John Watson does not resemble a hedgehog. (what_son) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-02-10 12:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, audrey, john watson |
Who: Audrey and John Watson
When: Thursday, 2/7/13
Where: Supermarket
What: Random Encounter
Rating: Low
Status: Complete when posted!
Audrey spent so much time at the bakery that she barely ever had a chance to take care of her own things at home. When she was home she wanted to sleep and rest, not go shopping and do other chores. She had to, though, when it came to laundry and vacuuming and shopping and whatnot... well, anyway.
She was at the store today, after having folded and put away three loads of laundry this morning, looking around for things to stock in her fridge. She was a bit bored with her usual food, and was looking for something new. This involved leaning heavily on the handle of her shopping cart and walking slowly down the aisle, looking up at the boxes and bags of food on either side of her.
John was pretty sure that he was the only one who did any real food shopping for the people in his apartment. It wasn’t really his job to take care of Peter and Sherlock, but he was always a bit afraid if he didn’t, the two of them I forget about things like eating and sustenance and might just wither up and blow away. So, he was wandering around, a little food basket in his hands -- it was piled up with an odd assortment of vegetables and instant foods, as well as a few packs of gum for Sherlock, because he’d been pretty moody lately.
He was just staring at the packs of instant curry, when he spotted her -- Audrey -- the super pleasant woman from the bakery. “Hi,” he greeted.
Audrey turned at the sound of the voice, then stood up straight and went a little pink. “John.” She said, now sort of wishing she’d changed after work. Her hair must have been a mess. “Hi. What are you doing here?” She said, then cringed. “Stupid question, right?”
John lifted his eyebrows and gave a little smile. At least she’d caught it? He lifted his basket as if to show exactly what he was doing here. “Apparently we both do real people adult things when not standing in cafes.”
“Apparently,” Audrey said, still feeling a bit sheepish. She hoped that she came across as endearing and not juvenile. “Unfortunately, too, perhaps? I’d much rather be standing in a cafe right now.” She grinned. “Got the day off of work?”
It had never occurred to John to think Audrey juvenile, and it probably never would. “Grocery shopping is a bit of a pain,” he sympathized, even as he look a box of the instant curry and stuck it in his basket. “And sort of -- I work later tonight. I’ve got a bit of the day for myself, yet.”
“It’s one of those necessary evils.” Audrey said, giving a little shrug. “I’ve got the day to myself, too. Until bedtime, of course.” Audrey may as well have been an old woman with the bedtime she kept. Thank God for Tivo, or she’d never get to watch any television. With a bedtime of 4pm, she barely felt like she was a part of the world.
He probably would have shit a brick if he knew that her bedtime was that early in the day (even if it did kind of make sense, what with owning a bakery). John kept very strange hours compared to most, especially now with a job at the hospital -- he worked whenever they needed him, morning or night. “Sounds like you’ve got a full day ahead of you, then. It can’t all be grocery shopping.”
“Well, I’ve got a few hours to spare once I get these groceries home.” She said, giving a smile. “I was thinking about cleaning my kitchen floor and possibly vacuuming. My life is a glamorous one.” She stood up a little straighter.
“Sounds absolutely breathtakingly spectacular,” John agreed a bit cheekily, with a knowing sort of nod. Well, sort of. He did live in an apartment with two other men. His landlord tsked at them more often than not.
“What are your plans for your free hours before you have to go to the hospital?” She asked, taking a step forward and out of the way so a little, old lady with one of those shopping-cart-chair-riding thingies could pass by in the aisle.
John stepped out the way as well, considering the question even as he did so. “Nothing really. I’m going to deliver some gum to my grumpy roommate who’s trying not to start smoking again. Maybe take a nap?”
“Gum?” Audrey crinkled her nose up. “Smoking’s such a disgusting habit,” she added, then paused. “I mean, I’m glad that he’s quitting? You don’t smoke, do you, John?” She asked, again hoping that she hadn’t offended him.
“I don’t,” John gave a little shake of his head. “It’s not for me. And anyway, I’m a doctor. It’d be hard to smoke after seeing... well. You know. But he’s trying, so I’ve got to give him some credit.” John didn’t really take much shit from Sherlock, but he did still give him all the credit he deserved.
That was a relief. Audrey nodded, though when her father was dying, she caught several medical professionals outside the hospital smoking. It was terrible, and she had very little respect for it. But trying to quit, that was absolutely respectable. “It’s really good of you to help your friend quit. I know how hard it can be. He must be really strong. How long has he been working on quitting?”
“I’m not really sure,” John admitted, shifting his basket to this other hand. “I only met him since I moved her -- less than a few months now. Since then, anyway.”
Audrey nodded. "Hopefully it won't take him long." She said, softly. "How's the curry? I've never bought it like that before." Audrey barely ever made food that was out If a package like that.
“I’m sure he’ll manage. And... I...don’t know,” John said, with a half smile. “I’ve never bought it before. But both my roommates are busy people, and I doubt they’d remember to feed themselves if I wasn’t there... quicker is better, sometimes. And it beats constant pizza boxes, right?” It wasn’t that he couldn’t cook. It was that lately he really didn’t have time for it. On top of that, the kitchen was a scary, scary places at 221 B. Baker. It was best to just use ingredients from a box and not have to worry about whether or not the other things sitting around were ingredients of science experiments.
“That’s so sweet of you to feed your whole apartment.” Audrey said, giving him a smile. “I’ll have to send some bread home with you for your busy roommates next time you come to the shop.” She could help him feed his home good food.
“That’s really nice of you,” John said, and meant it. He liked Audrey. She was a really nice woman who seemed to just want to find ways to make people happier. He could appreciate that.
“Well... I wouldn’t want to impede your shopping any further...”
“Oh, right. Shopping.” Audrey gave him a little nod. “It was really nice bumping into you, John.” She said, smiling shyly. “You’ll be by the bakery sometime this week, I hope?”
“Absolutely,” John said -- he’d been making it a bit of a point to show up at least a couple times a week. There was something he liked away the way she tried fixing her hair when he walked in. He gave a grin and a little nod. “See you later.”
“Bye.” Audrey gave him one last smile, then headed off down the aisle. She sincerely hoped she wasn’t as pink as she felt.