Mel, Jay, Sam, & Paige | Farther Along
Feb. 10th, 2024 03:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_aero posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsThe Guthrie siblings drive back to the mansion from Kentucky with Mel in tow.
Mel bit her nails to the quick as she looked out the window. It was uncomfortably silent in the car. She wished someone would turn on the radio so she could have something to focus on other than the thinning woods and the way everyone was acting. Like she was fragile. She wasn’t. Her collar and hair hid the worst of it anyways.
She wanted to be yelled at already. Or for someone to at least talk. Home was already so far away she could’ve hurled.
"I told Clint yer movin' in." Sam said. It sounded abrupt in the quiet car- the last time they'd all been this quiet someone had died. Just the other day they'd been playfully ribbing each other and now it was like they'd all forgotten how to talk. "And yer really gonna like my friend Ashley, she's about your age!"
“We’re gonna be roommates,” Paige added on. “Should be nice. You get your own room this time.” She played with the ends of her hair, feeling too awkward to work on her homework.
“Cool,” Mel said, though to whom she didn’t elaborate. Sparing a quick glance at Jay, she shifted in her seat and hugged the flannel she was wearing farther up her neck. It was one of his. He hadn’t commented on it.
Jay and Mel were in the backseat together and his hand hadn't been off her, rubbing her back at first and now just resting his hand on one of her shoulders like he could keep her from harm that way. He shifted some, moving to brush Mel's hair out of her face. He'd hardly spoken since they had gotten to Kentucky. "I'm so sorry Mellie," he said, not even trying to pretend this was a fun new adventure for her. He went to help her adjust the flannel.
Mel brushed Jay off and finally gave into the urge to tuck herself against him. It was grounding to have him there, so she wouldn’t fly outta her head. She’d missed him so much at home. “Nothin’ to be sorry for,” she whispered.
It was when she tucked herself against him that Mel's shirt shifted and the bruising on her neck was revealed. Jay moved her hair to get a better look, even pulling out his phone to look. "Mel! What happened?" He asked. He'd known she had been shot at but hadn't known someone actually got their hands on her.
It looked bad.
“The fight? Those’ll be from Bobby John.” Mel sat up and tried to cover her neck again. “It’s fine, barely even hurts.” That was a lie. She was scraped and bruised all over from the woods, but mostly from the Cabots. Everything kinda ached.
"The hell it does!" Jay said, but the worry on his face made it clear he wasn't angry. "I can see the shape of his hand- Melody, lemme see. Paigey, you turn 'round and look at this too." He said, kneeing the back of her seat. She'd a been choked to death and with no one to protect her out there…
"We'll hafta find an herb shop in the city and get you some raspberry or mulberry leaf." Sam said gently, glancing worriedly at her in the mirror. "Hey Jay, maybe we could get supplies to make her that salve Mamaw used to make for me?"
"I'll make that up for you, don't you worry none," Jay glanced at Sam before turning back to Mel as if his own worrying would do anything but make her worry. He brushed her hair away from her face and behind her ears, taking her in both his hands. "You got anything else? They manage to get you anywhere else?" His eyes were wide and wet with concern as he tried to look her over.
Mel moved aside her fringe to show the nasty cut at her hairline. No use hiding it. She’d patched it up as good as she could. “That’s the worst of it. Silas got a slash at me.” She winced when she touched it. “But I reckon it’s fair. I did break his nose.”
Paige rooted around in the bag at her feet, pulling out a small bottle of Advil. Turning back around in her seat, she handed it to Mel. “It’s no herbal salve but it should help a bit.” They should probably get someone to look Mel over when they got back to the mansion, but that was an argument for later.
Despite knowing it was already cleaned up, or at least he damn well hoped someone had cleaned it up already, Jay went looking for some sort of water bottle to get any hairs out of it- it looked bad and someone shoulda looked after her better. "You broke his nose? Mel!" He wasn't sure he was proud of her or terrified.
A grin flashed across Mel’s face. “I can handle myself, Jay. Maybe Silas’ll finally hafta shave that awful mustache.”
"I know y'can, I know," Jay said, having found a water bottle and taking a bandana out of his pocket, pouring the water on it before he started dabbing at Mel's head to reclean her cut. "Lord, this better look worse than it is..." He prayed under his breath.
“We can stop and get some bandaids if we need to.” Paige looked worriedly over her shoulder. There wasn’t much she could do from the passenger seat, but she could try to be helpful.
"Say the word and I'll find an exit and we can hit up a store of some kind to get you medicine or bandaids or whatever." Sam said. "Anything we can do for ya?"
"You do that," Jay said, not letting Mel speak for herself as he continued to dab at her face. "It'll be okay Mel."
Mel didn’t say anything. She could feel everything catching up with her as the last of her will to be fine crumbled. Not wanting to cry, she shut her eyes and sucked in breath through clenched teeth. Jay needed to fuss over her, even if it hurt like hell, even if she didn’t deserve it.
Jay held her to his chest and rubbed her back, wanting to allow her to cry if she needed. God knew anyone would need to cry in her position. But he also knew Mel, and for all she practically cried at dogs tripping on their feet, she didn't much like others to notice, so he made a point not to look at her, instead resting his chin on her head. "It'll be alright."
Mel bit her nails to the quick as she looked out the window. It was uncomfortably silent in the car. She wished someone would turn on the radio so she could have something to focus on other than the thinning woods and the way everyone was acting. Like she was fragile. She wasn’t. Her collar and hair hid the worst of it anyways.
She wanted to be yelled at already. Or for someone to at least talk. Home was already so far away she could’ve hurled.
"I told Clint yer movin' in." Sam said. It sounded abrupt in the quiet car- the last time they'd all been this quiet someone had died. Just the other day they'd been playfully ribbing each other and now it was like they'd all forgotten how to talk. "And yer really gonna like my friend Ashley, she's about your age!"
“We’re gonna be roommates,” Paige added on. “Should be nice. You get your own room this time.” She played with the ends of her hair, feeling too awkward to work on her homework.
“Cool,” Mel said, though to whom she didn’t elaborate. Sparing a quick glance at Jay, she shifted in her seat and hugged the flannel she was wearing farther up her neck. It was one of his. He hadn’t commented on it.
Jay and Mel were in the backseat together and his hand hadn't been off her, rubbing her back at first and now just resting his hand on one of her shoulders like he could keep her from harm that way. He shifted some, moving to brush Mel's hair out of her face. He'd hardly spoken since they had gotten to Kentucky. "I'm so sorry Mellie," he said, not even trying to pretend this was a fun new adventure for her. He went to help her adjust the flannel.
Mel brushed Jay off and finally gave into the urge to tuck herself against him. It was grounding to have him there, so she wouldn’t fly outta her head. She’d missed him so much at home. “Nothin’ to be sorry for,” she whispered.
It was when she tucked herself against him that Mel's shirt shifted and the bruising on her neck was revealed. Jay moved her hair to get a better look, even pulling out his phone to look. "Mel! What happened?" He asked. He'd known she had been shot at but hadn't known someone actually got their hands on her.
It looked bad.
“The fight? Those’ll be from Bobby John.” Mel sat up and tried to cover her neck again. “It’s fine, barely even hurts.” That was a lie. She was scraped and bruised all over from the woods, but mostly from the Cabots. Everything kinda ached.
"The hell it does!" Jay said, but the worry on his face made it clear he wasn't angry. "I can see the shape of his hand- Melody, lemme see. Paigey, you turn 'round and look at this too." He said, kneeing the back of her seat. She'd a been choked to death and with no one to protect her out there…
"We'll hafta find an herb shop in the city and get you some raspberry or mulberry leaf." Sam said gently, glancing worriedly at her in the mirror. "Hey Jay, maybe we could get supplies to make her that salve Mamaw used to make for me?"
"I'll make that up for you, don't you worry none," Jay glanced at Sam before turning back to Mel as if his own worrying would do anything but make her worry. He brushed her hair away from her face and behind her ears, taking her in both his hands. "You got anything else? They manage to get you anywhere else?" His eyes were wide and wet with concern as he tried to look her over.
Mel moved aside her fringe to show the nasty cut at her hairline. No use hiding it. She’d patched it up as good as she could. “That’s the worst of it. Silas got a slash at me.” She winced when she touched it. “But I reckon it’s fair. I did break his nose.”
Paige rooted around in the bag at her feet, pulling out a small bottle of Advil. Turning back around in her seat, she handed it to Mel. “It’s no herbal salve but it should help a bit.” They should probably get someone to look Mel over when they got back to the mansion, but that was an argument for later.
Despite knowing it was already cleaned up, or at least he damn well hoped someone had cleaned it up already, Jay went looking for some sort of water bottle to get any hairs out of it- it looked bad and someone shoulda looked after her better. "You broke his nose? Mel!" He wasn't sure he was proud of her or terrified.
A grin flashed across Mel’s face. “I can handle myself, Jay. Maybe Silas’ll finally hafta shave that awful mustache.”
"I know y'can, I know," Jay said, having found a water bottle and taking a bandana out of his pocket, pouring the water on it before he started dabbing at Mel's head to reclean her cut. "Lord, this better look worse than it is..." He prayed under his breath.
“We can stop and get some bandaids if we need to.” Paige looked worriedly over her shoulder. There wasn’t much she could do from the passenger seat, but she could try to be helpful.
"Say the word and I'll find an exit and we can hit up a store of some kind to get you medicine or bandaids or whatever." Sam said. "Anything we can do for ya?"
"You do that," Jay said, not letting Mel speak for herself as he continued to dab at her face. "It'll be okay Mel."
Mel didn’t say anything. She could feel everything catching up with her as the last of her will to be fine crumbled. Not wanting to cry, she shut her eyes and sucked in breath through clenched teeth. Jay needed to fuss over her, even if it hurt like hell, even if she didn’t deserve it.
Jay held her to his chest and rubbed her back, wanting to allow her to cry if she needed. God knew anyone would need to cry in her position. But he also knew Mel, and for all she practically cried at dogs tripping on their feet, she didn't much like others to notice, so he made a point not to look at her, instead resting his chin on her head. "It'll be alright."
no subject
Date: 2024-02-11 01:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-11 05:19 am (UTC)"I can handle myself, Jay. Maybe Silas’ll finally hafta shave that awful mustache." This was a great little retort that really builds a sense of familiarity with the NPCs.
Bonus points to Paige for having travel aspirin.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-16 04:40 pm (UTC)Paige: I have advil.
The two characters in a nutshell.
One of these days we're going to get a non-traumatic Guthrie family roadtrip, right?
Mel being the baby of the group was conveyed so perfectly here. It was so sweet to see all her siblings rally around her.