Visiting post for Autor

[guppy_sandhu]

Because someone took a twenty foot tumble off a flying carpet, Autor has been in overnight for head injury observation.

Feel free to come pester him when he wakes up. Or draw on his face while he sleeps, whatever works.

Comments

[herr_bookman]

"Any fitness routine that ends up with me in the infirmary is a pretty awful one," Autor says, with a breathless chuckle. He sits up, propping himself on his good elbow first, and carefully positions his other arm in his lap.

"You spoil me, Bonnie. Thank you. You don't have to," Autor says, and snatches a roll to cram in his mouth.

[is_the_motion]

"I ain't spoilin' you." Bonnie says, breaking her own bread roll. "Bringin' you food is perfectly normal."

Beat.

"And yer a grown up, you don't got ter tell me if you did somethin' stupid." she adds.

[herr_bookman]

Bonnie has just become one of Autor's favorite people. Thinking about this fact gives him enough time to choke down the roll and reach for another.

"Bonnie," he starts, unsure of what to say, but wanting to express his gratitude. "Thank you. That means a lot to me. I stayed up for three days due to a reason which I'll keep to myself, and fell asleep on the carpet. It... I was stupid to fly afterwards. This won't happen again."

[is_the_motion]

Bonnie listens seriously, and nods.

"Well thanks fer tellin' me." she says. "If you do got to do it again, do you want anyone ter stay with you?"

He doesn't have to promise her not to do it again.

[herr_bookman]

He smiles a little, impressed that she picked up on the nuance in his language--primarily promising that flying afterwards won't happen again, not the staying up--and shakes his head.

"Thank you for the offer, but it's something I need to do by myself," he says, inclining his head. He bites into half the roll; he'll eat all of them if she lets him. "Plus I really don't want to subject anyone else to that." Except for possibly one person, if they agree. "Did you bake these rolls yourself? They're delicious."

[is_the_motion]

"I did." Bonnie accepts the subject change this time. "And yer welcome. Tastes better with company."

[herr_bookman]

"I'll have to get the recipe from you," Autor says, finishing the second roll and reaching for a third. He's lucky the rolls are good--he'd probably eat a stone, but that they're soft and delicious just makes all of him happy, and not just his stomach.

"What kind of soup is that?" he asks, between bites.

[is_the_motion]

"Leek and potato." Bonnie says. "You like it?"

[herr_bookman]

Autor grins at her, eyes bright. "I haven't tried it yet. But potatoes are some of my favorite things, and leeks are always good, so it should be great."

He tries getting the spoon to his mouth with his left hand, which proves awkward. His right hand is dominant, and busted, so he finds he has to maneuver with the left. He slurps, accidentally, but brightens when he finally does taste some of the soup. "It's really good, Bonnie, thank you."

[is_the_motion]

"Do you want a straw?"

She's not feeding him. Not unless he breaks both his arms.

This is not an invitation from her to break both his arms.

[herr_bookman]

"A straw would probably work much better than a spoon," Autor admits, sheepish. "Thank you."

[is_the_motion]

Bonnie goes over to the coffee machine and finds a straw that seems to be used for some sort of iced coffee, which she brings back.

The coffee machine is in notably better shape than when Guppy was trying to fix it.

"Here."

[herr_bookman]

"Thanks again," Autor says, still sheepish, and takes the straw, which he uses to mash up some potatoes before drinking them down. He doesn't breathe again until he's consumed the soup entirely.

"Huh, that was much easier. But embarrassing. On the whole, breaking an arm was a terrible idea," Autor says, furrowing his brow. "Also I expected the pain to be sharper, and less throbbing."

[is_the_motion]

"Yeah, well lucky it weren't yer neck." Bonnie says.

[herr_bookman]

Autor smiles a little. "Very true," he says, amused with the macabre way she looks on the bright side. "I did end up with a concussion from it"--and here he gently taps the butterfly bandage on his forehead--"so it's entirely possible that it could have been my neck. I'm also lucky they have the technology to fix me so quickly. Were I at home, I'd take weeks to heal."

Of course, were he at home, he wouldn't be flying, but that's neither here nor there.

[is_the_motion]

"Yeah well I doubt they can fix necks, so be careful." Bonnie says, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad yer in one piece."

[herr_bookman]

Autor reaches up with his left hand to pat hers. "Thank you, Bonnie. I am, too. You're right - I was lucky, and I'll not forget that," he says, and then he smiles again. "And thanks for the food, too."

[is_the_motion]

She pecks him on the forehead.

"Get some rest, I'll see you soon."

She leaves him the thermos flask of soup.

"Yer doc went fer a shower, tell him his machine is fixed." she adds as she heads out.

[herr_bookman]

Autor blushes, and represses the urge to bury himself under the covers. He can't remember the last time someone kissed him that wasn't Rae or his mother, or even Jay--but Jay was an entirely different circumstance and not something the boy should be thinking on at all, ever.

He realizes--belatedly--that he gets kissed pretty frequently, or has since he started coming here.

He swallows. It was just a peck. And he is one of her boys. He smiles a bit, accepting that. But then he realizes that he forgot to ask her a question. "Oh, Bonnie, wait!"

[is_the_motion]

"Hm?" Bonnie turns around. "What's up?"

[herr_bookman]

And now that he has her attention, his blush deepens, as what he'd planned to ask is a bit sensitive, and he's not sure if he should ask her--but now he's talking anyway, the words coming in a rush.

"So this question might be abrupt--of course it will be--but I've been researching a topic lately that you might some opinions on and certainly have some experience with," Autor says, fisting his good hand in the blankets near his knee. "And I'd like to trust your experience because I trust you and I hope that you're not affronted when I ask."

He draws back, a pale and vulnerable boy, but eager to listen. "So," he says quietly, "what do you think love is?"

[is_the_motion]

Bonnie comes and sits back next to him, giving him the time the question deserves in thought.

"Love is wantin' someone ter be with you every day, fer ever more." she says. "When they're sick, old, actin' like an ass... It's not expectin' them ter change. It's feelin' comfortable with 'em."

She hesitates, then adds.

"Love is climate, not weather. If it's meant ter be, it don't need ter be fast."

[herr_bookman]

Autor listens, absorbing her words like a sponge. He turns her definition over and over in his head, picking apart each word.

And then he gets to the last bit, and he smiles, bright and boyish. 'Take it slow' makes more sense to him than Teja's urgency, simply because of who Miss Kuriyama is.

"So, accepting who a person is, warts and all, and wanting to be around that person," Autor says shyly. He clasps her hand, squeezing her fingers. "And not rushing. I like that. Comfortable sounds really nice. And hopefully you can make the other person more comfortable, too?"

[is_the_motion]

Bonnie nods.

"Well you cain't make anyone love you." she says. "If they like you, that can grow into love. But if a lady don't want you pursuin' her, you got to respect that, 'cos you'll never make someone love you by bein' a pain in the ass.

But bein' able ter sit with them, and just enjoy dinner, or do somethin' ordinary, that's real important. You don't want ter be feelin' all blushy and embarrassed forever."

[herr_bookman]

Autor nods rapidly. "And I wouldn't want to overwhelm Mis--um, someone," the boy says, ducking. He glances up, still shy. "You're right. It's better to be friends first, because if you're not... passionate about each other anymore, what else do you have."