[ bellamy stretches, reaching for his beer on the windowsill, and tips it back. wiping his thumb against the glass, he looks at her with an arch of his brow. ] I'm not going to tell you the wrong story, Raven. [ he places the glass back on the windowsill, but doesn't unwrap his fingers from around it. ]
[ truthfully, now that he knows she's never had the luxury of aurora blake telling her story after story despite informing her she's to go to bed the moment they finish their second one, he doesn't want to lie to her. shifting it around to suit his own agenda, or simply making one up on the spot, letting her believe it's true even though it's not, he doesn't particularly want to lie. even though he's sure she wouldn't read up on it until later, or even care if he gave her a version that's his own, bellamy doesn't want to give her the wrong one. it means something to him, that she's even asking for stories, welcoming them as she seems to remember the names he says and asks for him to tell her about them later. ]
You could go around and spread it. I'm not going to be responsible for that.
Such outstanding work ethics. [What a change in personality he's had, since the first time she met him. It's shocking, really. She never thought she'd end up spilling her guts to the guy who welcomed her to Earth with a hand around her neck, let alone have a beer and talk about storytelling with him.
[ he'd puff out his chest if he wasn't lying on his stomach. instead, his voice sounds lighter than it usually is, or how it's become in eudio where he's had the opportunity to tease or joke. he lifts his beer and takes a swig of it, placing it back down on the windowsill. looking at it, he sees he's already drunk half. ]
[ turning to raven, he arches his brow, and tells her as though it's a fact, ] I take the integrity of stories very seriously.
[ touching the neck of his beer to his cheek, he's about to take another drink until she speaks. pulling his glass back, bellamy looks at her as though she's grown two extra heads. ]
Everyone knows the Greek stories. There's no use in writing what's in every book about them.
[ they've been through this before, with raven pushing him to try and do what he wants instead of what he thinks he needs. being at the coffee shop for the sake of keeping in line with what he had been thinking back when he first appeared in the city isn't healthy, let alone any use to him. ]
[ but bellamy likes to fall back into old patterns, even though the coffee shop isn't a part of his. ]
Sure, whatever, but they're written about a dude from centuries ago. [She shrugs.] You tell them different.
[She knows, because she's compared from memory. It's not her duty or job to set him on paths to self-discovery, she's merely making suggestions this time around.]
[ he smiles, brows furrowing, ] I tell them how they're written.
[ except he tends to tell the different versions, choosing the one he likes best, the one that seems more plausible for him given what he knows. he doesn't think much on it. raven's revealed her hand a little, even though he's not too sure if he's leaping to the wrong conclusion, thinking she's read a little more than he'd last thought. ]
[ looking down at his windowsill, his tone shifts into something lower. ] I'll write them down for you. Just in case.
[He makes it sound like a favor, but somehow she thinks he's going to enjoy the journey too. It makes for an opportunity in the future to say I told you so, and she wouldn't give that up.]
[ she's right — he'd enjoy writing them down, just as much as he likes telling them. it's not a favour for her, but for himself, being able to remember something he had loved as a child and seems to have held onto a passion for in his adulthood. being able to leave that behind for her when he inevitably leaves, he thinks it's a good thing he can do, at least. ]
[ looking out his window, up at the dark sky lingering outside of his apartment, bellamy thinks to ask the stars instead of her, ] Read anything new lately? [ he takes a moment before he glances at her, stretching his legs until they're as straight as he can make them. ]
[A little jealous of his sprawl, she decides that fuck it, she's comfortable enough around him to join him. She wants the view, too. So she lies down properly, somewhere beside him but not close, on her back. She has the choice now, to either look at Bellamy or at the sky.
[ when he feels her move beside him, he watches her from the corner of his eye. he doesn't need to do that anymore, watch her leg, make sure she isn't pushing herself until she's leaning against the wall or struggling to even summon the courage to ask for help. it's never been a burden for him to give her support when she needs it. ]
[ glancing up at the stars, he thinks over her question before he looks to her. the stars have never been a friend to him, not in the way raven has. it's an easy answer. it's one he tries sabotage any hope from warming his voice. ] Have you?
[She doesn't need the support or the help now, won't need it again. She thinks that maybe in the upcoming weeks, she'll train and get her legs in shape again, so she can give him a piggy-back all the way down to the shore.
Meanwhile, there's the ability to move around autonomously.] I haven't had the time. Got any recommendation that isn't about stories I'm going to end up asking you to tell me anyway?
[ he smiles, and looks up at what he can see of the night sky through his window. as if asking the stars for a little help on a story that isn't one he knows from the ark, he finds that they're useless to him. ]
What did you do when you first got here? [ he looks at her, brows slightly furrowed. maybe he should know this, if he was here in the beginning of her stay. he doesn't ask about it, never thinks to. he imagines that it might be a hard thing for her to stomach, him arriving and then departing without so much as a knock on her door. ]
Ha - I ate everything I could get my hands on, and I tried every drink I was told came free... [It's been so long now, if she thinks about it, and she almost gets nostalgic thinking back to that day. She'd met Clarke, and told her to back off. She'd heard he was in the city too, but...
She looks sideways at him. It was worth the wait, the second time around.] And I went to look at the cars, so all mechanics in the city ended up knowing of me.
I'm not surprised. [ by her eating all the food she could, given he's done the same, or the mechanics coming to know her. bellamy's pretty sure the people who work at the bookstores along the boardwalk have come to know him by name. it seems as though, when given the chance, they've gravitate toward the things that they like most. on their ground, there's obviously no opportunity to do so — he doubts there ever will be. ]
And now you work at a garage. If I ever get a car, I'll only ask you to ever fix the dents. [ he smiles at her. bellamy blake owning a car seems like a joke to him, but he thinks if he ever gets one, finally tired of walking everywhere, he'd only trust raven to fix the dents, the broken lights and windows, and whatever else makes a car function other than gas and a foot on the pedal. ]
[That's the thing that stings the most; she'll never have as much as she has here. Not as many books, not as much food in her fridge, not as much money in her hand or as much freedom to move around. And doubly true now; she stretches out her legs, just for the hell of it. Just to remember she can.]
Really? That's the only thing you'll ask me to do? I thought you'd ask me to teach you how to drive first.
[ he doesn't move his gaze away from hers. ] You'd really teach me how to drive? [ he doesn't mean to sound — and look — so surprised, or even amused, but bellamy had figured he's spare her the migraine. he's looked inside of the cars whenever he's passed a dealership, and even though he's interested in how they work and how to drive one, he's shied away from investing in one. it's easier to walk. he can gain a better idea of the city by doing so. ]
[ it doesn't sound like the right thing to ask. ]
[ he still sounds amused, like it's a joke, but his features shift a little, as though he's taking this seriously. ] You'd want to?
[ it's on the tip of his tongue to tease her about caring about him, but it feels a little too soon — and inappropriate — to do so. he's never really thought he'd need a car, but given how large eudio is, and how he doesn't particularly want to walk from his to raven's all the time, maybe an investment in transport that's his and his alone would be smart. ]
[ he glances away, looking down at the linens he picks at with his fingers. he smiles, ] Then I guess I'll learn how to drive the Raven Reyes way. [ he looks up at her, still smiling softly. if there was anyone he'd ask to teach him how to drive, it'd be her. if she didn't know how to, he'd be asking her who she trusted behind the wheel. it's becoming too normal for bellamy to simply trust in those around him instead of believing he has to do it alone. ] If you really trust me to be behind the wheel.
[Too bad they don't have wheels to get behind right now; of the few cars she's working on, none of them are hers or for rent. Still, why shoot a dream down so fast? Not her style.
She points at him with her bottle.] First the table, then the wheel.
[ bellamy sighs, rolling his neck. he looks at her, a little pathetically, and whines, ] Why can't we do the driving first?
[ the driving, at least, is something he thinks he can do. it's probably not out of line for him to think that she believes it, too, thinking he can easily drive if he's to be behind the wheel with the right teacher. but building a table and having the pressure of raven's faith in him — there's no bet with the driving, too. ]
[ he smiles, trying his best not to laugh. he teeters to the side, as though she's shoved him hard, before he rights himself again and reaches for his beer. looking out his window, the stars seem to have remained outside, even though he thinks they're pretty muted in comparison to what he remembers from home. ]
[ once he's finished drinking, he looks at her, not prepared to give up, ] Change the bet. If I drive well, I can make the table. [ he tips his beer toward her as a gesture toward her, ] That sounds like a good one to me.
Nope. No backsies on bets, smartass. [She shrugs, and takes another sip. The beer left at the bottom of the bottle, she doesn't finish; it tastes like ass, anyway.]
I don't get why you're so scared, it's my workshop we're doing this in.
I'm not scared. [ he almost scoffs. he looks at her as though she's grown two identical heads to the one she has now. shaking his head, he reaches for her bottle to place it on the windowsill. ]
[ tilting his head back, he drains his, even the bottom bit that does taste like ass. he pulls a face before his features smooth out, and he places his empty glass on the windowsill. ] I just don't want you to be disappointed by having a defective table in your place.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ truthfully, now that he knows she's never had the luxury of aurora blake telling her story after story despite informing her she's to go to bed the moment they finish their second one, he doesn't want to lie to her. shifting it around to suit his own agenda, or simply making one up on the spot, letting her believe it's true even though it's not, he doesn't particularly want to lie. even though he's sure she wouldn't read up on it until later, or even care if he gave her a version that's his own, bellamy doesn't want to give her the wrong one. it means something to him, that she's even asking for stories, welcoming them as she seems to remember the names he says and asks for him to tell her about them later. ]
You could go around and spread it. I'm not going to be responsible for that.
no subject
They've really grown as people.]
no subject
[ he'd puff out his chest if he wasn't lying on his stomach. instead, his voice sounds lighter than it usually is, or how it's become in eudio where he's had the opportunity to tease or joke. he lifts his beer and takes a swig of it, placing it back down on the windowsill. looking at it, he sees he's already drunk half. ]
[ turning to raven, he arches his brow, and tells her as though it's a fact, ] I take the integrity of stories very seriously.
no subject
no subject
Everyone knows the Greek stories. There's no use in writing what's in every book about them.
[ they've been through this before, with raven pushing him to try and do what he wants instead of what he thinks he needs. being at the coffee shop for the sake of keeping in line with what he had been thinking back when he first appeared in the city isn't healthy, let alone any use to him. ]
[ but bellamy likes to fall back into old patterns, even though the coffee shop isn't a part of his. ]
no subject
[She knows, because she's compared from memory. It's not her duty or job to set him on paths to self-discovery, she's merely making suggestions this time around.]
no subject
[ except he tends to tell the different versions, choosing the one he likes best, the one that seems more plausible for him given what he knows. he doesn't think much on it. raven's revealed her hand a little, even though he's not too sure if he's leaping to the wrong conclusion, thinking she's read a little more than he'd last thought. ]
[ looking down at his windowsill, his tone shifts into something lower. ] I'll write them down for you. Just in case.
no subject
Good.
no subject
[ looking out his window, up at the dark sky lingering outside of his apartment, bellamy thinks to ask the stars instead of her, ] Read anything new lately? [ he takes a moment before he glances at her, stretching his legs until they're as straight as he can make them. ]
no subject
Cheesy as it is, she likes that choice.]
Are you asking them or me?
no subject
[ glancing up at the stars, he thinks over her question before he looks to her. the stars have never been a friend to him, not in the way raven has. it's an easy answer. it's one he tries sabotage any hope from warming his voice. ] Have you?
no subject
Meanwhile, there's the ability to move around autonomously.] I haven't had the time. Got any recommendation that isn't about stories I'm going to end up asking you to tell me anyway?
no subject
What did you do when you first got here? [ he looks at her, brows slightly furrowed. maybe he should know this, if he was here in the beginning of her stay. he doesn't ask about it, never thinks to. he imagines that it might be a hard thing for her to stomach, him arriving and then departing without so much as a knock on her door. ]
no subject
She looks sideways at him. It was worth the wait, the second time around.] And I went to look at the cars, so all mechanics in the city ended up knowing of me.
no subject
And now you work at a garage. If I ever get a car, I'll only ask you to ever fix the dents. [ he smiles at her. bellamy blake owning a car seems like a joke to him, but he thinks if he ever gets one, finally tired of walking everywhere, he'd only trust raven to fix the dents, the broken lights and windows, and whatever else makes a car function other than gas and a foot on the pedal. ]
no subject
Really? That's the only thing you'll ask me to do? I thought you'd ask me to teach you how to drive first.
no subject
[ it doesn't sound like the right thing to ask. ]
[ he still sounds amused, like it's a joke, but his features shift a little, as though he's taking this seriously. ] You'd want to?
no subject
[Who has a big head? Raven. Jem would probably agree on this front, having been her teacher way back when.]
no subject
[ he glances away, looking down at the linens he picks at with his fingers. he smiles, ] Then I guess I'll learn how to drive the Raven Reyes way. [ he looks up at her, still smiling softly. if there was anyone he'd ask to teach him how to drive, it'd be her. if she didn't know how to, he'd be asking her who she trusted behind the wheel. it's becoming too normal for bellamy to simply trust in those around him instead of believing he has to do it alone. ] If you really trust me to be behind the wheel.
no subject
She points at him with her bottle.] First the table, then the wheel.
no subject
[ the driving, at least, is something he thinks he can do. it's probably not out of line for him to think that she believes it, too, thinking he can easily drive if he's to be behind the wheel with the right teacher. but building a table and having the pressure of raven's faith in him — there's no bet with the driving, too. ]
no subject
no subject
[ once he's finished drinking, he looks at her, not prepared to give up, ] Change the bet. If I drive well, I can make the table. [ he tips his beer toward her as a gesture toward her, ] That sounds like a good one to me.
no subject
I don't get why you're so scared, it's my workshop we're doing this in.
no subject
[ tilting his head back, he drains his, even the bottom bit that does taste like ass. he pulls a face before his features smooth out, and he places his empty glass on the windowsill. ] I just don't want you to be disappointed by having a defective table in your place.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)