(Untitled)

[willimprovise]

Sam had actually considered the speed dating thing, for all of about thirty seconds before he decided that he just didn't care enough to put forth the effort it would almost certainly require. Yes, it would have been nice to meet some attractive girls, but he had plenty of friends fitting the same criteria, and anyway, dating had never much been

Comments

[bloggedabout]

This was not something that she had signed up for. Erica had seen the announcement asking for sign ups and had even gone so far to briefly consider signing up. It would have been a good way to meet people, if nothing else. In the end she had decided to give this time a pass. It wasn't the fault of anyone really, it was just that the timing felt a little off.

Her appearance at the Hub tonight was an accident. It had slipped her mind that it was going to be occupied and so she'd decided to just check it out for something to do. The sight of speed dating in full swing had made her reconsider this. She was in the middle of deciding if she should stay or go when she heard a familiar voice. Turning to look at him, a blush crept up her cheeks as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't. "Oh God, no. I considered it, but decided to hold onto my temporary insanity card for a little while longer," she laughed as she surveyed the scene. "Why? Did you?"

[willimprovise]

"God, no," Sam laughed, shaking his head. That she had also considered it made him feel a little better about having done so (though there was an odd sense of relief that came with the fact that she'd decided against it), but that didn't make him any more inclined to admit to it. It just meant he wasn't about to tease her for it; he wasn't that much of a hypocrite. "Not... really my scene. Kind of fun to watch, though, the way they all run around switching seats." Of course, it had impeded his plans in coming here, but that was all the more reason to take something out of having walked all this way. They practically set themselves up for it, making a spectacle like this.

[bloggedabout]

Speed dating would not have been the end of the world. It would not have even been the most embarrassing that she had done when it came to guys. No, that title was held by a very brief streaking scene during a party her junior year of high school. There was something to be said about only wearing a New Year's hat and a hell of a lot of glitter. That something was that it was never to be repeated or spoken of again.

"Yeah, it is." Erica laughed, a mix of wonder and confusion on her face as she watched the swap. "It's like musical chairs for adults, with the promise of sex and alcohol afterward for the lucky few."

[willimprovise]

"And no one really needs speed dating for that, anyway," Sam pointed out, head tipping to the side, one eyebrow arching slightly. He certainly never had - sex and alcohol were two of his favorite things, in fact, though he'd never cared enough to overindulge in either, and the former often held too many complications - and he doubted that Erica would have, either. She was pretty and smart and good company, and anyone who didn't see that was probably crazy. "I'll take my sex and alcohol minus the swapping chairs every five minutes, thanks."

[bloggedabout]

"They really don't." Erica laughed as she nodded in agreement. To get there, that probably just required a couple of shots and to be asked. It was a weird place to go to when in conversation with a guy that if he asked, she wouldn't refuse. Then again, it would likely end in awkwardness and ruin their friendship. That didn't stop her from thinking about him like that every now and then.

"Who wouldn't? Though I was awesome at musical chairs." Another shrug as she glanced at him. "Do we risk going in there? Or should we find someplace else?"

[willimprovise]

"I'm not walking in there," Sam said with a short laugh, shaking his head as he held his hands up in a show of mock-defensiveness. There really was nothing to be gained by it; the place was fairly packed, more so than usual, and he doubted that the crowd was about to disperse anytime soon. The dates themselves might have only been a few minutes, but there were still a lot of people there. Besides, for all he knew, they'd wind up swept into the whole thing, and he didn't want that, not where Erica was concerned. "Come on, let's go get a drink elsewhere. You, me, the Winchester - what do you say?"

[bloggedabout]

"Oh thank god," Erica breathed, her shoulders relaxing slightly as he said that. She hadn't wanted to be the one to suggest that they go elsewhere and avoid this whole thing. It was one thing to be in there and be participating in it. Watching it seemed just a little bit creepy.

Smiling as she nodded, she took a step back away from the doorway and the crowd. "The Winchester sounds amazing. Nice and safely away from any fallout or joining tendencies."

[willimprovise]

"Probably be a little emptier than usual, too, with the crowd here," Sam said, head tipping in the direction of the Hub even as he started down the path, glancing expectantly at Erica. All things considered, the speed dating thing probably didn't involve that many people, but it was enough that the density of the crowd gathered made the place look packed. He doubted the same would be true of the Winchester, which would be nice. The two of them could have something like quiet. "And definitely safer."

[bloggedabout]

"Probably." It was worth taking a look. There were plenty of things that could be distracting there, like darts or a card game or even fries. The Hub might be more centrally located, but Erica was not going to knock a chance for fries. It would be quieter there, a chance to drink and talk without having to talk over anyone. It could be kind of nice.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she asked the corners of her mouth twisting up into a full smile. Taking another few steps towards the Winchester, she stopped and looked at him. "I'd offer to race you, but somehow running and beer sounds like a terrible plan."

[willimprovise]

"It is a terrible plan. Trust me, I know from experience," Sam assured her, mouth set in a tight smile. Mostly, he was teasing - he'd never seen a problem in combining anything with beer, though he knew plenty of people who would have argued otherwise - but running seemed unnecessary anyway. If they raced, they wouldn't be able to talk, and while he wasn't exactly verbose, he did enjoy her company more than most people's. "Besides, I'd either kick your ass or have to let you win, and I don't think either of us would be happy with either option."

[bloggedabout]

"Do you now?" Erica raised an eyebrow, both curious as to how exactly he would know and whether that was the full reason behind it. The idea that he would beat her, made her laugh loudly and openly before sticking out her tongue at him. It was childish and teasing, but it was kind of fun adding a bit of lightheartedness that was always needed.

"I could win on my own. You don't know, maybe I was a track champion. Maybe I would have to let you win."

[willimprovise]

"I'm like a foot taller than you," Sam pointed out, laughing. In a way, joking like this felt almost like they were kids in some playground game, except he'd never socialized much with other kids, save in the few brief years before everything turned on its head. He still didn't think he'd been missing out on anything, but with Erica, it was a little easier to relax, to fuck around in a way that wasn't an avoidance technique (not that he would ever admit to it being one). "Even if you were a track champion, I'd still have longer legs. Besides, how do you know I wasn't a track champion?"

He had, in fact, ran track while in school, and been pretty damn good at it, though never as part of a team. They'd always had a problem with that, which he happened to think was really stupid.

[bloggedabout]

Laughing brightly, she shrugged. He definitely had her when it came to the height thing. Throw in the fact that track hadn't been her sport of choice in high school (that would have been soccer) and she knew that she was probably beat. "True," she admitted with a slight nod before starting to walk again. "I guess we'll never really know."

The smile was still on her face as she adopted a falsely serious tone, trying very hard not to laugh as she looked at him. "Congrats, you've just destroyed my evil plans to watch you walk away. Damn."

[willimprovise]

"You would've done no such thing," Sam said, mock-offended, though it was difficult to seem anything other than amused, given the circumstances. All things considered, it wouldn't have actually been too surprising if she did - that was people, and the way they worked - but the mood made it easy to play along and not worry about the dangers of really starting to care about someone. Erica had seen him at his worst and she was still here. That counted for something. It counted for a lot, in fact, even if he had no intention of ever breaching the subject again himself. "Come on, no racing. Let's just walk, that way we both get to keep our dignity."

[bloggedabout]

"Okay, probably not. But again, we'll never know." The smile that had been threatening to escape bloomed fully as she started fall into step with him. Erica had seen Sam when he had been upset and alone. It might be awkward now that they were adults, but she couldn't forget that even if she didn't bring it up. She couldn't leave him now. They were friends and that counted for something.

"Sounds like a good plan. Walking, dignity, rewards for all. Like being on a little kid's soccer team."

[willimprovise]

"Things I have no experience with," Sam laughed, rolling his eyes. There hadn't been that much stopping him when he was really little, but he remembered better the years that came after anyway, and in that time, he'd always avoided team sports. He worked better on his own (with one exception, of course, but that promise of being on the same team followed by two decades' absence sort of made that not count, even if it had at the end). "The soccer teams, that is. Walking and dignity and rewards, I'm pretty sure all of that is normal."