[ageswitch]

[alanshore]

A walk to the beach and back hasn't improved matters much. Obvious predicament aside, he's become aware that he's no long accustomed to moving in this body. His posture's entirely wrong, the tilt of the chin absurd. His limbs feel not only ready but eager to move in several directions at once

Comments

[stacked_sookie]

Sookie is still ticked off at Jay when she gets back down to the beach, but at least she's not livid anymore. She heads out to the spot where they'd spent the afternoon and looks around for Alan.

"Hey!"

[alanshore]

"Sookie!" He'd moved nearer to the children in the course of the day. Now he picks up his book and heads toward her, smiling in relief. It's been an emotionally fraught afternoon.

"You seem relatively unscathed."

[stacked_sookie]

She beams at him. "Relatively. I don't wanna go back up there again anytime soon, though. The place is a wreck!"

And she might run into Jay again.

[alanshore]

Alan doesn't ask if she'd tripped over anything on the way there. As he'd said, she seems relatively unscathed.

He takes the picnic basket off her hands and sets it down. "I have the sneaking suspicion I need another coat of sunscreen."

[stacked_sookie]

He's looking a little pink around the edges. She hopes it isn't too late for the sunblock to do any good.

"I think we can manage that. You feel like you're burnin'?"

[alanshore]

"No, but then I never do." Until hours later when he settles down to dinner and his back feels as though it's been slowly roasted.

[stacked_sookie]

"That's no good." She uncaps the tube of sunscreen and squeezes a big blob into her hand. "Lemme see your back."

[alanshore]

Alan raises his eyebrows. "You just want me to remove my shirt again."

He complies anyway, knowing it's bound to be some horrific shade of pink.

[stacked_sookie]

"Yeah, yeah, keep tellin' yourself that."

Ooo. Ouch. His back looks bad. She gently applies the sunscreen, wishing she had some aloe. Surely there should be some growing around here somewhere.

"I'm tryin' not t' hurt you," she says encouragingly.

[alanshore]

"It feels good." For that first instant, anyway, until the lotion warms to the temperature of his back.

After that, it hurts.

[stacked_sookie]

She doesn't entirely believe him, but doesn't stop what she's doing until there's sunscreen all over his back and neck. She holds the tube out to him.

"Here."

[alanshore]

He slathers lotion over his chest, arms, and face. Legs as well, although must of the damage has been done to his upper body.

"And here you are, tanned to perfection," he sighs.

[stacked_sookie]

"Yeah, terrible, ain't it?" she grins. "Wait twenty years till my skin looks like ol' leather. You'll have th' last laugh then."

[alanshore]

He'll be dead by then. If there exists any sort of mercy in this world. "Wait I certainly will."

[stacked_sookie]

"Let's go eat. I hope you like peanut butter." All of a sudden, she realizes that she hadn't asked about any violent dislikes or potential food allergies. She's getting so irresponsible!

[alanshore]

"Peanut butter's fine." Food's welcome in and of itself, and as a distraction from his sunburn, it's doubly welcome.