theattic | THE FLUFF CORNER

The day Meranda met Margret Hutch would be a day. A Day. But not this day.

She fought against Maurice and laughed lightly at his dismay until her side hit the edge of the window. Sucking in a sharp gasp she retreated, clutching her side. In her excitement she'd forgotten all about the injury. Maurice immediately felt guilty.

"There's not a whole lotta room in here..." But it was raining. And she was hurt. "Hanna, can you scoot over this way a little?"

Understanding, Meranda went around to the other side of the truck. Ow. Ow ow ow. The wind had been knocked out her sails for the moment but it wouldn't stay gone for long. "Yoa a saint."

"Now what th' hell is this about a...a BET?"

Once she was safe inside, Meranda flashed Hanna an awkward little 'I just met you and this is crazy. So you're his boyfriend? This truck is really cramped' smile. Meranda always showed her teeth whetehr she was talking, smiling, or frowning. "Are you a human?"

"MERANDA."

"Oh Kay FINE." She slammed her hands on the dash. "You know, uh, oh, what's her name? Brace Face?"

"Hailey," Maurice growled. He liked his adoptive little sister very much thank you.

"Yeah, whatever, so's she noticed you were all different too, like I did. How you'd knock shit over or forget to eat or sit in the garage for hours and just stare into space and siiiigh." She paused to look at Hanna again. She snorted. "She was convinced you'd found somebody. I just thought you were being consumed by the crushing realization that our world contains starfish-shaped horror terrors but that sure showed me."

As she spoke, her voice grew thinner because she was saying it all on the same breath. She wasn't used to being nervous. Why was she nervous? What did this change? Oh that...that well Maurice was her only friend and now he had A Somebody. Was he going to go away?

Maurice just blinked at her. "Oh...well. Good job Hailey."

"SO." Meranda tried to give Hanna more room. She really did. She wished she could stop smiling like an idiot, her jaws hurt along with her ribs.

Hanna, who was a little out of the loop looked rather concerned, gathering up their dinner and the tray and making more room, even while the evidence of casa de la cabby was all over the floor. The tea light went on the dash and he folded up the tray, leaning into Maurice because he felt like she needed more room, but. God he was so tiny, it was hard to make himself even smaller.

He listened though, not sure who Hailey was, but he grinned like a demon when she asked if he were human, laughing at Maurice's protest. It wasn't offensive to him, just so long as the term 'monster' didn't start getting thrown around. He still had to work on that with Maurice... but the more she talked the more he realized that Meranda was retelling a story of Maurice missing him and showing visible signs of it. Oh. Huh.

He smiled to himself like a fucking dork. That was really cute.

In any case, with all that settled, Hanna offered her a hand, even though half his mind was still on that sandwich. He had worked today and forgotten to feed himself during his shift. "So," He starts, right after her, "Nice to meet you. I'm Hanna Cross." A pause, considering Maurice, "new resident paranormal investigator and runeist."

She took his hand and squeezed it far harder than was necessary because a girl has to show who's boss. It hurt too. She'd been a pitcher once upon a time. "Meranda Leeds. Ex cop, professional badass."

Maurice rolled his eyes. They both know she had never really made it to being a cop. But that was a story for another time.

"Funny...so you're a paranormal investigator? Isn't that like an pest guy falling in love with a rat?"

"MERANDA."

"Or a mosquito? I guess you'd be a mosquito."

He laughed, while wincing, it was half pained, half amused because Jesus that girl had a grip! "It's totally okay, you don't have to crush my drawing hand to prove something. I know I'm a twig and you could probably kick my ass."

But, after shaking out his hand, making sure it was fine, he stopped, blinked and then snorted. "Oh my god, no. Like. I'm not an exterminator. I investigate and do damage control. Mostly like, relocations or negotiations. Unless it's really malicious and Maurice isn't an asshole, so no worries there."

He looks at Maurice, smiles and opens his mouth again after his praise, "He'd be more like a puppy. Or kitten."

Meranda barked out a honk-like laugh. Good, good, this one knew his place.

"That's good. I'd have to kill you otherwise. Y'see, we've been having a problem with do-gooders around here." She wrapped her arm around her injured side to illustrate.

"That's enough." Maurice all but dragged Hanna into his lap to get him away from her. "And I am not a kitten! I am a ruthless terror of the night and should be feared by everybody in this dead dog town!"

"Ahuh." Her smirk died away as she looked around the cab. Sympathy bloomed across her face. Or maybe it was plain old pity. "Wow...is...this town really so bad that you have to date in your truck?"

Meranda was from Chicago. She'd only been living here for a few months.

"Well I have a problem when trouble makers, but I'm not the best at being the do-gooder so maybe it won't be so bad." Hanna was sure he could do some good around here. He hadn't fucked things up back home so badly anyways, and there seemed to be quite a bit of activity in the area.

He kind of squeaked when Maurice pulled him away though, eyes wide in surprise before he settled, looking up and back at Maurice, unable to help his grin, "He who makes the best mashed potatoes and is afraid of spiders, a real terror indeed."

Though, his smile kind of died when she looked around, unable to help the mild worry spread across her face. Don't notice. Don't notice how pathetic this is, please Meranda. "Uh...It's not the east coast, that's for sure?" He supplied, not answering the question straight forward. He'd let Maurice deal with that.

It was sort of adorable the way her friend, this big hulking vampire, was clinging to this guy like he was a sock monkey. He actually sort of looked like a sock monkey come to think of it. But...hmm. She hadn't heard a peep about Hanna before the incident with the Moon Bodies. And now here he was. They sure were close for a couple who'd only been together a short time.

But maybe Maurice was secretive. He'd managed to keep BEING A WALKING COPRS a secret from her since fucking July.

"Wow, you're a long way from home, huh? Why Texas? Why this place?"

Meranda asked the important questions.

"Meranda, it is a laawwwng story...and what are you doing out here? You're ribs are freakin' busted."

"Returning something to King's Reel." She shrugged. "No satellite, remember?"

"That's the kind of story that needs like a twenty-four pack of beer to tell to make it believable," He adds, glancing out the window at the rain. At least that made him feel more like he was at home. Rain. Though the humidity he's sure would come tomorrow was not going to be fun. "But to make a long story short I've known Maury a while without knowing him a while and I'm here cause he's here." He shrugged, "Magic words in weird ass ways sometimes."

And she won't get another word out of him unless he's got that twenty-four pack.

"What's King's Reel?"

"It's like a...shitty Blockbuster," she said, trying her best to digest Hanna's explanation.

"YOU aren't getting anything outside of a wine cooler after your little stunt!" Maurice pinched Hanna's ear. "Mister Oh I'll Just Hex the Second Strongest Vampire in Town!"

"Wo-hoa, what? You don't mean that bitch that threw you on the street?"

"Nah, Horas." Maurice rested his chin on top of Hanna's head and sighed. "Charlie doesn't know. "There were still so many souls to meet Hanna. He never imagined fitting this wonky little puzzle piece into his life would be so complicated.

"Well four for you, Magic Man." She saluted him. "That guy's a creep with a capitol C...God you two are cute. I still can't believe it! Right unda my nose this whole time!"

"Merandaaaaaa." Maurice buried his face in Hanna's hair.

"Huh. Sounds like one. Like those creepy adult video stores or something." Though, still in Maurice's lap, he whines 'ow ow ow' as his ear is pinched, squirming a little and smacking Maurice's hand away. "He was asking about it! And I didn't hex him, I gave him the best high of his life, i'm sure, so. He can't complain!"

Hanna kind of winked in response, unsure how to take the compliment because girls. They were still hard to talk to, but he smiled, shrugging and leans into Maurice comfortably. "A lot can happen in weird space and time, but seriously, that's a whole 'nother fucking story." His stomach grumbles though and he'll be reaching for that sandwich now, taking a bite and nodding towards her, "Anyways, don't you work for the same place Maurice does?"

"Hanna, he's gonna tell Charlie about you. We can't just play Oregon Trail forever!"

"Oregon Trail...?" Meranda lifted a brow. She was about to ask if that was some kind of weird private time thing they did but then it hit her. The car. The state of both of them. Hiding in the dark with sandwiches and a fake tea candle. "Maurice Hutch," she began slowly. "Are you dumbasses LIVING IN THIS TRUCK?"

"Who the hell is Charlie?" Hanna asked, and then Maurice opened his god damn mouth. And it had been going so good too.

Taking a rather large bite of his sandwich, Hanna chewed slowly. Maybe if his mouth was full he wouldn't be forced to blurt out answers and get berated. "Nnnophpuh." He responds with a mouthful. He was bad at lying like this, even if he was good at the other kind, so. Full mouth lying it was.

Maurice couldn't answer. He was busy lifting his arm and trying to defend himself and Hanna from the sheer TIDAL WAVE of anger crashing down on them.

"Maurice, how long have--you said your situation was 'up in the air'! This isn't 'up in the air' this is 'in a dark alley sitting like a couple of ducks waiting for that creepy firefighter to show up'! Or worse!"

She reached into the floorboards and grabbed up a fistful of their garbage before throwing it at both of them.

"Why didn't you tell me! We KILLED MONSTERS TOGETHER! You're my best friend!" All the shouting irritated her injury but she didn't stop throwing stuff at them. Markers, empty drink cups, a shoe. Who's shoe? It was a mystery. "And YOU!" She pointed at Hanna. "You just LET HIM!"

Hanna's yelp of surprise was a lot more alarmed than when Maurice had scooped him up. He shielded his face yelling 'no, no no!' and yanno, a combination of 'ahhhhh's. but.

When the anger is turned on him, he peaks behind fingers, afraid of this woman's wrath. How come all the ladies he's ever met could turn into a pile of frightening rage at a moments notice? It wasn't fair. "W-what was I supposed to do! I just got a job like, three weeks ago! I couldn't pay any bills! He's been making sure I eat and that's what we could afford!"

Said ginger kind of sucks in a breath, unsure, not really knowing what she'd do if he attempted more defense, but hell if he was going to let her get angry at Maurice. It really wasn't his fault. Well if kind of was, but...what else was a dude to do?

"I literally show up out of nowhere and he introduces me to his mom and we think his family is going to kill me. It's alright, it's cool but you don't ask a lady like that if you and your boyfriend can sleep on the couch for a few weeks, man. And I don't know anyone. I'm not even from this dimension!" Hanna groans, the terrified feeling melting into frustration, "I work a shitty job where people know i'm some kind of queer and no one is responding to my business cards. They probably think I'm fucking crazy, and to be completely honest, this truck is nicer than my apartment back home. It's got bigger windows and the ceiling doesn't leak." He huffs, sitting up a little more, sitting so Maurice is practically blocked from view, which is impressive, even if Hanna all puffed up isn't quite so intimidating.

"So. Pathetic as we are, it's fine. And who wants to tell their friend they have a shitty living situation anyways? It's fine. We're fine. So stop throwing shoes at people and w-well!" He kind of lost his thunder there, "Uh. forgive him or something."

Edited 2015-05-22 04:48 (UTC)

When Hanna rose to her challenge, Meranda set her teeth and let him talk. Good. She was getting answers. Maurice couldn't help but be impressed. Hanna hadn't put himself between Maurice and CERTAIN DEATH since the spiders. However, they weren't answers that she liked and as Hanna's wind left his sails, hers just billowed.

"No, it is NOT fine!" She took her hand off her side so she could make TWO little angry fists. "I don't care if you're from NARNIA, you idiots can't keep living like this!" She put her fingers to her temple and let out a few slow huffs. Practiced calming exercise? Possibly. "Whatever. It's settled. Maurice, we're going to my house."

"What?" Maurice sat up then, nearly dumping Hanna out of his lap. "What, no, we can't! Your-- I mean with your--he--"

"Yeah, I know, Dad's dead. The house is empty." Meranda caught herself. She'd nearly hiccuped as suddenly saying it out loud after everything she'd been through made it more final than the cremation ceremony. Than the battle in the underground. Than boxing up his things with the only person who'd kept her sane during it all. "The house...has a spare room now." She peeled a receipt off the dash that was stuck there with mustard.

Hanna's saliva caught in his throat and he almost choked. The sentence gets him in ways that most things don't. He doesn't deal well with peoples parents. He doesn't deal well with the mention of their death either and he doesn't want to recoil because that's rude but any sort of condolences can't come out of his closed throat.

He's just quiet and can't make any eye contact.

For a little while, the only sound in the cab came from the rain drumming on the roof. Meranda's mouth had become a grim, wobbly line and she slowly changed her gaze to somewhere around her knees.

This was sudden. Maurice couldn't imagine what she was feeling...but what she'd said was true. He should have told her. She was his friend. It had taken him a long time to accept people that could be truly, truly concerned about him. Even love him. Exhibit A being in his lap.

"Are...are you sure you're okay with that?" Maurice finally ventured.

Meranda put her game face back on and looked him in the eye. She'd been thinking of how long he must have been hiding in that smelly vampire basement.She'd lived in some holes too once she escaped her mother, but she'd never had to support anybody but herself and her cat. But never her car.

"You saved my life, Maurice."

"You saved mine first!"

"That's not the point!" She lifted her hands. "This isn't a contest. Look, I wouldn'ta offered if I wasn't serious. You're my friend, I care about you, I want you to be okay." She glanced to Hanna, going red in the face again. He must think she's a crazy person.

Maurice opened and closed his mouth a few times before leaning around and looking down at his boyfriend. "Uuuuuh. What d'you think?"

Hanna listened, swallowing and slowly regaining his ability to speak. He had heard conversations like this, had had them himself with his own friends, had argued against help, had tried to keep them from helping him, but...it wasn't just him any more. It was both of them, and if it helped him not worry about Maurice burning in the daylight while he slept in the cab, then it was okay with him.

"When I first met my Zombie partner back home I let him live in my house the day I hired him..." Hanna glances at Meranda, tries for a smile even though he feels more dead inside than he actually is. "If you're offering, I can't say no. That and then I don't have to worry about Maury burning."

"Zombie?" Meranda lifted a brow. But then she snorted. "Maury? That is cute."

"Why do people keep SAYIN' that? It's just--it's just a name!" Maurice turned purple and ran his hand across his face.

The Chicago girl just shook her head and looked out at the rainy streets. "I can't have my friend catching on fire when I can stop it. Rent won't be so much of a pain. We'll be saving each others' asses. Collective ass saving. We'll start an ass bank."

It always makes him smile a little when he can get the vampire to turn funny colors. "I've got more, just wait." Though, his smile turns more into a grin, a genuine one as she continues talking.

"Sorry but my ass can't contribute much. I mean, you haven't seen me from behind yet but it's kind of not there. It's like, an innie, I fucking swear."

"It kind of is," Maurice admitted. "But we over look that, don't we?" He bounced Hanna on his knee a couple of times and gave him a grin.

In her weariness and still reeling from shock and the sheer magnitude of the way her life was about to change, Meranda let out a few breathy laughs. "You can start by driving your new landlord back to the rental parking lot so she can get in her car. You remember the way?"

Maurice nodded. He didn't remember when he started to grin, but now he couldn't stop. "Yeah." He'd gone a couple of times to help her clean out the trailer. "See you in a bit? We kinda got--we got a thing to finish."

"Wh--oh! OH! Right! Ahaha. Excuse me. I'll show myself out. I think I can find the door." She blindly reached behind her and managed to open it. A few awkward, rushed waves later, she was gone.

Maurice stared dead ahead and quietly put his hands on the wheel.

"Sweet Potato, did that just happen? Will you pinch me?"

When Meranda disappeared, Hanna looked at Maurice, watching him, taking it all in himself.

He had never met her, but he liked her, even if she was more rough than most. She almost reminded him of Conrad, just less rough and outwardly caring. She didn't mind if you knew she was trying to help it seemed.

He leans forward, wordlessly and pinches Maurice's side hard, just because he knows it'll get a reaction, relieve some of that tension, that disbelief and asks, "I dunno, you still with me?"

Almost as soon as the request left his mouth, he forgot about it. So the pinch surprised him and he let out a holler. "A-OWH! You didn't have to do it so hard!"

He pouted his big red eyes at Hanna. Then he grabbed his stupid little face up in his hands and brought it to his lips.

Hanna laughed, though it was cut short by the kiss, unable to do much but sit there a moment before he started, much more gently, pinching his sides again. Almost reminisce of tickling, but a little more pinchy. He was laughing against Maurice's mouth.

"But I wanted to. I still want to!"

Maurice started making sounds that were half squawk and half laugh as Hanna kept grabbing at his sides. They flirted and poked and prodded a plenty but every time he couldn't help but be thrilled that somebody wanted to touch him.

"Be-- be carefu-ul!" He didn't fight it but he did turn his face to one side while they were horsing around. "Watch your te-HEETH!"

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