(Untitled)

[raw_youth]

"What's the fuckin' difference between a big T and a little T?" Dodge muttered to himself as he read the book on the counter. There was a pretty picture of a muffin and he was going to make that muffin if it killed him. He'd figured out the C in the recipe meant cups. But a big T and a little T...no fuckin' clue. Tablesppon? Teaspoon? He held a

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[justsookie]

"You were talkin' in the kitchen, I think that gives you a free pass," Sookie laughed as she breezed into the kitchen, pausing by the counter to watch the young man's progress. As far as distractions went, watching someone else bake was about one of the best; she even felt lightly nostalgic, thinking about days when she would stand right by her gran's side and watch as gran kneaded dough, or pressed it carefully into the pie plate. Muffins had been one of the first things she'd taught Sookie how to bake, so the grin on her face was kind and amused. "Believe me, the world would be so much better off if all those computer guys came up with a way to make cupboards and fridges talk. We'd save so much time looking for stuff, and spend more of that cooking. It'd be in everyone's interest."

Stepping more closely, Sookie bit her lip. "Berry muffins?" she asked.

[raw_youth]

"Yeah...I mean, I hope so. I hope I did it right," he said. "I followed the recipe."

Dodge looked a bit sheepish, though. He was trying to pull off the same tough and uncaring facade he usually wore, but there were cracks in it. He'd never done this before and he was unsure. If they came out well then he'd be as proud as could be, but the bitch of cooking, he was finding, was that you didn't know until it was all baked up and done. Right now it just looked like fruity glop.

[justsookie]

Stepping closer with a small, shy duck of her head, hoping that she wasn't intruding too much, Sookie reached out for the bowl. "You know, there's a real easy way to check for that," she replied, fetching a nearby spoon- in case he was a bit touchy about the idea of saliva- and touching the tip in the batter. Licking it clean, it took somewhat of a struggle for Sookie to keep the smile on her face, but soon enough she broke, muffling a light laugh in the palm of her heand.

"I think... you might need, a. A little less salt. And a whole lotta sugar." Glancing down at the bowl, Sookie also worried herself over the consistency, but when it came to baking, how hard the pastry ended up wasn't quite as important as making sure that it wasn't salted to high heaven. "Were you following a recipe?"

[raw_youth]

Dodge bristled at being laughed at and he hardened up defensively.

"I said I did. I didn't just throw shit in a bowl and pray," he scowled. He wasn't going to admit just how long it had taken him to read the recipe, let alone gather the ingredients. He'd really worked at this and to get laughed at made him feel like some idiot kid. That was the worst thing about being here in his opinion. Back home he'd been Fagin's number one boy and he knew how the city worked, where to go and just what to do. Here it seemed like all he could do was fuck up and get laughed at for it.

[justsookie]

"Oh hon, I'm sorry," Sookie winced, shaking her head, looking abashed as soon as the young man frowned in her direction, letting her breath out through her teeth in a soft exhale. "I asked to make sure, because... I'm willing to bet, dollars to donuts, that the recipe needs a bit of work. I mean, you've got the right ingredients in here, but maybe we can try to figure out how to tweak it? Make it better than it was."

Worried that pressing any more would just make the problem worse, Sookie rested her hand on the counter. "I didn't mean to say that you were just going at this half-assed. Baking's just... I mean, the stories I could tell you about how many times I sent gran's kitchen up in smoke. I wouldn't be able to count them all."

[raw_youth]

It was just nerves that had him rubbing the back of his neck and scratching his fingers through his too-long hair. Back home it would have never gotten this long. Bill said he liked to tell his girls from his boys. Bill said a lot of things but he never said sorry. Sorry was like a magic fuckin' word and Dodge found it in him to quit scowling like a little boy.

"I don't know how to fix it," he said quietly. "I just used that cup and spoon and did what the book said."

He turned his head and pointed at the coffee cup and soup spoon that were next to the bowl of batter. Turning his head was enough motion that his shirt couldn't keep up and it revealed the remnants of a bruise that might have been politely called a love bite- except it had no love behind it. It just looked like someone bit him and didn't let go.

[justsookie]

"Oh, that's why," Sookie nodded as soon as she turned her gaze over to the cup and spoon, a small and understanding smile on her lips. She'd never really appreciated the way that measurements for cooking seemed to rely on tools that were made and manufactured in any number of sizes. "The cup and spoon have to be a certain size-"

Pausing as she turned to glance at the young man again, Sookie's eyes immediately narrowed in concern as her gaze fell upon the bruise. "Oh my god," she breathed, pressing the side of her thumb to her lip. "Your neck, are you- are you alright?"

[raw_youth]

She was rewarded with a blank look and a blink, then another. It took him a second to even remember the damned thing was there. As with the other marks on his body, Dodge tried to tug at his shirt collar to cover his neck and then checked the long sleeves of his shirt to make sure his track marks were covered, too.

"I'm fine," he said. At least that was something he was sure of. "It's no big deal, don't worry about it. It's just, you know, a, uh, bite mark."

He might as well not lie about it. It was pretty fuckin' clear what it was.

[justsookie]

"Oh."

She tried her best not to pry. Not to look curious. Because really, hadn't she also enjoyed getting bitten back in the day? Even Caliban could attest to that, and Sookie instinctively rose a hand to the side of her neck, where a scar would have otherwise been, were it not for the healing properties of vampire blood in her own world. "As long as it's, y'know, not someone forcin' you or... anyway," Sookie stammered, blushing up a storm before she turned back to the materials, glancing over the book and glancing around the kitchen curiously.

"If you want, maybe we could start over, and I could show you the right cups and spoons to use. So that next time, you can bake just about anything you want in here."

[raw_youth]

"You'd do that?" he asked quietly. "Okay. Okay, uh, sure."

He picked up the bowl full of batter and got rid of it. It gave him time to think about how stupid it was to over react. He needed to get over that. It was that kind of shit that got him in fights and got him to sulk for days after he fucked something up. Case in point- Lord of the Flies. He'd had to give it up and in a fit of temper he'd used the first page to roll a joint. Mistake number two, right there.

Dodge scrubbed up the bowl and was far more contrite when he returned.

"Thanks for this," he said, then he figured he should probably ease her other concern. "My neck is, uh...you know. I hooked up with this guy and it got a little wild is all. It's cool, though."

[justsookie]

"'Course I would. I could use a break in my day anyway, and I like meeting new people as it is," Sookie grinned, glancing over at the young man fondly before she set about opening up the cupboards and drawers, looking for the materials she needed for the recipe and laying them out side by side on the counter. By the time he returned, the station was just about ready to go, and she peered over her shoulder with a smile, holding off while he explained the injury further.

(Somehow, she couldn't help the pit that dug itself into her stomach, knowing that it was a guy. Could've been any guy, right? There were enough men on the island who were interested in other men, at least part of the time. Everyone had their secrets. Didn't mean it was anyone she knew. Didn't mean it was a vampire. Didn't mean-)

"Wild seems to be an understatement," Sookie replied with a helpless smile, her voice sounding falsely bright, even to her own ears. "Now I'm just wondering if this is someone I know, because, wow. It's... impressive."

[raw_youth]

"Just a friend of mine. He was having a bad time because he, uh, you know what, he probably wouldn't want me telling everyone," he said with a little shrug. He'd never really talked about people he'd been with. Oh, all the boys had talked about The Senator because that was fuckin' funny, comparing the weird shit that old fucker liked, but other people, especially people here, he just kept his mouth shut.

But he got the feeling that she needed something, like curiosity might eat her alive.

"He's helped me out, you know? Saved my life. He's a good guy. He's just got problems. He's got some baggage, though, and it bit him in the ass. So we had some drinks and he told me about his shit and we kind of...hooked up. It's no big deal. I used to do it all the time before here. I'm, uh, I'm Dodge."

[justsookie]

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, because it seemed like the only thing to do. Because it didn't feel like she had very many other options. She needed to calm the hammering of her heart, needed to remind herself of the advice that so many other people had given her on the island. Advice that said, don't pry. Don't poke your nose where it might not belong. And, for all that she wanted to justify each and every time she did, wanted to display the learnings she'd made for everyone to see, she knew that on some level, they were right.

Sookie Stackhouse was just too nosy.

So she smiled, blinking her eyes open again, hating for how she kept on running each little detail against memories of Mitchell, like it'd be enough. Willed herself instead to focus on the man in front of her. "I'm Sookie," she nodded. "Sookie Stackhouse. And, ah. So how about we get to those muffins?"

[raw_youth]

"Sookie. I've heard your name before," he said. He wasn't the king of paying attention but some things stood out. He just couldn't think of where or why he'd heard her name.

"And you've gotta be the only Sookie here, right? I don't think I've heard that name in my life until I got here."

Now it was going to bug him. It wasn't through Lily or Alexis. It wasn't through Chris. Neil maybe? Or Anthony? It was going to eat him alive until he figured out why he knew of her. It was all he could think of as he pulled the cookbook closer.

[justsookie]

"I'm pretty sure I'm the only Sookie on the island, yeah," Sookie grinned, nodding as she turned to lean against the counter contemplatively. Being fairly active in a few spheres, but not having really seen Dodge other than as passerby, it was fairly difficult for her to determine where he might have heard her name passed around. "I'm on the island Council right now, if that means anything, and uh... I'm a waitress at the Winchester. I think those are the two big things that I do right now, really, but I know some pretty social people who, I guess, might have talked about me now and again."

With a small shrug, she pulled over the cookbook, laying it out for both of them to peruse. "Should we start at the top?"

[raw_youth]

"Oh yeah. I've seen you at the Winchester," he said, pieces falling into place. He wasn't sure if that was where he'd heard her name but that was totally why he recognized her face. It was kind of a miracle he could put that much together given how often he was stoned off his ass when he made his way to Neil's place.

"Okay, so, yeah, anyway. At the top. I've already got the oven on so...flour?"

As much as he hated to accept help- he'd wanted to do this for Miss Shirley on his own so fuckin' bad- it was probably a hell of a lot smarter to get someone who knew what the fuck they were doing by his side.