Rocky Road 17, Peppermint 16: Shelter
Title: Shelter
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Rocky road 17 (a mountain/a rock/ledge), peppermint 16 (fence), malt (PFAH: Summer: I'll stand by you), My Treat (Lars protecting Summer), caramel (you'll know which one), pocky chain.
Word Count: 600
Rating: PG.
Summary: Five times Lars protected Summer, and once she protected him.
Notes: As promised, the happier one. These are in roughly chronological order except for the last one, which references Fracture.
1.
Ivy called him one afternoon, not long after he'd first met Aaron's sisters, and said she needed to go somewhere after school and Aaron had something and could he pick up Summer?
Lars had a number of thoughts-- where are you going, what does Aaron have, where did you get this number, you scary, scary girl-- but in the end, all he said was "sure."
He never understood how Summer managed to look so vulnerable, bundled up in winter clothes behind a sharp chain-link fence, but she did.
It was about the only time he never regretted capitulating to Ivy.
2.
"I don't understand," Summer said.
Lars inhaled, but didn't snap (maybe it was her eyes, confused and a little frightened, or the thought of her walking away and never coming back). "You just... you can't walk off with somebody you don't know."
"But he had a puppy."
He ran his hands through his hair, trying to think of an answer she would accept. "That doesn’t mean anything," he said, finally. "Some people you can't trust. Not everybody wants you safe."
"Oh," she said, quietly. Then, "My arm hurts. You didn't have to pull so hard."
"Yes, I did," he said.
3.
Summer was shivering on the seat beside him.
Lars sighed. "Summerchild, are you or are you not cold?"
"I'm not cold," she said, stubbornly, crossing her arms across her chest.
"I told you you should have brought your jacket."
She stuck out her chin. "It wasn't cold when we left!"
Which was a tacit acknowledgment that she was cold, not that she'd admit it if he said so. He sighed again, took off his jacket, and draped it over her.
"I'm not cold," she insisted, drawing the fabric tight under her chin.
"Yeah, sure," Lars grumbled, and started to shiver.
4.
"It hurts!" Summer wailed, pressing her hands against her ears. "It hurts it hurts it hurts oh, make it stop!"
How could he make something stop when he didn't know what it was? "It's okay," he said, hugging her tight. "It's okay, sweetheart."
"It hurts!" she sobbed, and hid her face in his chest.
He turned into the fence beside them, a sturdy thing of wood and metal, held her between it and his body, away from the world. "It's okay," he repeated, over and over. "It's okay."
That worked, eventually. He didn't understand, but then, he didn't have to.
5.
Zack stared at Lars with a look of amused confusion on his face, like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "What did you say?"
"I think I made myself clear," Lars said.
"Oh, you were crystal clear," Zack said, and had a sip of the violently purple concotion he was drinking. Lars had been tending bar for... far too long now, and he'd never seen a drink that color. Kids. "It's just... you do realize that you just threatened to kneecap a cop."
"Only if you hurt my baby sister," Lars said.
Zack contemplated that, then shrugged. "Seems fair."
6.
He'd looked bad when she saw him That Time, the time she still couldn't bear to think about. He looked worse now. The circles under his eyes had deepened and darkened, his hair was a mess, and he smelled, a little bit, though not badly. Summer remembered reading somewhere that the word "haggard" had come from "hag-ridden," but she'd never really understood that until now.
"I'm sorry," he was saying, looking at his hands and not once at her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Christ, I'm sorry."
Summer uncurled just enough to put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay."
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Rocky road 17 (a mountain/a rock/ledge), peppermint 16 (fence), malt (PFAH: Summer: I'll stand by you), My Treat (Lars protecting Summer), caramel (you'll know which one), pocky chain.
Word Count: 600
Rating: PG.
Summary: Five times Lars protected Summer, and once she protected him.
Notes: As promised, the happier one. These are in roughly chronological order except for the last one, which references Fracture.
1.
Ivy called him one afternoon, not long after he'd first met Aaron's sisters, and said she needed to go somewhere after school and Aaron had something and could he pick up Summer?
Lars had a number of thoughts-- where are you going, what does Aaron have, where did you get this number, you scary, scary girl-- but in the end, all he said was "sure."
He never understood how Summer managed to look so vulnerable, bundled up in winter clothes behind a sharp chain-link fence, but she did.
It was about the only time he never regretted capitulating to Ivy.
2.
"I don't understand," Summer said.
Lars inhaled, but didn't snap (maybe it was her eyes, confused and a little frightened, or the thought of her walking away and never coming back). "You just... you can't walk off with somebody you don't know."
"But he had a puppy."
He ran his hands through his hair, trying to think of an answer she would accept. "That doesn’t mean anything," he said, finally. "Some people you can't trust. Not everybody wants you safe."
"Oh," she said, quietly. Then, "My arm hurts. You didn't have to pull so hard."
"Yes, I did," he said.
3.
Summer was shivering on the seat beside him.
Lars sighed. "Summerchild, are you or are you not cold?"
"I'm not cold," she said, stubbornly, crossing her arms across her chest.
"I told you you should have brought your jacket."
She stuck out her chin. "It wasn't cold when we left!"
Which was a tacit acknowledgment that she was cold, not that she'd admit it if he said so. He sighed again, took off his jacket, and draped it over her.
"I'm not cold," she insisted, drawing the fabric tight under her chin.
"Yeah, sure," Lars grumbled, and started to shiver.
4.
"It hurts!" Summer wailed, pressing her hands against her ears. "It hurts it hurts it hurts oh, make it stop!"
How could he make something stop when he didn't know what it was? "It's okay," he said, hugging her tight. "It's okay, sweetheart."
"It hurts!" she sobbed, and hid her face in his chest.
He turned into the fence beside them, a sturdy thing of wood and metal, held her between it and his body, away from the world. "It's okay," he repeated, over and over. "It's okay."
That worked, eventually. He didn't understand, but then, he didn't have to.
5.
Zack stared at Lars with a look of amused confusion on his face, like he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "What did you say?"
"I think I made myself clear," Lars said.
"Oh, you were crystal clear," Zack said, and had a sip of the violently purple concotion he was drinking. Lars had been tending bar for... far too long now, and he'd never seen a drink that color. Kids. "It's just... you do realize that you just threatened to kneecap a cop."
"Only if you hurt my baby sister," Lars said.
Zack contemplated that, then shrugged. "Seems fair."
6.
He'd looked bad when she saw him That Time, the time she still couldn't bear to think about. He looked worse now. The circles under his eyes had deepened and darkened, his hair was a mess, and he smelled, a little bit, though not badly. Summer remembered reading somewhere that the word "haggard" had come from "hag-ridden," but she'd never really understood that until now.
"I'm sorry," he was saying, looking at his hands and not once at her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Christ, I'm sorry."
Summer uncurled just enough to put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay."