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Joe Hardy hates this plan (ihateyourplan) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-10-18 17:14:00

Who: Joe and Tink
When: Recently
Where: Rainbow Motors
What: Burritos and Carburetors
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete



Dean was letting Joe use the garage to work on his junker, the one that he and Frank had taken cross country with them when they’d moved from New York to California. It was a pretty good car, reliable. However, it was almost ten years old and the cross-country trek - the literal cross country trek considering Frank had made them take side trips to every tourist trap known to man - had taken its toll on the old Chevy. Unlike his brother, Joe had not received a shiny convertible from their Dreams. Instead he’d gotten a bombed out husk and a lot of unpleasant memories.

He’d gotten rid of the burnt remains. It had been a surprisingly difficult decision to make. There had been a part of Joe that had wanted to cling to the wreckage, as if keeping it somehow kept Iola alive, both in his Dreams and in reality. But he knew Iola wouldn’t have wanted him to do that. Plus, the car’s remains would have raised all kinds of questions, particularly from the apartment’s property manager, and considering it had appeared the same day the bomb had gone off in their kitchen, Joe wasn’t sure if he could spin a convincing story to explain where it had come from.

So he had it towed. He knew deep down that Iola would have wanted him to move on, but that wasn’t as easy at it sounded. He liked to think that he was. He had thrown himself into his work, taking every available shift Dean wanted to give him. It helped that Dean wanted to spend time with his pregnant girlfriend. Understandable, of course, and Joe was only too willing to provide the coverage so he could do that. Joe was also doing his best to keep Frank out of trouble, which was a strange reversal of roles for the two of them, but Frank was so fascinated by what was going on in Orange County. His desire to find the truth of this place, his reporter’s instincts, it annoyed Joe, who wanted no part of it, but also frightened him a little. He had already lost someone close to him not even a year ago and he didn’t think he could handle losing anyone else. Especially his older brother.

His efforts to “move on” also included dating, although “dating” at this point for Joe mainly consisted of a string of one night stands and the occasional booty call from Kitiara. And Joe was perfectly alright with that. He wasn’t looking for anything more, he didn’t want anything more. All he needed was the touch of another person and the intimacy to get him through the night.

And finally, he worked on his car. The junker. Whatever was left of his spare time was spent fixing it up and keeping it running, which was what he was doing this particular afternoon when Belle had texted him. She’d offered to bring him lunch, which Joe appreciated. He hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast early that morning.

Belle was something of a Chipotle junkie. There was something about the white rice with the cilantro, and just the perfect amount of salt? And then there was the fajita veggies, and while Belle knew it wasn’t real Mexican food (heck, it wasn’t even Tex Mex, was it?) she was completely addicted. So when she and Joe text messaged back and forth to make plans for the day, she offered to bring him a burrito. Because, hey, if she was bringing him one, she could have one for herself, too, right?

Belle wandered into the garage like she owned the place. Or, more like she was absolutely comfortable in the place. Wearing some jean coveralls over a thick shouldered tank top, she’d tugged her hair up into a sloppy ponytail and lifted her sunglasses into her hair. Joe was the only person she’d told about her nickname--a person in her new life, anyway. And for some reason it felt kinda nice that he knew. It felt like she wasn’t leaving her old self completely behind. Maybe it didn’t have to be or. It could be and.

“Yo, Joe!” Beat. “Wait, forget I said that. It sounds stupid. Hello, Joe!” Beat. “That’s almost worse. HEY!” She broke into a smile at the sight of him next to his car, and held up the bag and drink carrier from the fast-food place. “I hope you don’t mind Coke.” Beat. “The drink. Obviously. Not, like, the narcotic. Because only losers are users.”

This was why Joe enjoyed hanging out with Belle. She not only could make him smile - something Joe needed - but she made him laugh.

He hadn’t grown up with any nicknames. Well...technically Joe was a nickname, but no one had called him Joseph in years (minus that one creepy douchebag in the Dreams, but Joe wasn’t counting that). The last person to call him by his full name had been his aunt Gertrude when she had caught him trampling through her flower bed as a pre-adolescent. It felt kind of weird when he heard it, so he understood Belle wanting to distance herself from her childhood nickname of “Tink”. He still thought it suited her, and he really liked that she had shared it with him. So he reserved usage of it for when the two of them were alone and goofing around.

“Heya, Belle,” he waved her over to the bay he was working in. Since he wasn’t technically on the clock, he wasn’t wearing his mechanic’s coveralls. Instead he had on a pair of old ratty looking jeans and an old plain t-shirt he didn’t care got covered in grease and oil. He wiped off his hands with a rag as she approached with lunch in hand. He was still chuckling at her. “Losers are users. I like that. Coke’s fine, thanks a lot for bringing me something. C’mone, there’s a spot we can sit and eat. I just gotta wash my hands first.”

Hey, Joe had a nice laugh. And Belle loved making people laugh. She beamed as she followed him further into the garage. It was interesting to take a look around at all the tools and whatnot. So far Belle did things with smaller items… like pocket watches and the like. She worked on VCRs, though those were rare, and computers from time to time, but she was better with mechanical stuff than she was with electronics and/or software. She’d always wondered what it would be like to work on cars. Like, old cars. Not the new kind with all the electronics in them.

Anyway, she found a place to set things down, then sat down herself while she waited for Joe to go wash his hands. “Please! Don’t want to eat with all that grease under your fingernails.” She gave him a wink, then dug into the bag and pulled out her own burrito first. “I hope you weren’t expecting me to wait for you!” She called out to him as she found her burrito and started to unwrap the silver present.

Joe came back, toweling off his hands with a paper towel he’d gotten from the bathroom. He smirked at her as he took a seat across from Belle and reached for the burrito she had brought for him. “Don’t worry about it,” he winked back at her. “I grew up with an older brother, I’m used to grabbing food when I can.”

He unwrapped the tinfoil and dug right into the large burrito and all it’s beans and rice and delicious awesomeness. “Mm. Belle,” he said around a mouthful. “This is perfect. Thanks again.”

If she'd been slightly less awkward and bad around people, Belle might have registered that tone as a moan of delight. As it was, she simply realized that she'd picked well for her friend.

“Heyyyyy, anytime. You're welcome. It was an excuse for me to have some, too.” She may or may not have spoken with her mouth full. Very ladylike, this Tink. She paused, chewing, then swallowed and looked anywhere but into his eyes. “Soooooo. How's your brother?”

Manners? What were those? Belle was a friend, a good friend as it turned out, and for some reason this meant that there was no need for formality of manners or concerns about what was lady like or gentlemen like. Joe would never have described himself as a gentleman, anyway. He could be charming, yes, and he knew it, but in his chest beat the heart of a crude brawler. Talking with your mouthful was no big deal. Hoovering down a burrito was also not given a second thought, either, regardless of how it looked.

He paused in devouring his lunch when Belle asked about Frank. He wouldn’t have given it much thought, except for the way she said it, as if she didn’t want to be too overt, however in doing so made it very obvious that she was curious. It was that curiosity that gave Joe a moment of pause. Did Frank have an admirer in this talented inventor?

Joe did not smirk at her or let on that he had picked up the tone of her voice. He did keep a close eye on her, however, studying her face for more tells. “Frank’s doing alright,” he answered after he’d swallowed the bite in his mouth. “Work frustrates him. I don’t think he’s making progress the way he wanted to. But he is making progress…” he paused a moment. He didn’t mention Frank’s suspicions regarding the Agency. It was best not to drag poor Belle into that fiasco. Hell, Joe hadn’t wanted to be dragged into it. “He’s only ruined one of my pans last week,” teasing smirk. “And his latest hobby has him pretty occupied at home.”

The good thing about friends like Belle was that she didn't care about manners. And Joe was a good friend, too, who obviously wasn't calling her out on it. They were close enough now that a little talking-with-mouths-full or whatever wasn't going to make either think any less of the other. And hey, Belle never claimed to be ladylike. She never wore skirts of heels--those things were what she considered to be ladylike.

Of course, the Hardy brothers knew that Belle was friends with both of them. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise when she asked one about the other, or vice versa. There was a slight difference, though, in the way that Belle was asking about Frank. Okay, so... she hadn't really admitted it to herself, but Belle may have been a bit sweet on Frank. She didn't really understand those feelings herself, so it was with confusion that she asked. Her cheeks may have gone a little pink.

"Oh yeah?" She asked, expressing more than just a little interest in his latest hobby. "What's that?"

Joe knew that look, that slight warmth to the girl’s cheeks when she asked about Frank. Well, wasn’t this an interesting development. Joe wondered if Frank had caught on it himself. Then again, knowing Frank, that wasn’t likely. Frank may have been the smartest guy Joe knew (and not just because he was his brother), but he was absolutely clueless about certain social cues. The question now was, was Belle crushing on Frank or something more that merited Joe’s interference on their behalf? It was best he observed for now.

“Beer making,” Joe answered with a grin. “He’s got a sweet set-up in our living room. You should come by and see.”

Belle gave a little laugh at that thought. “Beer making? Really? I’ve never even considered… well, I guess I’ve considered using fermentation to make food and drink. I mean, what kid hasn’t imagined making her own root beer? But my considerations pretty much ended there. Is Frank turning your place into a mircro brewery?” She asked, then dug into her burrito again, turning her eyes to look at Joe again.

“Not yet,” Joe laughed as he returned to his burrito. “He read about it somewhere - on line I think? - and wanted to try it. So he went out and got a kit and of course he had to modify it using other things he found online. We’re going to see how this first batch comes out first and then we’ll see about that micro-brewery. Although,” bite of the burrito, “he may have moved on to the next hobby du jour by then. Who knows?” Frank went through hobbies like some people went through socks.

Jumping from hobby to hobby sounded kinda like how Belle would go from project to project, inspiration coming and going as it seemed fit. “Hey, online’s the best place to learn about things,” Belle grinned. Of course, one had to be careful--sometimes what was on the internet was far from the truth--but for the most part it was a good place to learn.

“You ever have any idea what he might be into next?” She asked.

Joe laughed and shook his head. He’d pretty much devoured most of his burrito by this point. “Nope. One week it’s model planes, next week it’s medieval archery. Who knows. He may decide he wants to get into origami next. I never know until he starts excitedly poking me about it, or I come home and find it all over the apartment.” But that was Frank. For as long as Joe could remember that was how his brother operated and, for the most part, he was used to it.

It sounded really fun--sounded like something she’d enjoy very much. Each week delving deeply into something new. One would never be bored when exploring new hobbies. “So, Frank’s a Jack-of-all-trades,” Belle grinned a little to herself. “That’s good to know.” Not that she was digging into Joe to get info on Frank. Not at all. Her cell phone started buzzing in her pocket just as she finished her burrito. “I should probably get back to work. But we’ll do this again soon?” She collected up their lunch trash before heading to the door.

Joe smirked despite himself. Yeah, he’d probably admit that he never got bored when it came to Frank’s Hobby of the Month. He’d even learned a thing or two just listening to Frank explain his new fascination.

He glanced at his watch. “Yeah, it’s about that time, huh?” He got to his feet, gathering up his own trash to throw out. “We’ll do it again,” he promised with a grin. “I never say no to a burrito.”