Who: Tink & Remy LeBeau When:August 27th, Mid-Day Where: Tink’s Garage What: Remy goes to pick up Shelley! Rating: PG13 for Language Status: Complete
Tink was impressed with her own work. This sort of thing happened frequently, but this time she felt she actually deserved it. She'd done a smashing good job on Mr. LeBeau's seven digit car. It was sitting in the safest parking space in the lot, waiting for the Cajun to come and pick it up. The paint job was flawless, the body work absolutely perfect. The car looked as good as new. Possibly better than new. It didn't need the extra attention, but Tink had given it a detailed cleaning inside, and an air freshener. That was the way she worked.
She'd just finished fixing up another customer's bike when she saw Remy's car pull up. Or... car service? Or whatever. She saw Remy arrive, anyway, and moved across the garage to meet him. "Hey! She's right over there," she said, motioning toward his car, though she obviously didn't have to. It was a shining beacon in the parking lot.
***
It was a car service, one that would let the red-head out with a smile and thank him for his business, then head off. He knew, of course, he would be driving home in his own car. Oh, Tink had no idea how much this car meant to him.
Rogue would have been impressed, because after shaking Tink’s hand and giving her an eager smile and quick greeting, he’d be headed for his car-- then his heart rate sped up. There she was. And if Remy LeBeau were the type of man to break down into tears in front of strangers, in the parking lot of a body shop, he would have.
His baby girl!
He would smooth gloved hands over her hood and prattle on in French for a moment before he’d turn bright eyes onto her and smile again, bouncing on his toes like a child might. “She’s perfect.” Then all attention was right back onto that car, inspecting the hood inch by inch, trying to find where the paint met, but he just couldn’t tell. He didn’t see a single dent, not a single scratch, nothing out of place-- and much shinier than she had been!
“You are amazing, do you know that? Parfait. Tout simplement parfait. Elle est comme neuve. C'est incroyable.” More French. Sorry about that Tink, when he got excited, it was simply easier to speak in that natural tongue. He hadn’t begun to learn English until he was four-- it simply hadn’t been spoken much in the house. But once he started learning it, it was used half of the time, to help make sure he got the hang of it. It was certainly a fluent language for him.. but it was just more comfortable to speak French. ***
Tink shook Remy's hand, then let him give his attention completely to the car. She didn't mind at all that the car--his baby--was more important to him than she was. Hell, if she owned that amazing car? She'd ignore everyone else in the world, too. Possibly forever.
"Yay!" Tink said, grinning and nearly bouncing on her heels as he inspected the car. Then she went pink, grinning shyly and enthusiastically. "Well... Mercy Buckets." She said. Okay, so she probably could have pronounced Merci Beaucoup a little better, but Tink wasn't much for French. She was flattered and excited for him. He was reunited with his baby.
"You're really happy? Then I'm happy."
***
“Of course I’m happy.” What a silly thing for her to ask. But he was smiling away, he knew she was just as pleased as he was. Well, nearly as pleased.
Smoothing gloved hands along the hood again, he’d finally manage to peel himself away long enough to turn and flash her a smile. “Well, a deal’s a deal.” He’d thumb at the car. “Hop in.” Yes, you were going for a drive. He wanted to road test her.
He’d open the passenger door and slide in. He’d never sat in this seat before, it was strange but not unwelcome. Just another part of his baby girl he got to experience. ***
Tink moved along with him, grinning at the way he loved his car. It was refreshing to see someone who loved vehicles as much as she did. She blinked at him getting into the passenger seat and her jaw dropped. He was serious! She didn't have to double-check for permission, Tink jogged to the driver's seat and climbed in.
She'd had to move the car out of the garage after the work was completed, but that was done at a very low speed, and for a very short distance. A test drive would be something else. A little faster, a little more distance.
If Tink was lucky, a lot faster, actually.
She was a highly trained driver, so this wasn't at all dangerous to him, to the car, or to herself. She hoped he knew that.
"Oh my God, she purrs like a kitten," Tink said after turning on the engine. Then she pulled out of the space and onto the street. "Think we should get some ice cream? I know a great place." It was a ten minute drive away.
***
“I guess that depends on where the great place is.” He flashed her a little smile and lifted both of his eyebrows questioningly. “A mile? A few miles? An hour?” Leaning some, he’d set his elbow to the arm rest and get comfortable.
“She is amazing. You did a really fantastic job. I’ll have to ship her out here to you if anything happens back home.” He hoped it wouldn’t, of course.. and if his mechanic got wind of this? Well, he wouldn’t like it very much.
***
"A few miles," Tink said, giving him a smile. "I don't think they could part with me at the Garage for a whole hour. As much as I'd love to take the two of you for a joy ride. Maybe we'll have to raincheck that idea." She turned onto the freeway and fought the temptation to really rev the engine. Okay, so maybe she didn't fight that hard...
"Thank you. Hey, I'll take care of her anytime. Where's home?"
***
“Louisiana.” He would say with a proud sort of smile, turning his head to look out the window as they got going. With the top down and the windows all rolled down as well, it made for the perfect little wind tunnel and he wanted to lean enough to make sure he got the full force. The driver was pretty protected where they were, he was used to that. But he wanted wind in his face today.
It was a way he’d never experienced his car before.
“If you’re going to drive her, drive her. I’m going to do a hundred and fifteen on the way back to my place, so you might as well test her out now.” He’d remark to her with a grin, eyebrows going up over his sunglasses. “Don’t be scared.” You were only driving a three million dollar car.
***
“That would be a long way to ship her.” Tink said. She was driving politely, trying to test out things without pushing her too hard. But then he gave her some reassurance. She turned to look at him, giving a smirk, then turned back to the road.
“If you insist,” she said, playfully, then opened her up.
They didn’t quite reach a hundred and fifteen, but they had one hell of a ride. Tink knew a place where the cops were absent, the curves obvious, and she could really let her fly.
***
“It is. I hate being away from her so long, but maybe I’ll take the journey along with her.” He flashed Tink a smile then looked forward at the road again. Though, when she opened his Shelley up, he broke out into a laugh and tilted his head back. “That’s better.” This was how you were supposed to drive a car like this. This was what Shelley was born for-- she’d been a race car once upon a time.
He adored her.
The drive to-- well, wherever she was taking him-- would be thoroughly enjoyed. It was nice to experience his baby girl from the passenger side. The company wasn’t too bad, either.
***
Tink was an incredibly talented driver. Not only did she understand the way cars worked on an intimate level, but she’d done training courses in Stunt Driving and Race Car Driving. The car was in very, very good hands. Talented and skilled.
Tink drove for about twenty minutes, putting a good deal of miles between them and the Garage. She finally came to a frozen custard place and parked expertly in the parking lot. She turned off the car and held the keys out to him, grinning brightly from the drive.
“How about I buy you an ice cream?”
***
He’d wave off the keys. She was the driver! “You’re buying me ice cream?” He broke into a smile but shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, sure, I’ll take an ice cream.” You were in his three million dollar car and you were buying the food, Tink?
Sure, he could let her do that, if that was what she wanted. Some people just.. wanted to pay for something so they didn’t feel like they were using him. He was alright with that.
“I guess this place is pretty good.” If she knew about it, it had to be good enough to have a reputation, right?
***
Hey, he was gonna be paying for the repairs, right? They were both paying for things today. Besides, it was easier to pay for two at the same time than for each of them to have to get out wallets or whatever.
Tink broke into a bright grin, led the way out of the car and into the frozen custard place. “You have to try the orange cream. It’s like one of those orange creamsicles that we all had as kids. You know? With the vanilla ice cream on the inside? Only it’s better.”
Okay, so maybe Tink was a little over enthusiastic after driving that fucking amazing piece of machinery out there. She was babbling as if she’d just downed a case of Red Bull.
***
Oh, he was going to be paying for the repairs. He had plenty of money to pay for repairs, ice cream, lunch-- Hell, he had enough to buy the shop she worked in and still have plenty left over!
LeBeau was filthy rich, that was just the way the cookie crumbled in the world. Guys like him got everything and good, hard working people like Tink got.. well.. not everything.
When she mentioned the orange creamsicles, he laughed as well and pushed a gloved hand back through his hair. “I’m old, ma Cherie. Old.” Yes, he could remember them.
“I’ll have one of those, then.” He’d say as they came up to the counter. If it was her treat, he’d eat what she recommended.
***
If Tink had been a little bit smarter, she might have been able to get more in the world. She had those amazing inventions, and they would be worth a lot of money if she played her cards right. The problem was that she didn’t really know how to play her cards right, and she wasn’t a businessperson. She was an inventor. A tinker. So she didn’t know about applying for patents and all that crap.
“Okay, good.” She ordered two of the small size (since small was big enough to share anyway) and paid for the frozen custards, then led the way to a table by the window.
“How old is old? Just for reference.” Tink asked once they were sitting down.
*** "Thanks." He'd say of the sweet treat, flashing her a smile and heading for the table.
"Twenty six." He announced his age with a smile. "Just about to finish up my Doctorate. I feel like I'm ancient." When he went out to all those parties with friends his age, he felt old. They were all just graduating college. He had two Bachelor's, a Master's and now this coming up in a few weeks. But ssh, it wasn't something he told many people. It intimidated them.
And really, she should pitch some of her ideas to Remy, he was always looking for something to invest in. Always.
"I imagine you're about my age?" If she remembered creamsicles!
***
“Old but smart. That’s a lot more schooling than I ever imagined.” Tink responded, dipping her spoon into the soft-serve magic and lifting it to her lips. “Yeah, we’re about the same age.” Though sometimes she felt so much older, considering all the living that she’d done. Boys never grew up in Neverland… neither did fairies.
“I’ve got a lot of training, but it’s not like, official. Or anything. And I put it to good use in the garage. I’m… well, I’m a Tinker. I like to make things. You should see the painting system I designed for the Garage. It’s pretty amazing. --Not to toot my own horn, or anything,” she added quickly.
***
“I’m not so sure all that schooling made me smart, it just made me good at test taking.” He’d give her a wink, then smile and take a bite of his ice cream. Remy nodded when she mentioned they were about the same age. He’d thought so. He figured she was just a bit younger than he was. But he always felt older.
“You make things, huh?” That gave him pause, tilting his head at her. “Like an inventor? Or you modify things to make them better?” He lowered his ice cream some. “What kind of things?”
***
“Well, I don’t know if schooling makes you smart or educated,” Tink said, almost bluntly. She wasn’t really intimidated by the looks or the education or the money. She was impressed by the car more than anything else. It proved that even though he had a shit ton of money, he at least had style. And car smarts. And those things were … well, the latter more than the former … important to Tink.
“Yeah, that’s right.” Tink said, grinning and nodding. “I invent things and I modify things. Both. Mostly invent, though. I made this amazing blender out of a paint mixer? It was pretty cool. And a toaster that puts Kermit the Frog’s face on toast.”
***
“You’re pretty good with mechanical things, huh? Making stuff from nothing? I’d really like to see a few of your ideas. And I’d love a piece of that toast.” He broke into a grin as he said it, leaning forward some and tilting his head. What he really wanted was a toaster that had his company logo burned into the toast.
How cool would that be? He’d put those in every break room.
“I love seeing creative people like you make new, interesting things.” He wished his mind worked like Stark’s mind-- now that guy was a genius. Remy couldn’t invent, though. It just wasn’t in him.
***
Tink laughed. Her nose crinkled when she did, and her cheeks colored slightly. “Really? Well, sure. I’ll show you. Anytime.” She ate another bite from her frozen custard.
“Mmm,” she agreed, swallowing. “I just… I dunno, I make so much stuff, I can’t seem to stop. But that’s where it ends. I wish there was a way to get my inventions out to the whole world, you know? I wish I could make people’s lives better.”
***
“Maybe we could set up a time for me to see some of the things you made. Things that would make people’s lives better.” His eyebrows lifted slowly, a smile curling his lips. “I know a guy. Maybe he’d be willing to invest, if there was something he liked.”
He knew a guy. He always knew a guy. But he knew this guy rather intimately.
***
Tink blinked at him, eyes going big as dinner plates. “Really? You think so? Well. Yes. Yes, please, let’s set it up!” She was excited now, as she finished off the last of her custard. “I should probably get you back to the shop,” she added, more excitement coming to join the first.
She got to drive the car again.
***
"Well you have my number, text me yours, and I'll get this thing set up." Yes, Remy and his guy. Only half the time, Remy was the 'guy'.
"And I should probably let you get back to work." He smirked for that and would finish up his treat, then stand up and gesture out to the car. "Shall we?" He said with a smile. All in all, it had been a damn good day.