ɢᴀʟᴇ (traps) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-07-17 13:08:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, agent washington, gale hawthorne |
Who: Gale & Wash
What: An important question for Agent Washington, and the heart attack-inducing Bacon Bomb (guest appearance by deep fried fruit punch also)
When: This weekend sometime
Where: The OC's fair
Rating/Warnings: On the low side
Status: Complete
In Orange County the fair happened annually, for about a month, and Gale had to admit that it was a lot different than what he was used to in West Virginia. He’d been a couple of years, when he was a kid, and what started out as a way to gather all sorts of people and pin blue ribbons on various classes of cattle, pies, quilts, and tractors (seriously) had grown into a whole big deal. Same with the OC, he guessed, but there was a bit of everything - concerts playing every type of music from the soothing sounds of the symphony to Offspring, awards for woodworking and confectioneries, rides, games, a 5K run, wine tasting, the food. He was continuously watching what he ate, just to keep fit and healthy - and kept up with the exercise to boot - but at the fair, Gale planned to taste things that were pretty high up there in calories. “I’m not sure how I feel about a wild turkey stampede,” he said, unfolding the program and schedule that came with the tickets when you entered the grounds - and there was a lot to see and do. “But we could probably murder some fried Twinkies or whatever a Bacon Bomb is.” It sounded like something they should eat, and then tempt fate by riding the Tilt-a-Whirl. Just to be a little bit masochistic. But he hoped the rain would hold off (likely, as it was always sunny and warm in good ol’ dry California), and it would be a decent day. Wash seemed like he could use a day where nothing went wrong - and some time out when he wasn’t drinking his problems away at a bar, which had Gale eyebrow raising. But he couldn’t help it - if something happened and he’d just kept it all in, not voicing his concern, he’d never be able to forgive himself. The one and only time Wash had been to a fair, he had been six or seven years old. His grandmother had taken him. He had vague fuzzy memories of standing outside a pen of some kind and watching pigs and cows parade around, oinking and mooing. He also had a funny memory of walking through a hall with nothing but quilts along the walls. He’d been too small to go on any rides at the time and for the life of him he couldn’t remember if rides were even actually a thing. Cotton candy had been. He’d eaten some. At least...he was pretty sure he had. The Orange County Fair was nothing like what he remembered (or thought he remembered) a fair to be like. It was more like a traveling amusement park. Everything was catching his attention from the games to the rides to the copious amounts of food. Occasionally a sudden loud noise coming from one of the game booths or the rides caused him to jump, but aside from that, this was fun! Wash was eyeing the games as they passed them. He wanted to win something...maybe one of those giant teddy bears and stick it in Carolina’s room. Then there was some kind of mention of a bacon bomb? “We need to eat that,” Wash said. “I don’t care what the hell it is, we need to eat that. What-” Wash stopped short to look up at one of the facades they were passing, decked out to look like a dungeon, complete with extremely fake looking chains and red strobing lights coming from the “second floor”windows and creepy halloween music coming from within. “Seriously? A House of Horrors?” He looked over at Gale, looking very much like a stranger in a strange land. “That’s really a thing?” “Does it look pretty horrifying?” Gale asked, with a grin, and by ‘horrifying’ it was more like...cheesy. But that was the whole point of it, the props and fun meant to make you laugh rather than scare you. Maybe they wanted to get a head start on October, because Halloween was a few months off - but points for effort. “We can go in, but ask for a Bacon Bomb first and ye shall receive.” The smell of it was pretty easy to find, no map needed - basically, he had a feeling that if a bacon and sausage factory exploded in the middle of the fairground, and you picked up the pieces and slapped them on a bun, the Bomb was what you’d get. Italian sausage wrapped in bacon, topped with bacon crumbles, cheddar cheese (or was it Velveeta? Please let it be Velveeta, for the extra trashy effect), and BBQ sauce on, yes, a steak roll. “My treat, let’s hope we don’t feel the heartburn later,” he said as he stepped up to the counter. The ‘Defibrillator’ on the chalkboard menu was also being side-eyed by him, mostly because...”How the hell can you deep fry a burger??” This was crazy. Crazy and wonderful. Holy crap. This was fair food? Wash couldn’t help but stare at the concoction of meat and cheese. It wasn’t like anything Wash had ever seen before anywhere. The type of food one wasn’t likely to find anywhere else. And where else would Wash have the chance to even try it? “Dunno,” Wash answered with a shrug, “how do you deep fry a Twinkie or a scoop of ice cream? I think it’s best not to question the glory of what we’re about to partake in, Gale. Just enjoy it for what it is.” And even if the Bacon Bomb did give the two of them heartburn, just by the smell of the food alone, Wash considered it worth it. And when Wash took his first bite? Oh, it was nothing short of delicious! He ordered a beer to go with it, perfect combination. “Why aren’t these things sold anywhere else?” He asked. “Dude, seriously, someone could make a killing with a food truck that served these.” It really was like they’d landed on another planet or something - Gale just couldn’t fathom deep fried everything, but he at least took a picture with his phone to send to Leliana. Also Jack, since grossing him out while he was overseas - thanks to the time difference - seemed like a fun way to troll. And Gale the stoic, hardfaced soldier was hardly one to troll, so it’d be a nice surprise. “I guess you really can fry just about anything,” he chuckled, twisting the cap off his bottle of water and taking a swig. He just knew that Bacon Bomb was literally going to hit his digestive system like one, so he was sure to keep hydrated. “God bless America.” After taking the first bite of the monstrosity, it was - alright, admittedly, it was good. He wasn’t too proud to admit it. Gale wasn’t sure if he could finish the whole thing, but he had a stomach of steel and had survived on army rations for awhile - hanging onto fair food would be a cakewalk in comparison. “Before I have a heart attack, there’s something I wanted to ask you?” was his next lead-in. “And feel free to say no, because it could be a lot, and if you don’t want to deal with it I’d understand.” Wash certainly intended on eating the whole thing if he could. Unless he could actually find a food truck that served bacon bombs, then he’d have to wait another year to have one again, and literally anything could happen in that time. May as well eat as much of it as he could. He’d learned to eat whatever and whenever he could as a kid. Gale’s ominous sounding preface to his question caught Wash in mid bite. He raised a curious brow as he chewed what was in his mouth. The two of them had been through much together, short of cold blooded murder, there wasn’t much of anything Gale could ask Wash to do and the other man wouldn’t do it. Hell, even murder wasn’t entirely off the table considering the background the two men had. He washed down the bacon bomb with a healthy glug of beer. “Whatever it is, you know you can count on me. What is it?” They really had been through alot together - and maybe it was because of Wash being there for him while he was forced to fake his own death and cut off human contact for a time, but Gale felt there was an understanding between them that he didn’t really get with his other friends. Oh, he appreciated them all, the Panem crew and others, they were family when you got down to it - but the life Gale had lived was not easy. What he had entangled himself in, by choosing Leliana and sticking with her, was also not easy for the both of them to get out of. He’d expected to have to walk through it alone, but that hadn’t happened and he was just more grateful than he could ever say. “Well, since I’m getting married,” he started, around a mouthful of meat. And the delicious heartburn-inducing snack. You know what would go great with this? Funnel cake. Or an elephant ear. One calorie-laden snack at a time, Hawthorne. He had to pace himself or he’d end up facedown in a ditch covered in puke. “I’ll need a best man? If you’re interested.” Usually the best man planned the bachelor party and made a toast at the reception or something, Gale didn’t have a list of exact duties, but it was still important because it meant asking his best friend to stand beside him on the most important day of his life, to be there. Wash stared at him. He had expected to be asked something else entirely, but when Gale asked him to be his best man, all other possibilities just disappeared. Wash had never been to a wedding, but he knew that this was an incredible honor and Wash was insanely honored to just be asked. A smile grew over Wash’s face. “Yeah, of course I’m interested,” he said, clapping Gale on the shoulder. He was going to have to figure out what it was a best man did, and he was going to do the shit out of it. Anything and everything he could to be sure the most important day of Gale’s life was also the best day of his life. “I’m honored, man. Thank you. So does this mean you and Leli have decided on a date?” Aw. Gale smiled kind of doofily, but like his dream self he had always considered, even when he was younger, the idea of getting married and having a family someday - never did he think things would turn out like this, but after so much of doing nothing besides surviving, he was ready to actually do some living. “I’m honored that you agree,” he clapped Wash on the shoulder in turn (halfway a bro hug, at the fairgrounds, also aw). “We haven’t picked a day exactly, but we are aiming for the month of December. A wedding with a snow backdrop hopefully.” And he was pretty sure that the OC would do something freaky to actually create that snow too, like what tended to happen every year - if not, he had an Ice Queen on standby who could create her own snowstorms. “We also picked the venue, it’s going to be in the Santa Ana mountains. At Skyhold, the medieval castle she dreamed of.” Leliana had already asked her Inquisitor friend and he’d agreed - Gale was thinking it’d be beautiful. He’d have to find a good photographer to really capture those wintry moments. “I’m mostly laid back about it all,” he added, cramming the last bit of Bacon Bomb into his mouth - what do you know, he’d finished it. But they could walk and talk, digest, maybe find something else unhealthy to nom on. “The only thing I requested specifically was the bread toasting ritual from District 12, the only part of Panem I’d want here.” Hey, if anyone deserved to do some actual living, than it was Gale Hawthorne. Gale was Wash’s best friend - probably the only one in the world who could clap him on the shoulder and not be rewarded with tense muscles and an awkward shrug in return - and it was Wash’s job to make sure that nothing got in his way now. He’d do the same for him once he got to that point. “A wedding at a castle in the snow,” Wash couldn’t help a light laugh before taking a gulp of his beer. “Jesus, that sounds like a fairy tale. Kind of perfect for the two of you, actually. It’ll be beautiful, I’m sure. Very romantic.” Wash gave him a shit eating grin “Just as romantic as proposing on...what was it? Knob Hill?” Another glug of beer. “As your best man I promise that no pink kitty toasters will be left as wedding gifts.” He finished the beer and tossed the cup. Then he looked back at Gale with a slight inquisitive tilt of the head. “What’s the bread toasting ritual?” “Bald Knob,” Gale laughed, shaking his head - yeah, that was an adventure but it had turned out for the better. His family was pretty excited about the upcoming nuptials too, they loved Leliana. “The bread toasting ritual is something I dreamed of. It’s what people in District 12 do when they get married. Capitol weddings are more like what we have these days, with the fanfare and fancy clothes and everything, but in 12 it was simple - nice, and simple. Couples would get assigned a new house and they’d cross the threshold, friends and family gathered for a meal and cake, if it could be afforded. Most of the time it couldn’t, but. The toasting is when the newlyweds build their first fire in their new house and toast bread over it together, and everyone sings a traditional wedding song.” Maybe it sounded kind of silly, but Gale agreed with Katniss’ observations - no one felt married, in District 12, until the toasting. He wouldn’t feel right not incorporating it here either. “I asked to do it in place of lighting a unity candle or whatever,” he said, emptying his own water bottle and tossing it in the proper bin. Leliana had been eager to include it as well, of course - not like Gale was asking for the moon and stars or anything. Wash smiled. “It sounds nice.” It felt important to incorporate something like that into the wedding. Something that was obviously very important to Gale. And it sounded just as romantic as getting married at a fairytale castle in the middle of winter. Who would have thought someone as serious as Gale had such a romantic side. It made Wash smirk a little bit. “Personally I think it’ll be better than the candle lighting ceremony.” There was nothing like that in Wash’s Dreams. No weddings, no traditions. He didn’t know of any family traditions either. When his mother had married Ralph it had been a small civil ceremony at the courthouse. Wash hadn’t even been present for the ceremony itself. Weddings were supposed to be a big deal, to be celebrated how the bride and groom wanted. Though, from what Wash understood it was usually the bride who made most of the plans. So it was nice that Leli was on board with the bread toasting. Wash’s smirk broadened. He had a hard time imagining the type of wedding Leli would have wanted. All he could think of was a contradicting mixture of soft and kill-your-face. Very Leliana. Wash had another beer in hand. “From what you’ve told me so far, the whole thing sounds fantastic. Whatever you need me to do, just say the word and it’s done.” After that second beer was done, Gale planned to very pointedly give his friend water for the third drink being the charm - and maybe they could both hold their liquor with no problems, technically, but it was hot outside and H20 was best at keeping the body cool and hydrated anyway. Alcohol just made things worse. He was still concerned, and it was possible Wash just didn’t even realize how much he really drank. “I’ll keep you updated. I think just the bachelor party and - well, making sure I don’t die of jittery nerves,” he noted. “But I shouldn't anyway. Still, it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to throughout everything. Planning a wedding is hard work.” His nose followed him to what looked to be tents and stands of desserts - decadent ones, featuring things like twisted s’mores and the barf-worthy bacon cinnamon roll sundae. After the bacon bomb, however, he might hold back on that one. But there was still plenty to choose from. “Fried fruit punch, how about it?” he asked Wash. “Then we can check out that House of Horrors that’s probably more funny, if you wanted.” After that, something stomach-churning. The ‘Dizzy Dragon’ or the ‘Wiggle Worm.’ Couldn’t really go wrong there. “How’s that girl, by the way? The one you met on Memorial Day?” Gale was curious - he hoped things were progressing, in a good way. Or if not then, well, there were other fish in the sea. Wash was somewhat aware of how much he drank. He didn’t count the drinks every night, just that he knew it was enough to get his nerves to calm down and the twisted chaos in his head to ease up just enough for him to relax. He knew it wasn’t normal, but he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. He wasn’t falling down drunk all the time, he was up and running in the morning, hung-over or not. He wasn’t missing work. And he wasn’t taking his anger out on those around him. Gale may have been concerned Wash was headed down the same path his stepfather was, but as far as Wash was concerned, he was fine. He hadn’t beat the crap out of anyone while under the influence and he had no intentions to. “Yeah, let me know what you want for your bachelor party,” he said. He was looking forward to planning it. The two of them moved on to more food. Everything at the fair seemed to be fried. Wash too made sure he was in good physical condition. He had to in order to stay on top of the events that happened in Orange County. Carolina had become a regular sparring partner and Wash was rebuilding the strength he had lost over the past two years. That being said it was alright to have a day in which the two of them could cut loose and eat and drink whatever they wanted. Fried fruit punch? Wash had no idea how that was possible, but why the fuck not? “Hell, yeah,” Wash grinned at him. “I’ll treat this time.” Then the conversation came around to Wash and Anna. “Anna,” Wash said with a slight smile. “She’s doing well. As perky and as bubbly as ever. She’s a princess in her Dreams, apparently. My sister is sleeping with a Jedi and I’m sleeping with a princess. Only in Orange County.” That was an interesting way to put it. Gale had to snicker, taking the cardboard carton of what were essentially fruity donuts - they were a deep red color, probably not natural (well, fruit punch of this variety wasn’t natural either) but they had a dusting of powdered sugar and looked pretty damn amazing. The carton was held between them, so they could share. Wash got their next fried exhibit, and Gale got more water - bottles for the both of them. Cool and refreshing. “Leliana was a nun in hers, probably the worst nun ever - well, first a bard mixed with a lay sister, then an adviser to the Inquisitor, then basically was elected President of the Chantry. So, I mean. Yeah, only in Orange County.” On his own end, Gale had been a poor coal miner, a hunter turned rebel soldier, eventually making a career out of his skills with military strategy. He hadn’t exactly been happy in the end, but he was here, that was what mattered. “I’d like to meet her though, sometime - Anna, that is,” he amended. “If you feel okay introducing us.” Naturally she was welcome as Wash’s ‘plus one’ for the wedding too, provided whatever they had was still going on by then. Wash wasn’t sure how to define what it was that he and Anna had. They weren’t a couple in the traditional sense of the word. They weren’t casually dating, either. Wash thought he had made that clear from the outset that wasn’t what he wanted. Since he had pushed Kyu out of his life, Wash had not been prepared to let anyone else into that part of his heart. He was dangerous, being close to him like that was dangerous. Despite the swirling chaos in his head, he could still clearly remember the horror in Kyu’s eyes the morning she had watched helplessly as his sanity shattered to pieces. Memory was odd that way; what one could remember and what one couldn’t. He couldn’t bear the thought of putting her - or anyone else he loved - through that again. With his life the way it was, with his memory a mass of swiss-cheese - full of holes and contradictions he couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t - he couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t put anyone through that kind of pain. He couldn’t be sure that with his Dreams in their current state that he wouldn’t wake up one day and actually be the Bad Guy. So he did his best to keep those around him at arm’s length. Even Gale. Even Carolina. Just close enough for him to hang on to, but far enough away to protect them should anything truly catastrophic happen. He and Anna had agreed to be two friends who occasionally slept together. Friends with benefits. Although, the “occasionally sleeping together” part of their arrangement had quickly turned to “frequently sleeping together.” They were both free to sleep with anyone they wanted outside the arrangement. However, somehow, despite Wash’s best efforts, Anna had become someone special to him. Like Stefan, Wash wanted to protect her. Protect that bubbly innocence that made him somehow feel better. Stefan had warned him, had cautioned Wash about how easily attached Anna could get. Apparently neither of them expected the attachment to come from Wash instead. He didn’t fully understand it, and it frightened him a little, and yet he did nothing to change it. “We aren’t a couple,” Wash shrugged. “You don’t need my permission to meet her.” He turned a grin towards his friend, “I have to warn you, though, she has probably the sunniest disposition of anyone I’ve ever met and her enthusiasm is freaking contagious.” His beer had been switched out for water and Wash took the silent hint. Too much alcohol in his gut would spell disaster for them later, especially if they decided to go onto one of those crazy-ass rides Gale had been eying since they got there. “So now that we’ve filled ourselves with artery clogging deliciousness, what should we do? Go through the cheesy haunted house - ‘sucse me - House of Horrors,” he laughed, “Or do a ride? You know I’ve never been on a fair ride before. I was too small the last time I was at a fair. Or maybe a game? Are the games really rigged like you hear about?” Wash sounded happy when he spoke of Anna, and that was the important thing - Gale wouldn’t put up with someone bringing down his friend, not when he already had so much to deal with. So, as long as the guy was happy, well, she mostly had Gale’s blessing already. Mostly. He’d have to meet her in person and spend some time with her to see what she was all about. Funny how the ‘we’re just sleeping together, nbd’ stuff could turn serious - it had happened that way with him and Leliana too. But humans were emotional creatures who craved connections, and despite best efforts, sometimes they just formed without you even noticing while it was happening. “You definitely need to win Carolina something embarrassing,” his grin mirrored Wash’s own. “They probably are rigged, but we won’t stop until you have the biggest, ugliest teddy bear in your arms. And we can definitely hit it all - rides too, it’ll be a challenge to keep the artery-clogging stuff down.” He was just glad to be out and about. The skies were clear too, everything was normal - if only for a moment. |