. "We'll see how the night goes," Kenzie said after another swallow. "'Cause you may be wanting to run home by the end of it."
Mickey chuckled to himself. "I don't run. And you have no idea what it would take to run me off." He didn't even know what it was exactly, because he hadn't run yet.
“That’s true.” Kenzie popped a fry into her mouth. “Maybe I’ll find out, though.” Or not. Kenzie figured there wasn’t much she could do to scare him off. Well, there was, but that didn’t mean she would do it, since he wasn’t being a dick.
After they finished eating, Kenzie and Mickey walked to where they were showing Jaws. She resisted as long as she could, but about halfway through the movie, Kenzie pulled out the joint from her jacket and lit it. It certainly made the movie much more fun. It also meant that she was out of weed again until she could get the cash to buy more from Skylar, but that was okay. The nice thing about a movie was Kenzie didn't feel the need to maintain any semblance of conversation.
"You gonna walk me home?" Kenzie asked him with a lazy smile, once the movie was finished and people were clearing out.
Mickey had watched her more than the movie, wrinkling his nose as the smell of her joint. He wasn’t going to partake, but he didn’t stop her. It wasn’t his place to judge, and he didn’t want to upset her again. When everything was done and she was looking at him like that he shook his head at her before getting up and holding out a hand to her. “You’re lucky I’m a good guy. And yes. If that’s what you’d like then definitely.”
Since this wasn't an actual date in Kenzie's mind, she didn't care all that much whether or not Mickey liked the smell of the joint. Honestly, she wasn't terribly sure she would have cared if it had been a real date, but that was mostly because Kenzie wasn't all that sure how she would have been expected to act anyway. Reaching out to take his hand so he could help her to her feet, Kenzie eyed him, struggling not to giggle. "Why's that? Why am I so lucky?"
"Because I'm not going to try and take advantage of you," Mickey told her with a smile and a slight shake of his head again as he pulled her to her feet, minimal effort needed on her part. He could lift her easily, no real strain to him.
Kenzie’s brows drew together in confusion for only a second or two before she started to giggle loudly. At least he was funny. “Oh...well... thank god! I was worried about that, y’know.” As she was on her feet, Kenzie pulled her hand from his to start walking in the direction of her house. At least she thought it was the right direction. “What makes you think I’d let you, even if you wanted to? I’m not completely brain dead.”
Mickey fought the urge to roll his eyes, slipping back into the skin that kept him pleasant and distant to everyone. "No not completely. Though earlier you seemed interested. Or was that talk about bidding on a hot guy just to butter me up?" He was joking lightly, something far from how he felt which was more like concern for her and where they were headed.
"Yeah, well, bidding on a hot guy is one thing. I think we've talked plenty now for me to know it'd be silly to be interested in you," Kenzie said, feeling quite nice and light on her feet as they walked side by side. She lifted a dark brow and grinned at him. "Which is only 'cause you've got interests somewhere else and I don't have the patience to work through all that. But you're still hot, if that helps."
That was the story of his life wasn't it? Hadn't he just had the same conversation with Zania? His did he keep winding up in situations where Mickey was left leaving some other girl wanting because he was hung up on December? "'You're hot' does soften the 'it's not me it's you' blow." A clean lie. It didn't. He didn't care. "Shoulda picked someone you could skip the talking with."
"Don't you think it's more... it's me and it's you? It's you, 'cause you're into someone else. And it's me, 'cause you're not into me." That made perfect sense to Kenzie. She and Mickey had eaten a meal together, talked some and watched a movie. She could read people pretty well, and she hadn't picked up on any kind of vibe that he was even remotely interested in her. That hadn't stopped her from having a decent time though, and her feelings certainly weren't hurt. "Besides I didn't mind the talking."
Mickey wanted to say he was into her, but honestly he wasn't. She was cute, yes, but too unlike him to be appealing. "I guess it is both. You're rather pretty if that makes you feel better," he said, giving her the same sentiment she gave him. "I surprisingly didn't mind it either, which is saying something." Normally he barely bothered.
Kenzie grinned and felt another giggle start to bubble up in her throat. She didn't feel bad that he wasn't into her because she wasn't into him either, but if he wanted to tell her she was pretty, he could do that. "Yeah, that makes me feel better," Kenzie said, amused. "Thanks. So what're you going to do for the rest of the night? Hard to top the awesome not-a-real-date date that you just had."
Mickey shrugged one shoulder. "Not sure. Might drop in on my friend. See how she is. Or spend a few riveting hours by myself at the diner." Both were viable in his eyes.
"Sounds exciting." Kenzie arched a brow, eying him as they neared her house. "You can always come in for a while. Not every bought date has to end in a handshake,” she added, using the words he'd said earlier. It was an offer, at least. No strings or complications or anything else, though knowing what she knew of Mickey now she fully expected a 'thanks, but no thanks' response.
Mickey half chuckled and shook his head. "I think you typically travel too light to take me home," he said, but he didn't sound upset, more disappointed in himself. It was a lot of baggage to lay on someone else, no matter how willing they were. Plus, Mickey didn't do casual, not really. Even with his distance from others, his relationships hadn't been casual.
Kenzie couldn't help herself this time, and she rolled her eyes before starting to cut across the lawn toward her porch. She didn't feel rejected by any means, but sometimes it was hard for Kenzie to comprehend that not everyone viewed the world like she did. "If you ask me, you need to loosen up some, Mr. Mickey. Sometimes sex is just sex. You leave the baggage at the door and pick it up back up on your way out. If you ask me, I think you need it anyway. If your girl wanted you bad enough, she would have bid on you herself, I think."
He almost let her go. He didn't need to be lectured on sex or his attitude around it. A life of Catholic Mass had left its own imprint and while he wasn't a prude, he took it as something more than most. The last part though, that had him following her, as quickly as he could. "Would have bid on me herself?" December hadn't been there had she? Did he miss her? Or was Kenzie just meaning in general?
"Yeah. As in, bid on you. Herself." Kenzie glanced back at him with a raised brow. The pot made her want to laugh again, but the sound got stuck in her throat. She was already thinking she might have to go out and wander a bit once Mickey went on his way. Kenzie had a feeling she would be too restless stuck inside. "I think that was self explanatory, huh?" She hopped up on the stairs that led to her porch before rounding on him, swaying only once as her head spun. "But hey, I'll make you a deal, ok? If you give me a proper kiss goodnight, I'll tell you a secret about your lady love."
Out of habit he caught her waist when she swayed, trying to keep her steady. That deal wasn't fair in his mind but he wanted to know. "What's a proper kiss goodnight?"
"Haven't you ever given a girl a kiss goodnight before?" Kenzie asked, tilting her head with curiosity. Then she placed both hands on his shoulders, thankful for the leverage. She could probably stumble and fall and laugh about it, but it was nicer with his hand on her waist. Even if she didn't want Mickey for herself, Kenzie was never opposed to having strong hands on her every now and then. "Just pretend like we were on a real date, and you did like me, and now you want to kiss me goodnight in a way that'll make me want to see you again."
Again he had to force himself not to roll his eyes. He knew this was nothing but blackmail, but he'd wanted the terms of the kiss and now that he had them, he could back down. She was just about his height standing on the steps, which made it easier to tilt her chin the way he wanted with his free hand and lean in to kiss her. For all her teasing and suggestions, he didn't want to leave her guessing just what he was capable, so despite the situation, the kiss was a real one, hand on her chin, slipping into her hair to hold on to her.
The kiss was nice. And Kenzie knew she would have been able to tell if he was holding back, doing only what was necessary to appease her. She figured this would be the first and only kiss she ever experienced from Mickey, so why not make the best of it? Who knew when she'd get to kiss another guy in this place? Kenzie wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders and neck to keep him close, responding in the way she would have had this been someone she actually had wanted to see again. Sometimes it was nice to play pretend, even if it stemmed from making a deal. But deals were Kenzie's thing, and she was damn good at getting what she wanted for them.
And damnit if that wasn't distracting. Mickey wasn't entirely interested in her, but some reactions were purely physical, and his in that moment had him drawing the kiss out until it lingered away, only barely pulling back, the hand on her waist now somewhere around her middle back.
While rushed, impatient kisses were quite nice when she was eager to get to what often followed, Kenzie had to admit these kind of kisses were her favorite, even if it was with someone she wasn't fully into. And she liked that Mickey didn't plant one on her then pull away and demand information, because he very well could have. It was really too bad he didn't want to come inside, because her blood was pumping enough that she would have made sure he went home happy. Kenzie pulled her lower lip between her teeth briefly before running her hands through his hair. Then she pulled back and let her hands fall away from him. "You're good at that."
It was for the best she didn't try again to get him inside. He might have gone farther than he would have liked given how much he hated her pulling away like that. "Thank you," he said with a shy smile shaking his hair out. "You too. Glad it met expectations." Instead of asking he waited with a look that said he was expecting her to make good on her end of things.
Kenzie knew it was her turn, and there was maybe a tiny part of her that wanted to make up a lie, just so he didn't have to know the truth. Mostly because Mickey seemed like a nice guy and he hadn't treated her like crap or anything. "Your friend was at the auction," Kenzie said after a moment. "At least I think it was the same girl you've talked about. Dark hair and piercings and stuff. She gave me money to bid on you, so I did. I wasn't suppose to say anything, but you were nice to me, and I think she should've bid on you herself, so..." Kenzie trailed off and shrugged.
No, that was definitely December. "How much money?" Mickey heard himself ask, but he didn't fully realize it was him. His insides were too busy dropping to the ground beneath him. Just what the actual hell was that?
"Two hundred and fifty." Kenzie didn't really see the need to hem and haw about it. It was what it was. If Mickey had issues with it, he could take it up with Ms. Bribery.
Fuck. That wasn't chump change. Mickey ran his hand through his hair and nodded. "Figures." He was shutting down, he could feel it, but in his mind it was better to lock the feelings away for now. There was a moment of hesitation before he leaned in again and kissed her cheek lightly. "I had a good time anyway." Despite it being more of a pretend date than he thought. "I'll see you around." Mickey took a step back then turned towards the street.
If his first response to something like that was figures, then it seemed apparent to Kenzie that the feelings might have only been one sided. Or maybe not. She was good at assuming things without ever knowing the details. She watched Mickey go, chewing absently on her lip before she hopped off the steps and hurried to follow. "Hold on." Kenzie caught up and stopped in front of him. "I had a good time too, just so you know. For a sorta fake date, you were still nicer to me than any of the guys I kissed out there." She thumbed behind her, indicating the world outside of the dome. "So thanks. Night." Kissing her fingertips, Kenzie then lifted them to press to his cheek before she moved out of his way and started back across the small lawn to her door.
He couldn't help the shocked look at everything she did, but as it ended he looked behind himself watching her head back to her door with half a smile. It could have been much worse.