(Untitled)

[notanoptimist]

Eventually, the Eden Team gets the car going, by the grace of Sokka's brilliance alone.

(Granted, he's not entirely sure what was wrong with the car still, as it had started up while he was busy kicking and cursing at the damn thing to just start already! ...but no one else needs to know that

Comments

[i_spoiled_it]

Steph snorts, eyes on the road, at one of those glances. She genuinely is a safe driver; they're going slowly even when she's obviously itching to put her foot down and just get there, navigating potholes and cracks in the road with care.

"You know, Socks, not only have I been driving safely since I was fifteen, but I've also never lost someone out of the back of the car."

Beat.

"Or out of the front." She flashes him a quick grin. "Except when we were vigilante-ing and they wanted out, but that doesn't count."

[i_spoiled_it]

Steph nods, turning serious with the conversation, looking out at the grey destruction around them.

"Yeah. I'll be heaps less worried if I can just find out for sure whether they're here or whether -- whatever, y'know. I just have to know for sure."

She wrinkles up her nose at him, giving him a grin. "I really hope it's not. It's kind of getting to me. I'm getting twitchy."

[notanoptimist]

"You were already twitchy," Sokka informs her, sitting up a bit to inspect the sparking lights from an old fast food sign. "Like a big, blonde rabaroo in purple spandex."

[i_spoiled_it]

"Involuntary muscle spasms," Steph says, nodding. One hand twitches to show him.

Slap.

"See? Twitch twitch."

[notanoptimist]

He catches her wrist before her fingers have done much more than brush the back of his head, looking over at her with an arched brow.

It doesn't stand a chance against his grin and very-manly-giggles.

"Brat."

[i_spoiled_it]

"You love me." She grins, watching the road while she twists her hand to flick at his head. "You need someone to keep that massive ego down."

[notanoptimist]

"Funny, I thought that was what my super-powered sister and fire-breathing nieces were for," Sokka guesses, releasing her hand to flick at her hair, careful not to let it cover her eyes.

[i_spoiled_it]

"Obviously they're not doing a good enough job," Steph points out, smirking. "Sorry, you'll just have to put up with me as well."

[notanoptimist]

"Woe is me," Sokka replies, sarcastic as he rolls his eyes. As if they didn't spend every spare moment together in Eden anyway.

He doesn't seem to understand that this sarcasm could be taken in any other way than that.

[i_spoiled_it]

Steph lifts an eyebrow at him. "Hey, you don't have to come," she says, suddenly serious again. Just in case he meant that. "I mean it. My mom's pretty much ... well, she's ... sick."

Junkie.

"And Dad ... honestly, I don't even wanna look for him. He can look after himself. He's good at that.

"You and Mel, I'm totally okay with you guys -- like, I dunno, you can just cruise around and do whatever you want, you don't have to come with at all."

[notanoptimist]

A beat passes where Sokka's confused half-smile is focused on the dashboard. Directly afterward, it's focused on Steph.

"...did the fact that we decided to come with you just totally fly over your head or is this your brainsickness attacking again? It's not contagious, is it? These are tight quarters and if it gets airborne..."

[i_spoiled_it]

"Yeah, but I made you come, jerk," Steph points out. "'Cos I need someone around to remind me just how brainsick I'm not in comparison, don't I?"

But she's honestly relieved - obviously it's been on her mind. Sometimes she just has to be told a few times, Steph does. She's not used to people who'll do things for her without first being pleaded with. She'd figured they probably just hadn't thought about it, and they'd change their mind when they did.

Sokka gets her widest brilliant smile.

[notanoptimist]

It's impressive! Sokka obviously thinks so because his first-response smartass remark pauses in favor of smirking at Steph and choosing a nicer one.

"I hate to break this to you, Steph, but you aren't nearly as demanding or evil as you think you are. There's not a whole lot anyone can make Mel do, and I like to pretend like I'm not too far from that, too."

They came because they wanted to. Nothing more or less.

[i_spoiled_it]

Steph grins at him. "One day, when I'm a real boy, I'll totally be evil, and then you'll be sorry."

The Pinocchio reference probably goes straight over his head. She forgets.

"I guess I'll just have to put up with it till then."

[notanoptimist]

From the funny dance Sokka's eyebrows are doing and the short and highly embarrassing (for him) glance he gives her body, she should be able to remember fairly quickly.

Even without the commentary.

"So... Robin has more secrets than just his name? Gotta say, at least this one is kind of interesting."

If fairly disturbing, from Sokka's expression.

[i_spoiled_it]

Steph blinks at him for a moment, confused as to why he's looking at her and vaguely irritated at the mention of Robin (he's a distressing topic!) -- and then realises and laughs, hard enough that she has to slow the car to a halt.

"I'm just full of surprises," she tells him once she has her breath back, giggling still. "But that's not one of them, I promise. It's a movie, in our world."