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York (badlocksmith) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-02-23 18:12:00

Who: Rose and York
When: Recently
Where: Street, then York’s place
What: Walking the dog
Rating/Warnings: Low/flirtations and innuendo
Status: Complete


York was really, really, really trying not to let this get to him. Walking along with Rose’s hand wrapped in one of his, the dog leash gently clasped in the other by his side… Scooby walking lazily along beside them, his tennis ball covered in slobber and sitting gently between his teeth. It was cool enough that they were in light jackets, but warm enough that they could be out for as long as they wanted… this really was the life. It was perfect. They were almost a little family.

Those were the kind of thoughts that bit him in the end. The kinds of things he really, really shouldn’t be thinking. This never turned out well--as much as he wished it would. He wished it so hard. And then he died a little inside every time it burned out.

York gave Rose’s hand a gentle squeeze, trying not to think about it. He’d been quiet for a few minutes now, as they walked together. It wasn’t that far to the dog park, and poor Scooby had been run back and forth a hundred times after that ball. He was exhausted, and ready for a nap.

Rose had been stateside for a few weeks now, but it had taken her a little bit to get back into the swing of things. She had (stupidly) not asked for time off after her trip back home, so there were early mornings at Baxter’s while still trying to deal with the jet lag. She had become a sort of hermit because of this; if she wasn’t working, then she was sleeping. Once she was herself once more, however, one of the first people she reached out to was York.

She might have missed him the most out of anyone while she was away, the Facetime videos and constant text messages only reminding her how much she wished she was back home, sneaking mistletoe around his house to try and kiss him at every opportunity.

Rose always had a feeling that York was holding back, just a little. She couldn’t blame him. New relationships were weird...you were kind of tiptoeing around each other, hoping not to do something to bother the other person. It might seem silly not to be their true selves, but she liked hanging out with him. She figured it was only a matter of time until he felt more comfortable. She could wait.

She gave his hand a squeeze back, looking up at him and smiling. “Feeling sleepy?” York had been a bit quiet on their walk and that usually meant he was spent. “I don’t know who wore who out, you or Scooby!” She grinned, glancing down at the dog in front of them.

“Sleepy?” York asked. He really wasn’t sure what she meant by that… why would he be--oh. She was making a comment that he wasn’t acting like himself? That he was being quiet? More quiet than normal? He gave a soft chuckle. “Naw, I’m just thinking.” Then he lifted her hand in his and kissed the back of it, playfully. “I went quiet, didn’t I?”

She moved closer to him as he kissed the back of her hand, snuggling against his arm. “Just a little,” she said, glancing up at him. “What’re you thinking about?”

“I dunno. The dog. The day. What we’re gonna do when we get back.” He turned to look down into her eyes. “I figured we’d practice our juggling skills while listening to youtube videos of people learning to play the theremin.” He paused for a beat, trying his best not to smile. “What do you think?”

Rose couldn’t help but laugh, throwing her head back at the suggestion. “Theremin? What the bloody hell is that?” She gave him a small push, shaking her head at his antics. He always had ways of keeping her on her toes. She thought the conversation could go in one direction, but he would steer it another way.

“But I guess there are worse things than watching YouTube videos and learning to juggle with you. What are we going to juggle with? Scooby’s going to think we’re just playing with him if we use tennis balls!”

The smile York had been holding back came through full force at the sound of her laugh. He really, really liked her laugh. “It’s that weird, musical instrument that people play with their hands.” He held his one free hand out and waved it through the air. Then he lifted it to run over his hair, and lowered it again.

“I was thinking scarves.” York shrugged one shoulder. “They float through the air a little better than tennis balls… and poor Scoob’s gonna be sleeping anyway. I pretty much guarantee it. Oh, hey, there’s another thing we could do. Take a nap.” He grinned over at her. “You think you might like to crawl into bed with me?”

Even with the perfect demonstration, Rose didn’t know what he was talking about. But she still nodded her head, giving his arm a squeeze. “Right, right, my mistake,” she said, as if it had cleared up the whole confusion.

She hadn’t thought he was serious about the juggling, but what he suggested made a lot of sense. She was about to ask if they had the right kind of scarves when he teased her. She stuck her tongue out in that cute, flirtatious way she had with him. “Hmmm, I might be persuaded,” she teased back. “But I thought you weren’t sleepy?”

“Oh, did I say nap?” York grinned cheekily, then held up his hands, one still holding the leash. “I meant nap.” He used air quotes around the word.

Because as much as he worried he was falling hard and fast for this beautiful, funny, kind, amazing woman, he would never say no to a mid-afternoon romp.

“Oh right, my mistake,” she laughed, giving his arm another squeeze. “But...I might be persuaded once we get back home.” Which now she was wishing they were a bit closer to.

“Let’s play a game,” she offered, needing some sort of distraction now that York had put that thought in her head. “If you win, we can nap.” She used his same air quotes, grinning up at him. “If I win, we get to snuggle AND nap.” The use of the air quotes once more.

York laughed. “That sounds like a win-win to me.” He lifted his free arm to wrap around her shoulders, hugging her close to him for a moment before releasing her. After all, it was difficult to walk cuddled together so close--and they were almost back to his place, anyway.

A few minutes later they were headed inside. York took Scoob off his leash, and let the monstrously large dog drink from his water bowl before flopping down in front of the heater vent. York set Scoob’s things (leash, etc.) in the drawer where they belonged in the kitchen, then toed off his shoes and led Rose into the living room where he and Wash had a handful of board games and video games.

“What do you wanna play?”

Rose gave him a little pouty face when they got home as he made his way to the game area. “I thought we were gonna snuggle!” she whined, but followed him over, plotting down on the ground to take a look at what they had.

“Strip Monopoly?” she suggested, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

York burst into laughter at that. He shook his head a little, grinning like a loon. “All right. Let’s take it into the bedroom, though.” He didn’t want to have to explain strip Monopoly to Wash when his roommate came home. He picked up the game and held it out to her. “You go get started and I’ll grab drinks?”

“You got it hot stuff.” Alright, that was a bit corny, but she gave him a wink and carried the game into his room. She’d give him a handicap and pulled off her shoes and socks, sitting cross-legged on the bed. “Ready when you are!” she called, wondering how far they would actually make it through the game.