Twinges and Chaos

Earn Your Keep

[Set in Highschool AU a day or two after Ash takes Twitch home from the clinic.]

“I can’t just stay with you Ashling, I’m not gonna put you in that position.  Besides Vivian said “Jack” would flip out if he found a guy living with you.”  Ryan said with a groan pressing his hands over his eyes as Ashling folded her arms.  She had planted herself firmly in front of the front door and looked surprisingly scary for someone so short.  She was glaring at him and wasn’t budging even when he got closer than the usual two-feet zone.  

 

Okay it wasn’t like there was some sort of rule he couldn’t get within two feet of her, the two-feet zone was something Ryan created in his head.  Because as soon as anyone who wasn’t Kaylee or Vivian got within two feet of Ashling it triggered a change.  A subtle one, usually, but one that he noticed.  She got tense, she’d swallow nervously, all jumpy and twitchy.  If it wasn’t so concerning it could have been cute, but Ryan wasn’t an idiot.  He knew people weren’t just born with involuntary reactions like that.

 

“Jack is my dad, and he works for weeks at a time.  If he does show up we can deal with him then, it’s not like he sticks around long anyways.  Usually.  And Ryan if you’re so worried about taking advantage of my hospitality why don’t you earn your keep?  Vivian mentioned you said you were good at fixing things up --and no one else can reach the baking soda on the top shelf.” Ashling had gone from sounding irritated to almost pleading.  Ryan let out a sigh before pulling his hands away to shove them in his pockets.  

 

“Fine.  I’ll stay for a few days, you can obsess over my stitches and I’ll help out with the lawn and whatever handy-man crap you come up with.  After I’m not useful anymore --I’m leaving though.  Deal?” Ryan conceded after he made the mistake of looking at her for too long.  She was the only one who had irises that were a color he would describe as “ice blue” and yet still warm.  At least when she looked at him, and wasn’t losing her temper.

 

She smiled and nodded and then started walking back into the living room to where she had left Kaylee sitting patiently in her little elmo-chair.  Ashling began to hum as she brushed out and braided the girl’s curly hair --a shade of scarlet that perfectly mirrored her own.  After a few seconds of standing there, brewing in his loss of an argument and gain of a temporary home, Ryan walked over and sat on the couch behind Ash --who was on her knees on the floor.  

 

Casually and very slowly, making sure she saw the touch coming, Ryan then took out the hair clip holding up Ashling’s hair, running his finger through it carefully.  He noticed that she was smiling just by the way her dimples shoed up on her cheek even though he couldn’t see her face from sitting behind her.

 

“What are you doing?” She then asked with a small lilting laugh, trying to move her head to look back at him.  He held her head in place though, firmly.

 

“Braiding your hair.  Kaylee can do mine later and it’ll be a full circle.” He responded with a shrug as his slender fingers began carefully twisting strands of hair into braids.  Ashling gave a  little scoff, but said nothing more on the subject, focusing on the little french braid she was making out of Kaylee’s waves and ringlets.  They then sat in silence for a few minutes, till both braiders were done.  Ryan smiled as as Ashling pretended not to know her hair was braided, playing with Kaylee who was grinning and giggling, insistently trying to hold Ash’s hair up in Ash’s line of vision. The little girl didn’t actually say any words, but it was obvious the two of them had a good line of communication.