feel_human | saturday night and the moon is out

Tucked away off the road in Bon Temps, there's a road house. Warm light spills from its windows, and the sound of a jukebox playing drifts out into the muggy Louisiana night. The regular assortment of trucks and Hail-Mary-please-keep-this-lemon-goin'-just-a-little-longer cars sit in the dirt parking lot; what amounts to about half the town's small population... or, at least, of those of the 'drinking age and above' persuasion.

Inside, it's a bar of the type scattered all across the American South: homey, no-nonsense. Booths and tables. A man in a plaid flannel shirt wiping the bar; a crossdresser in the kitchen singing Gospel hymns and rolling his hips in time with the words just to scandalize the prep cook. A handful of waitresses, bustling about.

Sookie makes her way briskly through it all, a tray balanced on her palm and her eyes kept stubbornly front, as voices swarm around her. Aloud, and... less so.

...I’m just going to have one beer tonight Jesus one beer that’s all...

...better not gripe about me eating fries not after what I did for him last night...

...I cannot wait to get the hell out of this podunk town...

"Well, make sure you do, and before it’s too late," she responds, thoughtless, to the young man. "Because every year you wait? You just get more and more stuck here. Believe me, I know."

He stares at her. So do his parents.

So does the other table. And she realizes, too little too late, that he hadn't said that out loud, not at all. She laughs, uncomfortable. "I’ll get y'all some ketchup," she says, brightly, and flees, ponytail swinging against the nape of her neck as she goes.

Stupid, Sookie, she chides herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

gavemea_45

He lets her hold on to him and looks down at her. She's frail with age, but not fragile, and has a deep strength to her - she must, for how well she's taking the shock. He can't help but admire her for it.

"I will," he says, earnestly.

From:

feel_human

She reaches up to pat his cheek lightly, then smiles and releases him. "Go on, then," she tells him, as she goes into her bedroom. "I'll be down again in a little while."

From:

gavemea_45

"Yes, ma'am." He waits for a second, then retreats down the hall to the floor below and finds Sookie with the laundry. Sam raises his eyebrows and blows out a breath.

"She took it okay, I think?"

From:

feel_human

"One benefit of raisin' a telepath, I guess."

She finishes ironing another pillowcase and folds it crisply, then stacks it with the others before setting one of her own light sundresses on the board. "Gives you kind of an open mind about things."

From:

gavemea_45

"Maybe." Sam watches her for a second, then shakes his head. "I'd offer to help," he says, a little rueful, "but I'd probably burn something."

From:

feel_human

Her mouth curves, faint but warm. "Don't worry about it."

She runs the iron over the top of the dress, then the skirt, then sets the clothing aside and sits the iron on its rest before she looks up at him. "I'm sorry Sam," she says, apologetic. "I just don't think I'm gonna be able to get away this afternoon after all, not if I want Gran to get some rest."

Edited Date: 2022-09-25 02:33 am (UTC)

From:

gavemea_45

"I kinda figured." He smiles, just a little. "That just means we have something to look forward to, right?"

From:

feel_human

Her cheeks warm and she gives the ironing board a pleased smile. "Uh-huh."

She chances a glance over at him. "And I'm off work tomorrow."

From:

gavemea_45

"Oh?" His smile warms. "Maybe we could move today's plans to tomorrow, then. Unless there's something else you'd like to do."

From:

feel_human

"Not a thing," she promises, pink and pleased. "I can't imagine a nicer way to spend my time off."

Or – well – she can think of a few ways, but she tries to shove them down with as much determination as if he were the telepath.

From:

gavemea_45

He looks down, bashful, then back up at her, still smiling.

"So you don't mind, um, that your grandmother asked if we - if we were --"

From:

feel_human

"Um – " She can feel her blush all the way to her ears. "No, not for me – I mean – do you? Mind?"

She wets her lips and meets his glance. "I told you I don't – very much – so she gets excited if it seems like I like somebody. I hope she didn't make you feel uncomfortable."

From:

gavemea_45

"She didn't," he says, hastily. "And I don't mind. Um - did you? Feel uncomfortable?"

From:

feel_human

"No," she says, despite her near-constant blush. "I think maybe she's gettin' ahead of herself, considerin' we haven't had a date yet, but..."

She shrugs one shoulder, casts a shy glance at him through her lashes. "I like you. I liked you when I came to get your order, and I like you just as much now."

From:

gavemea_45

He takes a step closer, and reaches out to tangle his fingers with hers.

"I like you too. Just so you know."

From:

feel_human

Why? wants to come to her lips, but she doesn't let it, just twines her fingers with his and looks up into his face. "Okay," she says, soft and smiling.

"Then I guess... that's settled."

From:

gavemea_45

His gaze drops to her mouth for a long moment as he brushes his thumb lightly over the side of her hand.

"Mm-hm."

From:

feel_human

Her heart thuds against her ribs as his glance drops, and the brush of his thoughts makes her cheeks pinker than ever.

"But you were gonna take me out today," she points out, her breath coming quick and shallow. "And if you had, I guess... it would have been ending right about now, right?"

From:

gavemea_45

"Mm-hm," he says again, more intently than before. She'd answered what he was thinking - and she hadn't rejected the idea.

Sam runs one hand up her arm to her shoulder and leans down a little, giving her the chance to stop him before he goes further.

From:

feel_human

A thrill skitters over her skin from the hand he runs up her bare arm, and her breath comes quick as her dark-eyed glance drops to his mouth.

He's being so darn polite about it, but she's been wanting to kiss him again since that kiss broke last night and she's starting to get impatient, so she takes matters into her own hands. Reaching up, she curls her hand at the nape of his neck and pulls him down as she pushes up onto her tiptoes to meet his mouth with her own.

From:

gavemea_45

His other arm goes around her, pulling her tight against him. Sam runs his hand from her shoulder up into her hair and angles her head as he kisses her back, deep and sweet and seeking.

From:

feel_human

His hand runs up into her hair and his fingers get caught in her braid, and she has just about enough presence of mind left to reach up with her free hand to tug the elastic out of the end of her braid so the waves of her hair spill down over the back of her neck and shoulders.

Where the elastic goes, she has no idea. She's too busy putting her arms around his neck and kissing him back, breathless and wanting.

From:

gavemea_45

She does something and her hair falls free, skimming over his wrist like silk. Sam groans deep in his chest and kisses her again. She's beautiful and sweet and warm in his arms and against him, and he doesn't want to stop kissing her.

From:

feel_human

The sound he makes hits her like a bullet. His thoughts are as hazy with want as hers are, and his arm feels so nice around her, tucking her against him so tightly. "Don't," she breathes, in response to the single thought that made it through in words. "Don't stop."

From:

gavemea_45

"I won't." He kisses her again, tilting her head back a little to deepen the next kiss, and pulls her flush against his body as he crowds her back against the wall.