InsaneJournal

That, folks, is how cake can be a metaphor for relationships.
Who: Gaila, Scotty
What: Day three and finally they talk again in this blurble. Eeesh. And I'm caught up! Hells to the yes! wu wu!
Where: Mad Monty's
When: Yesterday
Rating PG13ish
Status: complete



Gaila had to get out of bed eventually, to open the bar and oversee the final stages of turning it into The Green Maid. She'd left Scotty a note roughly consisting of the most important lesson in the Hitchhiker's guide don't panic! and a short apology and a promise to talk when she got back.

Oh, he saw the note. Definitely. Panic? An engineer never panics. They take a wrench and bang on things until it complies while they curse a lot, or, actually FIX STUFF while cursing a lot, but they do not panic. Maybe. He did feel a little better about the note after last night's...not sure what it was, a stalemate? Consisting of him getting miserably drunk while they both kept to their separate respective corners? Whatever it was, he was just going to nurse that day's massive hangover and try to get some progress made on the engine components. So that? Is what he did.

Fine. He did all that after scribbling '42' on the bottom of the note, because that was the answer to life, the universe, and everything. But of course!

Sometimes one needed to retreat to a corner and lick wounds? Gaila came in, squinting behind sunglasses, "Any luck on the fuel front?"

That was never (and probably never would be) his style. He made for a horrible moper. And when he shook his head that no, there was no fuel source, he was pretty sure his skull threatened to explode.

"That sucks." She darted upstairs to put her purse away and change into something more comfortable. Which consisted of one of Scotty's shirts, sunglasses and nothing else. She slid down the bannister, "So..."

In Scotty's mind, he knew it would work, and that's why he was simply going ahead and building the freaking thing, because his own brain would not stop nagging on him until he did. If they needed something as an alternate - or as he was thinking of it 'a lame excuse at a second hand inferior engine' - he'd build that. So fuel or not, this was getting built the way his brain dictated it should be. And he'd modify things to accommodate afterward, should need arise.

"...mmhm...sooo...." he sort of echoed back at her, stopping what he was doing in mid-measurement and giving her a cautious staring at.

Gaila suddenly decided she didn't want to interrupt him, "So..uhm..you seem busy. We can talk later."

Okay, so welcome to day three. He shrugged at her because he didn't know what else to do at this juncture.

"If that's what ye want. I can talk and do things at the same time. It's not rocket science....fine, so it is, but I can still talk and mark out measurements. It's not exactly noisy."

"I just..you're in this zone.." She rubbed at her arm, then sighed and sat down, "I'm sorry. I've been a little weird lately."

"Trust me, yer not interrupting," he said reassuringly, placing one last mark on a piece of metal so it was ready to for cutting to size. "I can stay in that zone and listen and talk, and probably rub me tummy with one hand and smack meself in the forehead with the other. But if I did that right now, I'd also probably scream because I've got a headache. Also? I'm sorry, as well. I try tae explain and everything goes all pear shaped. Ends up worse."

Gaila looked a little sheepish, "What were we even fighting about again?"

"...well, it was because you thought I wasnae being serious enough about the whole relationship thing. Because I thought it was better waiting, before taking you tae meet the family. Because I really only want tae dae that when I know it's goin' tae work out and we've gotten things sorted between us. Which, obviously," he sort of looked up at the ceiling and winced slightly, "we sort of havenae yet?"

No, Scotty does not forget. He has a steel trap of a mind, especially during arguments. Which is very, very unfortunate.

"Oh an' the rest of it was because ye said ye dinnae know as much about me as I dae about you." Smile!

She rubbed at the back of her neck, "I don't even know what...." Sigh, "I don't want to wait, Scotty. I'm impatient."

"Well? I want tae make sure it's right. Sooo...I'm afraid yer goin' tae have tae wait, lass."

At least he looked apologetic? And also like he expected her to not like that answer.

"I've never wanted to meet a man's family before." She pouted at him.

"I'm not saying ye willnae get a chance tae, someday or another. Merely...ye know...yer goin' tae have tae wait a wee bit. Like? Aye, we're very serious, that's true? But...that's like...if serious were a cake..." He was gesturing with both hands, to show the cake's dimensions. "Then engagement would probably ice the first tier, and second tier would be meeting me family. Which I'm sorry for, before ye even meet them? Then ye know...marriage's the wee people on the top of the cake, with balls and chains around their wee ankles. That's how serious it'd be. Right now, there's not a trace of icing on tier one and we've not even got the batter done, tae start making teir two's actual cakey bit. If you can understand that analogy, at all."

And that, folks, is how cake can be a metaphor for relationships. Enjoy.

Gaila stared at him, looking pained, one eye scrunched up as though she were trying to figure out what all that meant. It was having a hard time piercing a migraine of her own, "...from personal experience marriage is overrated. I'd be happy with the second tier and then the groom's cake to represent living in sin."

"I'd kinda someday like the cake topper," he admitted with a slight wince and a smile, "but I'm in nae rush. I think as things go along, we can simply...discuss it. Hopefully without strangling one another. As much as I love yer brand of sin, because it's delightful, really? I dinnae see the harm in us having things...ye know...solidified a wee bit. A smidgen. Teeny tiny itty bitty wee pebble of a foundation. Aye? Aye."

Scotty even pinched his thumb and index finger very close together to show her how wee that was.

"Its just a piece of paper," She protested, somewhat bitterly. She'd been burned. "I'm sorry though. I didn't mean to make it such a big deal."

"It's just a piece of paper, but if it's with the right person, then it's something nice and important and offers a bit of validation world-wide, if things go horribly wrong," he pointed out. "It sort of does take two tae make that work though, soooo? If one person doesnae want it, then ye know...just goin' tae have tae accept that."

He smiled a little and shrugged his shoulders for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry tae if I didnae put it the way it was meant or not bein' clear enough. I was on the defensive."

"I wasn't trying to be offensive, but it feels like I've been nothing but." She rubbed her forehead, and pulled her long green legs up underneath her, "I just..took offense that you didn't think we were serious."

"I was tryin' tae explain that we are and I dinnae think I did a very good job of it, tae be honest."

"Just a smidge." She held up two fingers pressed together.

"Well, ye try that when I'm crawling up yer nose and let's see how successful you are," was the amused but still snarky response.

Ew. Boogies! Gaila wrinkled her nose, "That's an unpleasant mental image." Although Scotty crawling in tight places seemed like a natural fit. She giggled, dirty thoughts.

"Well, it's true, more or less. Without any actualities of me tryin' tae climb up yer nose, literally. Meant figuratively." Was she thinking dirty thoughts again? She was. He's going to just give her a staring at like she's naughty and he knows it. "Gaila, yer terrible. Ye know if you had tae go on the defensive, ye'd fail miserably."

"What? I can't help but think of you in tight places." Giggle.

"It's so impossible sometimes tae have a serious discussion with you. It's either this or yer looking like you want tae rip me baws aff." He was shaking his head at her.

Gaila sobered up a little, "Scotty..."

"Oh nae, I mean...sorry, I was about tae laugh at you," he admitted with a bit of a grin. "I'd meant yer terrible for that, aye, but it's just the way you are. It's not like I expect you tae want tae be serious, about...things...like...serious stuff...talking about..."

Damn, stupid word vomit. He started to measure out some coiled tubing.

While he was measuring, his eyes were wide as saucers.

"I can too be serious! I just hate it!" She didn't even need any word vomit to admit that, "I grew up in a serious household."

"It's got a time and a place, though!" he plaintively pointed out, casting a quick glance her way, before he tried to work and not get in more trouble. "I really like it when yer bouncy an' happy but ye cannae stay that way all the time without...ye know...getting some things out before they bottle up inside ye an' explode. That causes huge messes, sometimes."

Gaila shrugged a shoulder, "I have to ....be feeling it. The seriousness. To really get into being serious." She chewed on a nail, then a knuckle and whined, "I don't want to be seeeerious!"

Now? He was laughing. Because it was cute AND hilarious.

"Scotty!" She threw an oil rag at him!

He thwapped a hand at it before it hit him in the face. "What'd I deeew? Ye sounded funny! Of course I'm goin' tae laugh! Ye dinnae have tae be serious all the time, after all."

She was grinning at him, so obviously she wasn't as offended as she sounded, "You're an asshole."

"I love yeeeeew teeeeeew," he cooed back at her, punctuated with a snerk.

Gaila unbuttoned the top two buttons of the shirt she was wearing. Slowly. Then the third. Then changed her mind and buttoned it back up, "I think I want to go out and celebrate. The bars almost done."

Aww, he wasn't laughing at the buttons being unbuttoned, and then she went and buttoned them back up again. Scotty looked like he had just bit down on a sour grape, but it was only for a second.

"Ye think we'd survive goin' out? Really? Last three times we've tried have been disasters, and every time we'd gone out before, there were...wee people." Because, yeah, it never worked as intended. "What'd ye want tae do?"

"Or, if ye meant by yerself, that's fine! Have fun," he added, quickly and agreeably.

"Well I was planning on going alone," She teased.

"Aye. Gathered as much," he said with a nod. "Didnae want tae presume, after all, that'd be ruder than I usually am."

"You ever been to a rave?"

"Bloody hell, that's been ages. I was dragged tae a couple by me roommates during the university years," he mused aloud. "And ye know I cannae dance. So I was the wankered bastard aff on the outskirts. Yay."

"Well I was planning on hitting a few. I don't think you have the right clothing for it." She pondered, trying to picture him with glowsticks.

He refused the glowsticks portion of that escapade, even back then. In fact, he was giving her a look like if she made him dress accordingly and gave him glowsticks, he'd probably find some way to crack them open and pour them out onto some unsuspecting bystanders shoes. For teh lulz.

"I dinnae need tae go tae a rave, Gaila. Just go and have fun, all right?"

Scotty even gave her a thumbs up like it was all good and stuff. After all, he did remember her saying she needed her alone time before, too.

She pouted at him. Pout. Super pout.

Oh noes, lower lip extrusion alert. He stopped thumbing up, immediately.

Poooout, "I guess I can go out alone. Ooooor I could stay in."

"Well, that's up tae you, innae it?"

"Lets have sex on the particle accelerator!"

"Nae not the particle accelerator! She'd be horrified!"

"Scooottty...."

"But she's special, that's like screwin' on top of one's own wee bairn. Ye just dinnae deeeeeeew that, ye know?"

He paused and wisely added, "We could fool about next tae it, if ye wanted...."

He'd just cover it with a tarp so it's particle accelerating eyes couldn't see what was going on.

..... "That's not fun." She hopped up, like the moment has passed, "Oh well. I'm not in the mood anymore."

"Yer three-sixties make me head spin sometimes. Or one-eighties. Whatever. Head spins. I have them." Could be the hangover, though.

She sauntered up the stairs, hips swaying seductively

Oh, did she now? Maybe measurements were going to have to wait.