[Video]

[mightbeconcussed]

[Lucy is making fried chicken when she turns the video on with sticky, flour covered fingers. She dredges a piece of chicken through egg wash and then rolls it in flour before dropping it in the deep fryer.]

I'm contemplating one of those trash chutes. You know the kind you put in the wall and it goes straight down to a big dumpster? I never want to see a trash bin again.

Mae, Stephen, are you guys okay?

Comments

[mightbeconcussed]

Protect you from the scary with my cricket bat.

[Okay he gets her knee and she goes down giggling and grabbing at him when she does.]

[captainfuckingmagic]

Thank... you?

[He had an older sister; plenty of practice at little brother tactics. He sort of flails in response to being grabbed at though. It's been a while.] You take that back.

[mightbeconcussed]

[She's going to attempt to tickle him now.] Nope! You like him. You think he's sexy. You have a man crush.

[At this point, she's just singing things to irritate him.]

[captainfuckingmagic]

[Nope, nope, nope. No tickling back. He just grabs both wrists and holds them down into the cushion as best as he can.]

Seriously how do I get you to stop saying these... These, lies. Total lies. You're like a bubbly little fountain of liedom.

[mightbeconcussed]

[Well now she's just going to wiggle and try to tickle his calves with her toes.]

You are totally protesting too much. Shakespeare says so. Besides, it's totally okay. I admitted my Alice crush.

[captainfuckingmagic]

[What the hell - weirdest tactic ever. He goes appropriately squirmy and probably loses his grip a bit.]

He was talking about Denver. It's totally different.

[mightbeconcussed]

[Hey, as long as it works. She's really not trying to squirm out away from him though, despite the fact that his grip has relaxed.]

Wait. What? America wasn't even a country when Shakespeare was writing stuff and I'm pretty sure that means Denver wasn't a city.

[Lucy, sweet girl. Not that bright.]

[captainfuckingmagic]

[See, now he stops moving entirely because he has to think about it.]

No, not Denver. I did this before. What did she say... Dover. Denver. Dennnn... mm... mm- Denmark! [Ha HAH! He lets go of one wrist to point down at her triumphantly.] Denmark.

[It's okay, I was surprised he actually got the play right. Either that or he just thinks all of Shakespeare's works are based out of Denver, Dover, or Detroit.]

[mightbeconcussed]

Oh! We like Denmark. They have a pretty prince.

[She's just sort of going to lay on the couch now and not move, totally comfortable. It's cozy and nice and he's warm.]

[captainfuckingmagic]

Do they? I thought he died.

[Because... Hamlet was the only prince they had. Harry.]

Don't answer that. I don't know what he looks like.

[mightbeconcussed]

I don't think so? He got married a few years ago and it was a whole thing. He's totally cute. Dark hair and eyes.

[Of course! She only knows because she followed the gossip rags. She pats the side of the couch.]

Come on. Snuggle. You're warm.

[captainfuckingmagic]

[He's still trying to place someone he has no chance of actually placing - he wouldn't have paid attention to the prince of Denmark getting married. He might have even be in jail when it happened. Who knows. Not Harry - when her second statement registers.]

What? Are you cold? I can get you a blanket, if you want. And... tell me where they are.

[mightbeconcussed]

[It's really not important enough for him to worry over. She shakes her head at his question.]

I'm dead. It's not like a cold that blankets actually fix. Oooh unless, blanket warmer. I should get one. Or an electric blanket maybe.

[captainfuckingmagic]

Oh, right. [Seriously, he always forgets that. I don't even know why. Neither does he.] So, no blankets. [But he sits where she patted.] What's a blanket warmer? I thought it and the other thing were the same thing?

[mightbeconcussed]

[Because most of the time she acts like she's alive? The whole eating and cooking and drinking and pretending to be a live girl thing. When he sits, she snuggles.]

Like the hospital has? Giant oven thing you put blankets in and let them heat up before you take them out all toeasty.

[captainfuckingmagic]

[Yeah okay see that's logical and probably the reason. When she snuggles, he freezes for a moment and then relaxes into it.]

That doesn't sound... What if you forget you put the blankets in there and you start a giant fire in the hospital? Shit, just shove 'em all in the dryer again for five minutes - they come out all warm from there.

[mightbeconcussed]

[She wouldn't embrace the dead girl lifestyle very well. It'd get her way too down and no one wants a depressed Lucy.She notices the freeze but gives it a few seconds to see if he warms up to it, and he does. She considers that, her head on his shoulder.]

Dryer works okay. I think the heaters are set at like a certain temperature? 101 or something and it probably takes an open flame or a really high setting to get the blankets to burst into flame.

[She shifts a little, the point of her chin resting on his shoulder for a second while she watches him.] You know what else works? Live boys. Girls too.

[captainfuckingmagic]

[A depressed Lucy is a very sad thing indeed. /rimshot]

Mmm. [He's considering that. Makes sense.] Yeah, I guess that wouldn't really be high enough, and a heater's not like a fire. Doesn't just keep getting hotter.

[He's mostly been looking ahead but he turns slightly toward her when she starts off with the question. And isn't totally sure what to do with her answer to it.] Yeah? I'm a blanket today, that what you're saying? Or a personal heater, I guess. Since I'm not... Blanketing.

[mightbeconcussed]

[kaching

She had next to no personal space before she died. Now that she's lacking a body temperature, she has absolutely none. At least if she's comfortable with someone and occasionally even if she's not.]

You are definitely a personal heater today. I'll be a personal cooler in the summer. Promise.

[captainfuckingmagic]

[He smiles] Yeah? Deal. I don't mind being a personal heater anyway. I think. Is like... Leaning on me? Is that warm enough?

[mightbeconcussed]

Yeah. I mean, it helps. It's not like I get really cold either. Just never really warm unless it's a hot summer day out. You know?

[She relaxes, giving him a very happy smile. There was some sort of apprehension there, whether he was going to allow the cuddling or shy away from it. Some people do. It seems too intimate to them. For Lucy, it's an outward sign of 'I like you and I'm comfortable with you']

[captainfuckingmagic]

Well I just meant. Like. If you're still cold, you can have more... surface area, or something. I don't know how to translate myself into a blanket from a personal heater.

[The happy smile helps him quite a bit as well, since he's been a little '......' about it too, but really, this isn't so bad, and he's usually on the hot side of things anyway, so, if it makes her feel better.]

[mightbeconcussed]

[She giggles a little at that.] Are you telling me I can just lay on you?

[She's taking that as permission and she'll wiggle a little more so that she's sort of half lying on him.]

[captainfuckingmagic]

[See he just feels all useful and stuff now. In a... weird sort of 'not actually doing anything and kind of aware of it', kind of way.]

Apparently. Comfy?

[mightbeconcussed]

[Excellent! She likes making people feel useful even if it is in 'not actually doing anything' sort of way.]

Yup. You make an excellent personal heater slash body pillow.