InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Evil Chin-Rat!"

Frodo Baggins (theseabell) wrote in valarlogs,
@ 2012-06-14 12:26:00

Entry tags:

!complete, !linked, agent phil coulson, bob howard, frodo baggins, rose tyler

Who: Frodo, Coulson, Rose, and Bob
What: Frodo and Coulson go on a man-date before Frodo's date with Rose.
When: Wednesday Night, Very Late
Where: En Route to the Comedy Club where Rose works. Then at the club itself. Food afterward.
Ratings: Probably PG, maybe slightly higher.
Status: In Progress.

It was about midnight, but Frodo and Coulson weren't the only two out and about on the street. When had Wednesdays been set aside as acceptable for activity one would normally await the weekend for? The bars seemed full, a gelato shop on the corner still had a good line around the counter, there was even a falafel place open for business! What a wonderful place California was!

"Thanks for being willing to do this," Frodo said. They had been walking quietly for a little bit. He'd been busy taking in all the sights. "Considering, you know, our situation. You've put up a jolly good show."

Ah, yes. He still was a bit British after all.

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1stnameagent
2012-06-14 05:13 pm UTC (link)

Coulson gave the man one of his half smiles, shrugging slightly. "It doesn't appear to be anyone's fault. I can't imagine how someone could be rude in a situation like this."

Well, except Stark.

And truthfully, he found that Frodo was good company. Coulson didn't lack for friends, in his mind, but easy conversation and camaraderie weren't to be discounted, however one found them. "Are you hungry? I hear that place has excellent schwarma."

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	theseabell 2012-06-14 05:25 pm UTC (link)
	Rose had warned him not to overeat before meeting up, but Frodo felt she had underestimated his bottomless ~~hobbit~~ stomach. And he liked schwarma. He liked most every kind of food, really. Though it didn't show. Much. "Hungry? Always," he replied, turning toward the little restaurant. He found Coulson as easy to get along with as anyone could be. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	1stnameagent 2012-06-14 08:43 pm UTC (link)
	Phil paid for their snack (anything after eleven PM was a snack), and took a seat near the windows. "So what's your theory then? About why this happened?" Everyone had a theory. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

theseabell
2012-06-14 08:51 pm UTC (link)

Frodo took a few moments to chew and swallow before he spoke. "Why you and I? Specifically? Or why this is happening in general?"

He considered what they had learned about each other in the past few days. They had compatible, though not identical dispositions. For that hewas grateful. His cousin Merry, had been paired with someone a bit less easy to get on with.

"Actually, my theory is that whatever we need to know one another for hasn't happened yet. You do seem to have a special set of skills that I am wholly unfamiliar with. And I... have... a lot of cars."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	1stnameagent 2012-06-14 09:03 pm UTC (link)
	Coulson couldn't argue with that. A very special set of skills. "You think we're being prepared for something?" Agent Coulson was the master of asking a question that sounded ridiculous on the surface but came out of his mouth as utterly plausible. With things like the dreams and so forth, it was coming in handy. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseabell 2012-06-14 09:54 pm UTC (link)
	Why not? And what the implications were, he did not know. But if Frodo was an expert in anything, it was pretending he wasn't frightened even when he was. "I think we ought to wait and see. And what else can we do, anyway?" He peered out the window. He was just happy to be able to hold his sandwich with both hands. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	1stnameagent 2012-06-14 10:37 pm UTC (link)
	And that was why Phil Coulson liked Frodo Baggins. The man was very practical. He ate his schwarma, looking out the window himself. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseabell 2012-06-15 12:56 pm UTC (link)
	Frodo wouldn't have admitted to being practical. At least, not immediately. Then again, he didn't think about himself very often. Maybe he as practical. He certainly didn't waste time worrying about things that couldn't be helped. Once they had finished eating, they walked straight to the club. They found an empty table. Frodo's eyes scanned the room for Rose. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

withyouforever
2012-06-15 04:17 pm UTC (link)

Wednesday shifts kept Rose busy. They usually didn't have shows on Wednesdays, so her shift was shorter, but people still expected to be entertained at a comedy club. The wait staff had to keep up more lively conversation, and keep track of more people coming and going. Rose enjoyed it well enough, but by the end of the night, she was tired.

Rose kept track of her tables, and luckily Frodo and Coulson found seats in her section. "Hey, you," she said warmly, touching Frodo's shoulder. "I was starting to worry you weren't gonna make it." They hadn't set a specific time, and she hadn't had time to check her texts.

"I'm Rose," she told Coulson. "What can I get you guys?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

theseabell
2012-06-15 06:25 pm UTC (link)

Frodo raised a hand to lightly touch her back, both to signify to Coulson that she was indeed the 'lady friend' he'd ~~gushed about~~ spoken of, and to show off the fact that he could once again use his left arm.

Since he was off the pain medication, he ordered an fancy beer of the imported menu--something from Belgium--not to show off or anything, but because he liked wheat beers. Before the night was over, he might offer to pay for Coulson, since he still felt a bit like he was putting the man out. But now was not the time to discuss such things.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	withyouforever 2012-06-16 01:07 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, look at you!" She looked down at the arm, smiling. "That's awesome. I guess whatever you've been doing is working," she said, giving Coulson a wink. She paused, playing that back in her head. "Sorry, that didn't make any sense. I just throw this stuff out there and most people are too drunk by now to notice," she said, laughing. It had been a long night. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	1stnameagent 2012-06-16 06:41 pm UTC (link)
	Coulson smiled his little half-smile and nodded. "I bet. It seems like a rowdy sort of night in here." He ordered a porter and looked at Frodo. That was cute. He clearly was smitten, and Coulson idly wondered if he got that obvious around Nienor. He sort of hoped not. It wouldn't be professional. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseabell 2012-06-16 08:00 pm UTC (link)
	Ah yeah. Nienor. Frodo had absolutely no idea about the connection his new acquaintance had struck up with his long-standing crush and physician. Of course, he hadn't been thinking much about her lately, but... knowing certainly would make things awkward. And fast. But he certainly was smitten with Miss Tyler. "You do this almost every night?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

withyouforever
2012-06-16 10:08 pm UTC (link)

"Mmmhm," she said, kissing the top of Frodo's head. "Better get these drinks in before Hawke sees us," she teased. "You don't wanna see the last guy she caught feeling me up," she said, giving Frodo a wink before heading back to the bar.

Since it was getting later, several of her tables had cleared out. She should have a little extra time to socialize with the guys before last call.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

theseabell
2012-06-16 11:47 pm UTC (link)

Frodo blushed and pulled his hand away. "Oh, um..." And then he didn't know what to say, so he just smiled instead.

He turned to Coulson once she was gone, lowering his voice a bit. "I doubt you would have said anything, but just so you know, I am aware of the fact that she's several years younger than I. It's not typical of me. I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

Coulson had, after all, seen Frodo's home and had some idea of his income bracket.

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	1stnameagent 2012-06-17 03:55 am UTC (link)
	Phil just shrugged. "It's not that unusual. She seems like a nice girl." Honestly, it gave him hope. Sure, he wasn't that much older than Nienor, but the whole odd couple thing wasn't lost on him either. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

theseabell
2012-06-17 02:13 pm UTC (link)

Maybe it wasn't unusual, as a rule, but for Frodo, pretty much everything was a new experience these days. Rose Tyler, doubly so.

But he smiled as Coulson took it in stride. It made him feel... more comfortable. Merry still wigged out about it from time-to-time.

Their beers arrived and the night continued steadily on. The comics were decent. Nothing spectacular. The beer helped. Frodo had another before the night was out.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

withyouforever
2012-06-17 04:24 pm UTC (link)

Rose had closed out most of her tables. There were other bars that were open later than Hangman, and some of them were probably heading there. She was still keeping an eye on a handful of guests, but she had time to spend with Frodo and his friend, now.

She brought the second round of beers and leaned against his side, playing idly with his hair. Hawke might tease her and poke her for the story later, but she wouldn't yell at them. It was obvious Frodo wasn't a drunk customer hitting on Rose, and Rose was still managing her tables.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

theseabell
2012-06-18 11:01 am UTC (link)

Maybe it was the lack of sleep and the first drink after a long hiatus, but things were beginning to feel downright surreal. TO start, lovely young women didn't run their fingers through Frodo Baggin's hair. The world felt dreamy around the edges. It was a nice dream, though.

It wasn't very much longer that it came time to go. The bar was empty and the lights were slowly drifting on. He and Coulson made sure to stay out of the way, while the servers started to clean up. It was about two am, now.

"So, I'm thinking when I go on a date with you and your lady friend," Frodo said. "We could check out this Japanese place I've been eying for a while." He was joking--obviously. He had no idea if his new companion had any sort of relationship brewing, or who it might be with.

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	1stnameagent 2012-06-18 05:18 pm UTC (link)
	At the mention of a lady friend, the unflappable Agent Coulson blushed. Visibly. "I don't think we're quite there yet," he said truthfully. Nienor's reaction to the suggestion of a double date could only be guessed. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	withyouforever 2012-06-18 07:23 pm UTC (link)
	Rose was finishing up, but Frodo still hadn't received a bill. It felt a little awkward to bring a check to a guy she was dating, and she was worried the tip would be embarrassing. It was way easier to just cover the bill herself. "Ready to go?" she asked, pulling on her light jacket and slinging her purse over her shoulder. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

theseabell
2012-06-18 08:23 pm UTC (link)

Frodo tilted his head. "Wait, don't we have to pay?" he asked, answering his own question simultaneously, and then feeling rather badly about asking it at all. "Oh, ah..."

He'd already had the bills folded up in his fist. With a quick motion, he handed them to Coulson, and gestured with a nod of his head toward Hawke. It wasn't exactly a clear command, but he was a smart man; hopefully he'd get the general idea. The two of them could settle up later, if he felt it was necessary. Frodo would certainly forget the whole matter by the time they were outside.

He gave Rose a kiss on the cheek, and looping his arm around her shoulders, all put dragged her out the door before she could protest.

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	1stnameagent 2012-06-19 01:35 am UTC (link)
	Coulson was a very smart man. Walking over through the crowd to hand the bills to Hawke, quietly explaining that he was paying the tab on the table (the taller woman gave him a wink and said no worries), he politely smiled and grabbed his coat before returning to the group on the sidewalk. (Reply to this) (Parent)