Carrot Cake 23, Coffee 14: Bubbles
Title: Bubbles
Main Story: In The Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Carrot cake 23 (tub), coffee 14 (draw), malt (Summer Challenge: A character takes a bubble bath for the first time in years.).
Word Count: 847
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: "Look, I haven't had a bubble bath since I was ten and we had some room in the budget."
Notes: Silly pointless fluff.
The door slammed, and Olivia called, "Jake! Groceries!"
Jake put his book down, got up and poked his head into the front room. Olivia was taking her coat off by the front door, and a pile of bags sat on the kitchen counter, green reusables slumping over paper bags. "How the hell did you get all those home?"
"It took talent," she said, and held up a hand striped with red lines. "Bag handles hurt a bit, though. You forgot to go shopping last week, you unpack them."
"Got it." He detoured on his way to the counter to catch her hand and kiss the lines. "Any other atonement necessary?"
Olivia grabbed his chin and kissed him hard, then let go and said, innocently, "No, I'm good."
Jake laughed, and headed for the bags on the counter as she went into the bathroom, presumably to wash her face and hands.
Bread, milk, eggs, all of which they had been out of until this moment. Olivia's favorite cereal, his favorite tea, he stuck them in the proper spots and went back to the bags. From the looks of things, she'd practically cleaned out the grocery's fresh fruit section, which was good, because they were both prone to seasonal depression without it. Sugar, a chocolate bar, tampons, more shaving cream for him... and a bottle of bubble bath?
"Livvy?" he called.
She came back in, drying her hands on her skirt, and gave him an inquiring look. "Yeah?"
"Well, first, catch." He tossed the box of tampons underhand; she caught it, and tucked it under her arm. "Second, bubble bath?"
She flushed, a light pink tinge along the ridge of her cheekbones, and said, defensively, "Look, I haven't had a bubble bath since I was ten and we had some room in the budget."
"I'm not complaining," Jake said. "Just asking. What stopped you?"
The flush faded, and she shrugged. "About then my mother told me that only babies took bubble baths. You know how it is when you're ten, you want so badly to be a grownup, so I stopped."
Jake couldn't say he'd felt that way at ten himself, but he hadn't exactly been having a normal childhood at ten. He rubbed his thumb over his scar, absently. "Your mother warped your childhood in some pretty strange ways."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "You have no idea. Do you know, when I was seven or so and my friend's dog got run over, she told me that he had been squashed like a pancake and was never coming back? I cried for an hour."
Bitch. "Ouch," he said. "But your dad fixed that?"
"God only knows how, but yeah. He got me to stop crying, anyway." Olivia smiled, rather wistfully. "I wish I remembered how."
"Dad magic," he said, remembering his own father. "I think it's in the handbook they give you when your first kid is born."
"I want a look at it when we have kids," Olivia said, offhandedly, then turned back to the doorway and threw the tampons into the bathroom.
Just the thought of having kids with Olivia put a stupid grin on his face, but he got it under control by the time she turned around. "So, that's from ten to, what, fifteen, sixteen? There's a good ten years of not taking bubble baths unaccounted for."
She shrugged. "In high school I was too focused on getting away. In college I shared the bathroom and in my first couple of apartments I didn't have a bathtub. And then I just didn't think about it, until I passed it in the grocery and it was on sale. Now give it here, I want to take a bath." She held out one hand, imperiously.
Jake, who had just pictured Olivia naked and covered in bubbles, held the bottle away from her and said, "Hang on, I'm having a thought."
Olivia stared at him, then began to smile. "Oh, are you now."
"Yeah," he said, and grinned at her. "I'm thinking it's been a while since I had a bubble bath, too."
Olivia leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, hip cocked. "Is that so? How terrible for you."
"It's a crying shame," Jake agreed. "And, y'know, our water bill's kind of high this month. We should probably conserve water."
"That sounds sensible," she said. Her smile had changed-- it should probably be called a leer, now. "What did you have in mind?"
"Room in the tub for two?" he asked, and leered right back at her.
She put one hand up and tapped her lower lip. Deliberately-- that wasn't one of her habits. Jake adjusted his posture. "Mmm," she said, and looked him up and down. "I think so. If you're flexible."
"I can be flexible," he said. "Very flexible."
"Good," she said. "So can I."
"And don't I know it," Jake murmured.
She gave him another leer, then turned, with a flirty little twist of her hips. "I'll go draw the bath," she said. "You bring the bubbles."
"Yes ma'am," Jake said, and finished putting the groceries away in record time.
Main Story: In The Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Carrot cake 23 (tub), coffee 14 (draw), malt (Summer Challenge: A character takes a bubble bath for the first time in years.).
Word Count: 847
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: "Look, I haven't had a bubble bath since I was ten and we had some room in the budget."
Notes: Silly pointless fluff.
The door slammed, and Olivia called, "Jake! Groceries!"
Jake put his book down, got up and poked his head into the front room. Olivia was taking her coat off by the front door, and a pile of bags sat on the kitchen counter, green reusables slumping over paper bags. "How the hell did you get all those home?"
"It took talent," she said, and held up a hand striped with red lines. "Bag handles hurt a bit, though. You forgot to go shopping last week, you unpack them."
"Got it." He detoured on his way to the counter to catch her hand and kiss the lines. "Any other atonement necessary?"
Olivia grabbed his chin and kissed him hard, then let go and said, innocently, "No, I'm good."
Jake laughed, and headed for the bags on the counter as she went into the bathroom, presumably to wash her face and hands.
Bread, milk, eggs, all of which they had been out of until this moment. Olivia's favorite cereal, his favorite tea, he stuck them in the proper spots and went back to the bags. From the looks of things, she'd practically cleaned out the grocery's fresh fruit section, which was good, because they were both prone to seasonal depression without it. Sugar, a chocolate bar, tampons, more shaving cream for him... and a bottle of bubble bath?
"Livvy?" he called.
She came back in, drying her hands on her skirt, and gave him an inquiring look. "Yeah?"
"Well, first, catch." He tossed the box of tampons underhand; she caught it, and tucked it under her arm. "Second, bubble bath?"
She flushed, a light pink tinge along the ridge of her cheekbones, and said, defensively, "Look, I haven't had a bubble bath since I was ten and we had some room in the budget."
"I'm not complaining," Jake said. "Just asking. What stopped you?"
The flush faded, and she shrugged. "About then my mother told me that only babies took bubble baths. You know how it is when you're ten, you want so badly to be a grownup, so I stopped."
Jake couldn't say he'd felt that way at ten himself, but he hadn't exactly been having a normal childhood at ten. He rubbed his thumb over his scar, absently. "Your mother warped your childhood in some pretty strange ways."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "You have no idea. Do you know, when I was seven or so and my friend's dog got run over, she told me that he had been squashed like a pancake and was never coming back? I cried for an hour."
Bitch. "Ouch," he said. "But your dad fixed that?"
"God only knows how, but yeah. He got me to stop crying, anyway." Olivia smiled, rather wistfully. "I wish I remembered how."
"Dad magic," he said, remembering his own father. "I think it's in the handbook they give you when your first kid is born."
"I want a look at it when we have kids," Olivia said, offhandedly, then turned back to the doorway and threw the tampons into the bathroom.
Just the thought of having kids with Olivia put a stupid grin on his face, but he got it under control by the time she turned around. "So, that's from ten to, what, fifteen, sixteen? There's a good ten years of not taking bubble baths unaccounted for."
She shrugged. "In high school I was too focused on getting away. In college I shared the bathroom and in my first couple of apartments I didn't have a bathtub. And then I just didn't think about it, until I passed it in the grocery and it was on sale. Now give it here, I want to take a bath." She held out one hand, imperiously.
Jake, who had just pictured Olivia naked and covered in bubbles, held the bottle away from her and said, "Hang on, I'm having a thought."
Olivia stared at him, then began to smile. "Oh, are you now."
"Yeah," he said, and grinned at her. "I'm thinking it's been a while since I had a bubble bath, too."
Olivia leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, hip cocked. "Is that so? How terrible for you."
"It's a crying shame," Jake agreed. "And, y'know, our water bill's kind of high this month. We should probably conserve water."
"That sounds sensible," she said. Her smile had changed-- it should probably be called a leer, now. "What did you have in mind?"
"Room in the tub for two?" he asked, and leered right back at her.
She put one hand up and tapped her lower lip. Deliberately-- that wasn't one of her habits. Jake adjusted his posture. "Mmm," she said, and looked him up and down. "I think so. If you're flexible."
"I can be flexible," he said. "Very flexible."
"Good," she said. "So can I."
"And don't I know it," Jake murmured.
She gave him another leer, then turned, with a flirty little twist of her hips. "I'll go draw the bath," she said. "You bring the bubbles."
"Yes ma'am," Jake said, and finished putting the groceries away in record time.