InsaneJournal

Who: Tinkerbell and Anders
When: Day after the Truth Plot
Where: Tink’s house
What: This is the “are you my boyfriend?” talk, followed by the gifting of a Letterman jacket.
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete


Tink was a little nervous. Anders had finally gone home and to work and the like, and she’d gone to work. The truth thing that had fallen over them seemed to have faded away, and Tink was able to lie again. She didn’t make a habit out of lying, really, but it was nice to not spill her heart and soul every time someone asked her how she was.

Anders was coming over after work so they could do the dinner thing, and talk about getting Tink a cat. Having Sir Pounce over all weekend had Tink convinced she wanted one. And hopefully she could find one that liked her more than Sir Pounce did. (Not that he hated her or anything, but Tink was looking forward to having a bond like Anders and Sir Pounce had.)

She came home from work a little late, covered in engine grease, and pulled into the driveway, only to find he was already there. Hopefully he’d only been waiting a minute or two… she wasn’t that late, was she? She cut the engine on her bike, pulled off her helmet, and gave him a sheepish smile.

“Sorry. I ran late. Last minute oil change.”

“Don’t worry, Sweetheart,” Anders said, walking up to her to give her a kiss. “I haven’t been here long.” That wasn’t necessarily true (hoorah for being able to bend the truth again). He had gone home from work, gotten changed, grabbed and overnight bag (which he was keeping in his car for now. He didn’t want to see presumptuous), and grabbed a present for Tink. Then he had come straight over and read Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowee. He knew he had come early, but there was a chance that Tink would get off work early and then he could have more time with her.

"How was work?"

“Long,” Tink replied honestly. Hey, just because she could lie, didn’t mean she was going to all the time. She grinned after the kiss, and started up in toward the house with him. “I could have told that last oil change that we were closed. Hell, I might have before the Old Man died.” (Though, probably not. Tink was the kind of person who always stayed late to help out a customer.) “But now the shop is my business. If I turn people away, it’s affecting me personally, as well as my pocketbook. You know?”

She reached down for his hand, but then stopped herself. She was probably still covered in car grease. Her keys definitely were. They needed a cleaning. She noticed as she pulled them out to unlock the front door.

It was a little strange that Anders could find Tink somehow even cuter when she was covered in grease.

"I get it," Anders said. "If someone comes to the clinic right near close, I usually try to fit them in if it's something that I think I can wrap up fairly easily." Well, and if it was something serious. "I imagine in the future there will be a few times when I get held up by work."

"It'll even out, then.” Tink said, giving him a grin. She pulled a cloth from her pocket to open the handle of the front door, so she wouldn’t get it dirty, then led the way into the house. “Can you wait for a couple of minutes while I shower?” She asked, unzipping her coveralls. She was wearing a tank top and shorts underneath.

Anders gave her a wolfish grin. “Do I have to wait?” he asked. “If you needed a hand washing your hair, I’d be happy to help.”

Tink laughed. Twinkling on the air, like bells or chimes. She grinned at him. Beamed, really. “After this past weekend you still want to fool around in the shower?” She wasn’t sore anymore, but man. That was a weekend they were going to remember forever.

“Maybe I just really want to wash your hair,” he said with a wink. “Aren’t you presumptuous.” They had been rather busy that weekend though, so he added “If you’d rather go alone though I have this fantastic book in my car.”

Crap. Now Tink was torn. On the one hand, alone she could quickly wash off all the junk from today--the grease and oil--and then be ready for cuddles and snuggles with Anders, feeling fresh and clean. On the other hand, she could just as easily have cuddles and snuggles with him in the shower, right?

“My hair is really dirty…” She said, drawing out the last word a bit. She lifted her hands to start peeling off her coveralls; over her shoulders, and down her arms. Then she let the one piece fall to the floor and kicked it aside. “Come on, then.” She turned to lead the way to the bathroom. The master bath, with the big tub.

Anders grinned and followed her toward the bathroom, already taking off his shirt as he walked down the hall. The fact that he could do that was pretty fantastic. Going back home after spending the weekend at Tink’s house reminded him just how tiny his apartment was. He didn’t really mind it most of the time, but maybe he should get a bigger place so Tink could visit him sometimes too.

That was something to think about later though. For now, all that had to be on his mind was Tink.

“I kind of missed you today,” he said. “I got accustomed to you being around all the time pretty quickly.” It was also weird not being compelled to tell the truth all the time. Still, he had also gotten in the habit of just speaking his mind when he was with her. He hoped that he didn’t sound like a weird stalker.

Tink flushed. She pulled her tank top up and over her head, and tossed it into the laundry basket in the bathroom. She was kinda smelly, too. But she’d warned him about that when she couldn’t lie. At least they were about to hose off.

“I missed you, too,” she admitted. She could have ignored it or said something else, but it felt really good to tell the truth. She trusted that Anders wouldn’t hurt her or hold it against her, so why not say what she was thinking? Admit what she was feeling? “This house is really big and empty without you and Sir Pounce.”

“Sir Pounce-A-Lot and I will be around plenty, I’m sure,” Anders said. He was a little surprised at how relieved he was when she said she missed him too. “And when we get you your cat, it will feel less empty when we’re not around.”

“Good. We’ll have to go do that soon.” Tink turned on the bathtub before stripping off the rest of her clothes. It got warm fast (the heater was new and pretty fantastic) and filled up quickly, too. She climbed into the tub and motioned for him to join her.

“I know I said shower, but… well, with a tub like this? We can’t let it go to waste, right?” Sheepish grin.

“I agree entirely,” Anders said. He had dreamed of this tub. In his normal dreams, not the weird ones where he could shoot lightning bolts from his fingertips. He removed the rest of his clothes, and climbed in with her, and wished he had one of his own. Once he got in, he leaned forward to kiss her.

Tink grinned, leaning forward to return his kiss. The tub was pretty big, big enough for the two of them and elbow room. A shame it wasn't just slightly smaller. Tink had to press her foot against the side so she could stay close up against him. "This is much more fun than a lonely shower." She mumbled against his lips, then drew back a little.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

“You can ask me anything,” Anders said. He didn’t have much to hide from her, not now that he had told her all his deep dark secrets over the weekend. He wrapped his arms around her so she didn’t float away.

Anders arms were always welcome around her. God, he was strong and warm and lovely. Her wet wings folded down against her back in the tub.

"It's just... This thing... between us..." This was the party where it got awkward. "I really like it," she added quickly, "I just... don't know what to... call it?"

Anders smiled at her. "What to call it?" he asked. "Me, I like fun. Perhaps out-of-this-world? Maybe even splendiferous." He knew what she was asking (at least, he thought he knew what she was asking), but he did enjoy a little bit of teasing beforehand.

Tink couldn't help the smirk that crossed her lips. She gave his side a playful pinch when she realized he was teasing her. "I like splendiferous," she turned to press a kiss against his neck. "But you know what I'm asking. What... do I call you when I'm bragging to my girl friends?" As if Tink had girl friends. "Are you my boyfriend now?"

Now Tink's cheeks were bright red.

Anders leaned forward to give her a light kiss. "Only of you're my girlfriend," he said, tucking a bit of hair behind her ears.

Her heart was thundering. Tink opened her eyes to look into his. "Really?" She beamed. Her heart started to slow a little as relief washed over her. Then bumped up again with happiness instead of nerves. "And I don't even have a sweater on to wear your pin."

“Really,” he said. Oh, man, she was cute.

“Actually,” Anders said. “I have a present for you once we’re all cleaned up. It’s no pin or anything, but I hope you like it.”

Actually, now he was kind of nervous about it, now that things were a little more official. What if she hated the first thing he ever gave her as boyfriend and girlfriend?

“A present? Really?” Tink perked up. “What are we waiting for then?” She reached up and tugged the ponytail holder out of her hair, letting it tumble down around her shoulders. “You have hair to wash, Mister.”

"Really," he said. He began to wash her hair. He gave her a bit of a scalp massage while he was at it, and, while he let the conditioner sit in her hair, he added a shoulder massage as well. She had said that she had had a long day at work, and he was sure a little shoulder rub at the end of a long day of work was exactly what the doctor ordered (Sometimes, Anders liked to joke that half the reason he became a doctor was for all the puns, even if it wasn’t that there was a whole lot of them so much as they tended to come up a lot).

He rinsed off her hair, feeling pretty content. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was about washing someone’s hair that was so intimate, but he felt a little less nervous about the jacket now. She’d probably like it. He hoped.

Tink had really been kidding about the whole washing hair thing. She hadn’t thought much of it before it happened. And then it happened and he literally made her toes curl. Literally. She bit her lower lip to stop from moaning. Having his hands on her in such a caring and intimate way made butterflies erupt in her tummy, too.

He finished washing and rinsing her hair, and she turned around to kiss him. Gently. Then she grabbed the soap to finish washing up. Her body, his body, then a final rinse. She was excited about getting out, having some food and her surprise present!

Anders got out of the tub, and towelled off. “Man, I haven’t had a bath in ages,” he said. “Would you like me to get your present now, or after dinner?”

“Hmm.” Tink said, grinning as she wrapped her towel carefully around her chest and tucked it there. She was torn between wanting her present now and the hungry grumblings in her stomach. “...What do you think? Before or after dinner? I should at least get dressed first.”

“Are you going to be thinking about it throughout all of dinner?” Anders asked. He had the sneaking suspicion that he was probably going to be running out to his car to grab her jacket pretty quick, so he reached for his pants.

Tink chuckled softly. “It’ll be on my mind nonstop until I get it,” she said, grinning, as she headed into the bedroom to find some clothes. She ran her hand over his backside as she slipped past him into the hallway. “What are we having for dinner?” She called out to him from in front of her closet.

"Then you'll have it before we eat," he said. He pulled on his jeans. As much as Anders loved pizza, he was getting a little tired of it. "Are we ordering in?" he asked. "We could try getting Chinese?"

"We could go out," Tink suggested, calling out again. Her closet wasn't nearly full. Tink wasn't that big on clothes, really, and the closet was a walk in. She put her dresser in there, too, and looking at it made her wonder if Anders wanted to leave some stuff at her place. She pulled on jeans and a t shirt over some fresh underwear.

"That sounds great. I saw some Italian place that looked good on the way over here," Anders said. It had looked a little romantic, but not too swanky (which was good, since he only had his jeans and t-shirt with him). Having a charming dinner in a nice restaurant after having The Talk appealed to his closeted romanticism.

"Italian sounds great." Tink came out of the closet, smiling at the sight of him shirtless, with wet hair from the bath. He was amazing, and she was so lucky. "I was thinking... do you want to leave some stuff here?" She flushed, leaning against the door frame. "I have plenty of space. You could leave a change of clothes, or whatever. If you want."

He stepped forward to kiss her. "I would love that," he said. It would be a whole lot easier than packing and overnight bag, that was for sure. And he was happy that she liked him enough to ask him that so soon.

"Your present's in the car. We'll grab it on the way to the restaurant."

It may have been rushing into things, but Tink was sort of a leap before she looked kinda gal. Besides, when it felt so right, why wait? She grinned into the kiss, bringing both hands to rest against his chest. "Okay," she said, happily. Her eyes twinkled as she looked up at him. "I can't wait."

It only took another minute to tug on socks and shoes, transfer her wallet to her pants, and grab a jacket. Then they were headed to his car.

"It's weird it stays light so late now." She commented, hand slipping into his as they walked down the drive.

Anders finished getting ready just as quickly. When they reached his car, he unlocked the back door, and reluctantly let go of her hand to grab the jacket. It was fairly worn, but but he was less nervous about giving it over after she had asked if he wanted to keep some things over.

“It might be a little big,” he said, holding it to her. “But it’s yours, if you want it.”

Tink reluctantly let go of his hand so he could go... to the back seat? She raised an eyebrow, as she waited for her present. Then she broke into a huge grin. "Seriously? Really??" She asked, brightening up considerably at the sight of the jacket. "Oh my gosh." She shrugged off her own jacket and tossed it onto the hood of his car. "Do I ever."

She made grabby hands and rushed over to slip her arms into the sleeves of the jacket, instantly impressed with the softness of the leather, the smell of him on the collar, the warmth that flowed through her as she slipped it on.

"I love it."

Once she slipped it on, he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss on the side of her head.

"Good," he said. "It's no letterman jacket. I hope you'll make due without my initials," he teased.

“I can handle the fact that it doesn’t have initials or a Letter or anything,” Tink said. She cuddled in close against him. “Thank you. It’s amazing. You’re going to have to take it back every once in a while and rub your neck all over it. Make sure it maintains that Anders smell.” She pressed her face into his chest, content to just hug him for a moment.

Anders laughed. "I suppose I could do that," he said. "Now, step back. I want to see how cute my girlfriend is in what was formerly my jacket." Girlfriend. That felt nice.

Girlfriend! Tink nearly squeed. She was someone’s girlfriend again. It felt nice. Like she belonged. Not as in an item he owned, but as in a partner. Someone who belonged with not to.

She took a step back, held her arms up, and spun around slowly. “How’s i t look?” Tink was a fairly small woman, but she had ridiculous curves. And she filled out the jacket pretty well in some parts. Though the sleeves were a little long.

Anders placed his hand over his mouth to try to hide the goofy grin on his face. He tried to suppress it so he could tease her properly, but he found he couldn't hide the fond look.

"That jacket has never looked better on anyone," he said.

Tink went red. She stepped forward, tugged his hand down away from his face, and leaned in to kiss his lips. “Now.” She said, grinning smugly but also bashfully (weird combo, right?), “take me out for a romantic dinner.”