2019-09-09 - Confession Waffles

After a whirlwind boys weekend that stretched well into the week and then a Dream that sent him a bit off the rails Easton and Bennie have seen sadly very little of one another over the last week or so. But when Bennie returns from her latest shift she finds a bit of a surprise. Some flowers on the counter and Easton sober. Another thing that has happened very little over the last week or so. He kisses her and says, "Go. Shower. We're going out for waffles." Yes, it's nearly midnight. That doesn't seem to bother him and he's really not giving her much of a say in the matter.

And with a short ride in the new (but still very much used and kind of beat up) jeep with the top down and doors off to the Waffle Shop they arrive. Easton's been extra affectionate throughout the ride, holder her hand and smiling over at her. He has scrapes and bruises from Vegas including a fading shiner over one eye. He has a bandaged right arm that he still hasn't mentioned to her other than to say he got lost with Byron one morning.

In the time honored tradition of girlfriends everywhere, Bennie, post shower, has snagged one of Easton's recently worn t-shirts and thrown it on with a pair of floral shorts for their late night food run. Her hair is twisted up in a high messy bun, and she might not have a lick of make up on, but she seems all too happy to leave the apartment to get some food. When he parks the jeep she darts over to kiss his cheek and then hops out her side, declaring, "I'm starving!" True to her word, she didn't ask any questions about Vegas, even when he came back a little more bumped and bruised than she expected and she also hasn't offered to heal whatever lies beneath that bandage as she tries to stick to the plan of using glimmer as little as possible - besides that whole healing Alexander's throat thing.

And like nearly all of Easton's tee-shirts she grabs a plain grey v-neck that of course looks so much better on her that Easton is just fine with the theft. He is dressed in a completely different shade of gray tee-shirt, over a pair of jeans and his usual boots. He accepts the cheek kiss and awkwardly hops out of the jeep. "I think this is the first thing I've eaten today..?" He makes a small 'oops' gesture as they make their way inside. He picks up a menu and says, "Okay. Do you want A the sanitized highlights from Vegas or B three questions that I have to answer about Vegas?" He raises his eyebrows over the menu as if tempting her with options. "And how was your week? I missed you."

Bennie makes sure to shoo him towards a booth so she can slide into the bench next to him instead of sitting across. Immediately one leg loops over his thigh. It's a good thing he doesn't mind the physical attention, otherwise her koala bear act would have gotten old real fast. She's already unwinding her paper napkin wrapped utensils to tug out the spoon. "That, Easton Marshall, is the worst thing you have ever done to me." She declares as she leans for the little plastic pitcher of syrup on the table. "But I wouldn't even know what to ask, so I guess I'll go with option A!" Her tongue emerges from the corner of her mouth as she concentrates on filling up the bowl of the spoon with maple goodness and shoving it in her mouth.

"Including the time I dropped you when we tried it standing up?" Easton laughs and then adds quietly, "Sorry again about that." He watches her eat a spoonful of syrup and can't quite hide his bemused and possibly just a touch weirded out expression. "Okay. Sanitized highlights. We won some money, lost it. Partied with some strippers, but I was good. Swam naked in a fountain. And then yea, maybe a bit of a fight here or there." He shrugs this off, glossing over things easily and adds, "andyeamaybegotmarried and that's about it really. What are you thinking about getting?" He seems suddenly very interested in the menu. And he doesn't mind her looping her leg over him or just in general invading any and all of his personal space.

Bennie doesn't seem surprised about any of it really, like she'd expect anything less when Geoff and Easton were released to the wild. Until the last little bit of confession. That's when her eyebrows pop up, but then he's asking what she's going to eat and she too returns her attention nonchalantly to the menu. "I'm thinking maybe the two egg breakfast with a side of...yousonofabitch!" Easton gets whapped with the laminated menu, Bennie whacking him repeatedly but wholly ineffectually.

See? She's taking all of it very, very well. There was some talk about not telling Bennie about somethings from the trip, but Easton's also trying to be more honest with her in general so it's a balancing act. And right now as he gets slapped in the head with a laminated menu he thinks he might have erred on the wrong side of that one. He laughs as she attacks him at first but then she's really getting into it and he is forced to knock the menu out of her hands. He says, "We married each other! It was very tasteful. We both wore white." Yes, he's still laughing while telling her this, which is probably ill advised when she's mad enough to attack him with a list of breakfast items.

The waitress comes over to take their order somewhere in the midst of this, and is completely unperturbed by the sight of the mini-domestic. "What d'ya want?" is barked at them and Easton at least has the composure to stop laughing to order a belgian waffle with cherries and whipped cream and a side of eggs and toast for himself and then Bennie's food as well.

"Geoff's my one free pass! Maybe next time he breaks up with someone he'll take you to vegas and you can marry him too."

It's a good thing he orders for her, because Bennie has completely forgotten about food. Or the fact that they're in public. Or maybe to breathe. She's actually turning a shade of red, "To fuck! Not to...to...is this legal? Was there a chapel? Were there rings? A license?" At least she's not armed any more, but she's no more composed. This is actually the first time she's just lost her shit beyond the one time she snapped at him about using his powers. Her head gets cradled in her hands as if she's trying to stop her brain from leaking out of her ears.

"There was an Elvis?" Easton looks at her maybe a little concerned now. He's stopped laughing considering the fact that she's actually turning red. "And seriously, we didn't bone. I didn't so much as shove my tongue down anyone's throat the entire time!" He's increasingly bewildered because he thought he left the stuff out that she wouldn't appreciate. "We were hella drunk and got married in togas. It's not legal, there was no certificate or rings." He has a blink of a thought, wondering why 'rings' stands out in his mind. Huh. He asks, "Are you really pissed about this? I don't.. why?"

"I'm glad marriage is such a joke to you." At some point Bennie's slipped her leg off of his, probably around the time she assaulted him with the price list and now she's just pushing out of the booth entirely to switch benches. No, she's not running out, she's just putting a little distance between herself and Easton. Her arms fold over her chest and sinks down in her seat until just her blonde knot is above the back of the banquette. "It's a good thing it's not legal, you know." She sulks. "They got rid of that whole quickie annulment thing after the latest celebrity one-night sham."

Easton for his part looks utterly lost at this turn of events. He gapes at her as she slides out of the bench, fully expecting her to leave him there. Once she's seated on the other side of the table he regards her with a wary look and asks slowly, "Can we start this fight over so I can get on the same page first? I feel like I just hit a land mine in the green zone." He waits a second before asking, "What part are you mad about?" For a second he looks like he might venture a guess but then decides against it. Too fraught, better wait for more intel.

“Look, I get that we’ve never talked about the M word before, hell we’re still getting used to the L word. But marriage.... it’s a big deal to me. Especially with my folks, I swore I’d never...”. Bennie shakes her head, focusing on some distant point on the wall. “But it was just in drunken fun right? Pretend. So it doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have flipped out like that. Being tired isn’t an excuse. I’m sorry.”

Her forefinger worries one of her eyebrows. “I have to use the restroom. Will you pass me my bag?” The one she abandoned in her hasty retreat.

Easton studies her with a furrowed brow, not in anger but in genuine interest and a good dash of confusion. He looks a touch nervous when she even brings up M word. Because that's what he was afraid of, at least partially. That this was somehow about them getting married? He relaxes a little as she says they are still getting used to the L word. He doesn't know what she trailed off on, "Never? Get married? Get divorced? Sorry, I need you to fill in the blank on that one." He nods in agreement and says, "Yea. Just something we thought was hilarious. I mean I would full on hold a commitment ceremony with Geoff or like adopt him as a brother if that were a thing? But this was the best we could do. You don't need to apologize. It's important to you, that's good to know." He still looks a little confused though but he's trying to be supportive.

He looks at the bag and then back up at her and says, "If you want to take something, you don't have to go to the bathroom." He hands her the bag and raises his eyebrows. "I mean Geoff and I weren't just drinking on that trip, I'm not judging. Unless you really just have to pee and this is a thing where guys don't understand the purse requirements involved in using the ladies room."

“I’d never just get married ‘because’. I’m a death til you part kinda girl.” As to his level of commitment to Geoff? Bennie just says an accepting, “Okay. As long as there is still room for me? I get it. Just promise me the flowers and all the affection wasn’t about buttering me up to drop bombs. ” She makes a gimme hand for her purse. “I just really gotta pee.” So either she’s not comfortable about dosing in front of him, judgment or no, or she’s just gotta go.

"Good to know. I can appreciate that." Easton gently tries to steer this conversation away from the M word since he really hasn't had the broken engagement talk with Bennie and now feels like a spectacularly bad time to have that talk. "Of course. Geoff and I joke about it being soul mates but you know it's not..?" He gives her a scrutinizing look unsure if she's being serious about there being 'room' for her. "The flowers were because I was drinking so much I couldn't walk this week after a super fucked up Dream and I was avoiding you. Because you were right. I wasn't coping well." He would normally say more about that but he's also stopping her from having to pee apparently so he stops short.

He hands over the purse and shakes his head with a laugh, "Go. Go pee. Sorry." He's pretty sure she's lying but he's not going to call her out on that right now.

"I didn't mean to make it about Geoff," Bennie says as they both hold onto the strap of her hobo bag for a moment, "Not really. I'm glad we have him, honest. I'd even happily do the whole Sense8 thing with you guys, if that's the way it turned out. Seriously. Occasionally getting to be the meat in that sandwich? Sign a girl up." There is truth behind her lame attempt to joke, even though her smile is feeble. "Be right back."

But she was in fact, not right back. Bennie's gone nearly fifteen minutes before she returns to the table. Long enough for their food to have been delivered and a waitress to come and check on her after 'accidentally' hearing part of their conversation and observing the menu incident.

When the blonde returns, so has her smile, and she even slides back into Easton's side of the booth. "I finished it at work today, and didn't have a chance to wrap it before you rushed me out of the house." Bennie's handing over a small shadow box with a cross-stitch 'anatomy of a pew-pew' aka bullet inside. The time spent in the bathroom was apparently spent braiding some toilet paper to serve as a ribbon and bow. It's the best she could do on short notice. Her pupils being slightly larger than they were is just a side note.

Easton seems relieved that she's not getting strange about how close he is with Geoff, and though he has no idea what the 'Sense8 thing' means he obviously gets the next bit. The rise in his eyebrows looks like he might consider it for a moment, but he just laughs and says, "Okay good to know." It's clear there's hesitation though.

He tries not to get too worried about what is occupying her time, but then there's food and there's eggs involved and so he happily tucks into his eggs and toast and puts those down before the waitress even returns. He orders some more coffee and gives his best reassuring smile to the waitress that they are not in the middle of some epic fight that's going to end in flipped tables and a giant mess for her to clean.

Seeing her return Easton grins, particularly when she slides back in next to him. He takes the gift and says, "Ooh, that is probably the nicest wrap job I've ever seen." He looks up at her and can't help but notice some tell-tale signs that his instincts were't wrong per say, but again he doesn't press it. Goodness knows he needs to figure out his own shit and up until recently he was close to biting her head off if she even mentioned how much he was drinking.

The gift itself gets a laugh and says, "Oh my goodness, it's perfect." His cheeks crease into dimples as he grins at her, "I love it."

He reaches to put and arm around her and pull her tight into a side hug, kissing her cheek in the process.

"And I love you."

There's a bit more tender earnestness in the statement. He still doesn't say it casually, like he still wants to hold it in reserve.

It's one of those things that's always iffy to give someone else as 'crafty' things are largely up to personal taste but as he declares that it's perfect, Bennie's smile gets amped all the way up, beaming with a sort of pride that something that is homemade was received so well. She can't help but be drawn to touch one of those dimples as it appears, a light airy laugh emerging as she gets drawn up against his side. "Good, because you're stuck with me. Even the crazy bits." She curls up next to him, no longer concerned with food despite her earlier proclamation that she was starving. Instead, she pulls her feet up on the bench, legs crooked up to the side and is content to stay bundled up next to him.

"I love you too." Bennie murmurs with a settling content sigh.

Cozying in a bench is good, but there's also a waffle with cherries and whipped cream on the table in front of him and Easton is only so strong. He makes a go of using his one hand to attack it but eventually pulls his other hand back to properly lay waste to the late night breakfast confection. He savors a mouthful before replying, "Well good. I like being stuck with you."

He stops eating for a moment when his coffee refill comes. He looks over at Bennie and says, "I am working on the telling you things." He takes a small sip and admits, "I'm just not used to it." He doesn't really get into all of the whys for why he never talked with people about his issues or problems, especially not women he was seeing or sleeping with. He is easing into this talking thing, partially because he doesn't know how, partially because he doesn't want to overshare(?) He really doesn't know how it works.

Bennie straightens up enough to leave him unfettered in his pursuit of breakfast, at least making a show of breaking off a corner of her own strip of bacon and nibbling on it. "It doesn't help when your girl flips her lid when you try to open up, but I guess we both have our own hot button issues." She'd rather drink her orange juice than poke at her eggs. "But I promise, anything you ever want to tell me, I'll listen. I may not like what you have to say sometimes, but I'll always listen. It's not just you who needs to get better at that, by the way...like. I don't know what it is about this last time that I healed Alexander, but I've just been so tired since. I even had to nap before I left the hospital. Everything just feels heavy."

He glances over at her not really eating the food she was apparently starving for on their way in and can't help but raise an eyebrow. He like usual is eating far too fast, like he's starving or under a time crunch to push as much food in his mouth as fast as humanly possible. He offers her a bite of his and laughs about her flipping out, "Well see though? It's good to know. I apparently am not supposed to marry other people. It's good to have guidelines in a relationship." He makes light of it, if possible. "I am sure you won't. I will try to tell you anyway." He knows that his instinct is to cover up anything ugly or sad or painful or in someway incorrect from her. He has some ideas why. It probably wouldn't hurt him to talk to Dr. Glass about that he mentally notes. "Yea? Was it more?" He tries to find the words to ask the question he's trying to ask, "Like a worse injury than others? I mean, babe you've done so much for people. But I'm glad you told me, I talked to Grampa Perfect Hair and he mentioned that healing can really take it out of you. We actually talked about maybe setting up a rotation or a group of people to be available so that you all don't get burnt out with all the attacks going on."

Bennie dutifully accepts the bite of food, even if she doesn't show much zeal for it despite there being whipped cream and strawberries. It's like the quintessential Bennie binge food of sugar and fruit! She laughs at his quip while she chews, shielding her mouth as she does, her eyes crinkling with shared humor. "Probably wise." She finally says, "But in my defense, I didn't know it was drunken tomfoolery at the time. Because you actually marrying Geoff? Totally not outside the realm of possibility. It is an epically beautiful bromance."

She waves a hand, trying to dismiss his concern, and assuage it by saying. "I don't think so? I helped out Dela La two days in a row and then shortly after Alexander got hurt. I'm sure I'm just flexing my glimmer a little too much but I'd never say no to a friend in need, yeah? So maybe some sort of rotation wouldn't be such a bad idea, with all the recent injuries. I'm okay! I'll just ...maybe skip a shift at the diner. Nah, you know what, I'll be fine."

Ahem, cherries But yes fruit, whipped cream and sweet waffle goodness can not be denied.

"Epic and beautiful yes. And also utterly sexless." He admits, in case there was any confusion on her part, that as much as Geoff might be handsy or phsyically close they don't actually have sex. Long deep meaningful starting into one another's eyes, sure, but not actually boinking. He smiles and adds, "Though I think we both get a kick out of letting people assume we're sleeping with one another." He notices that even with sharing some of his food she's still not really eating.

At the talk of her healing people he nods and says, "I get it. It's hard seeing people in pain, especially when you can do something about it. I just wanted to let you know there are other options."

Talk of her needing to take a shift off but then deciding against it has him bracing for how this is going to go over. He says, in his best totally keeping it casual voice, "If you need to take a break, I can cover the money. It's not a problem, and you're not asking, I'm offering."

"Yes, but a girl can dream. And I do. Frequently. Just in case there's any doubt." Bennie grins and reaches for her OJ again, sipping through the straw with gusto and a happy little bounce. "Seriously though, I'm totes glad he's in your life. And Alexander. I think maybe it's helpful in a way. To have those brothers in arms again."

At the offer of money, Bennie doesn't seem offended. "Because you looooooooove me." She sing songs. By now, the blonde is used to those closest to her that know of her 'issues' offering if only to take some of the burden off her. "But you know me! I'll make do." Just like she picks up a triangle piece of toast and starts nibbling on it, before he can start to worry about that on top of everything else.

Easton laughs and says, "It's important to have dreams." That is not what that phrase normally means. But it's much, much funnier that way. His big smile falters ever so slightly when she mentions having brothers in arms again. He nods and gets a little quieter and more serious. "Yea... it does." His jaw clenches and he goes back to his waffles again for a moment before saying, "That was harder to adjust to than the leg." It's a confession, an honest to goodness unmined nugget about his life, because again he's working on being more open with her.

"I went from having my men around me twenty-four seven to just being alone. I ..." He looks at her as if gauging if now is a good time to admit more things. Seeing no menus handy he continues. "I slept around. A lot. And I thought maybe I could recreate that feeling. That insane utter closeness by sleeping with guys. I mean I'd fucked around a little but in more of a drunk bro way. I gave it a shot but it was just ... sex. And then I felt like shit for trying to put that on other people and it just ..." He looks at her and gives a small shrug. She didn't ask. The thought hits him hard and he is tempted to clam up. "It was not a good time. So yea. Having people like Geoff and Alexander means a lot to me. I'm glad you get it."

The response to his offer about money thankfully is much easier. He says, "This is true." to her little sing-song. "I know you will, but if you need a break. Take one." He leans over to kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear, "I like you well rested." Making that sound as dirty as possible.

Bennie's hand curves onto his thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze that she's certainly not judging him for that nugget of his past. "First let me preface this by saying I know it's wildly inappropriate to be turned on by a heartfelt admission, but I'm totally turned on by your heartfelt admission. Also, that makes perfect sense, but the fact that you acknowledged it was an unhealthy exercise not just for yourself but in the unfairness to the others? That's kinda huge, babe. And I'm proud of you. Part of me thinks that's why I didn't want to freak out so much about Baylee. I wouldn't want you to feel alone like that, ever again. But! Now we have Gunner, so if ever we're on a break or something? Snuggle the damn dog instead."

She's grinning and leaning into the kiss on the cheek. "Since when has exhausted ever precluded us from sexy gymnastics. But okay. Maybe one day off couldn't hurt. And you know, if I got rid of the rent on the trailer..." But that would make the 'move-in' permanent, so rather than address that directly, she just lets her sentence drift off.

Her hand on his thigh helps him to at least realize that he's not burdening her or boring her or turning her away by sharing this. He has plenty of weird fears about talking about things with her that should probably get addressed more fully but Easton's at least able to get through that and not hate himself for saying it. At least not yet. His serious face does give way to a smile as she admits being turned on by it, which he can't really say much about. "That's fine. I still sometimes think about you kissing Erin. Only now there's a little more hair-pulling and slapping involved?"

The fact that she can mention the thing with Baylee and be so understanding about all of it, particularly his mess of a life between the accident and the time she met him helps. "I appreciate it, and I don't feel like that. And you know I'd be snuggling Gunner and Geoff."

"That is true." He admits that she's often the more ready and willing of the two despite her more hellacious schedule. "If you are ready to ditch the trailer babe, do it. I am all for it, but ... " He trails off, and the realizes that might be taken as hesitation. "I just didn't push because I know it's your childhood home. And there's a lot of Judd mixed up in that place. And your mom, and uh.. dad." He is still not sure how to talk about her parents. His own near complete lack of anything remotely approaching a normal relationship with his parents leaves him at a loss to understand how she might relate to her own. And he tries not to assume. Even though her dad is very much just dead to him, even if he is still alive. Asshole.

"Next girl I make out with a girl in one of our party situations, I'll be happy to rough her up a little bit, too. Anything for you, boo." Teasing? Maybe, it's hard to judge with that mischievous glint to her eye.

Bennie's grin sort of wobbles and fades though when he mentions the why of not formalizing their living situation. "I'd want to bring over a few things. And they might not really...mesh with your decor. Like an afghan blanket that is hideously orange and brown. And I'd need a place to sew?" The corner of her mouth briefly gets clamped on by her teeth once she starts piling on 'demands'. "And I'm not sure what to do with it, but my kitchen table. It's sort of sentimental. Does Byron have tenant storage in the basement, maybe? But besides a few sentimental items, it's not like there's anything of worth in the house. And it might...it might do me some good to let go."

Easton makes a some 'hmm' noise of consideration at the offer and says, "Also I wouldn't mind a little rouging up too, if you're offering." He doesn't elaborate, just goes back to finishing off his waffles. Though he's slowed down from his near frantic original pace.

"We can figure that all out." Easton gives a reassuring nudge, "I'm not worried about the decor." There is really very little 'decor' to speak of besides all of the sparse furniture that screams bachelor. "We can find storage if we need to." He doesn't say anything about her needing to let go for a while. "There's no rush though. If you need time, that's fine. Believe me. I get it." He apparently is still hanging on so tightly to his dead best friend that he conjured him as a ghost. Not moving on is hardly anything he can talk about.