(no subject)

[farfromthesea]

Theon doesn't set out to keep this particular task a secret from anyone. Learning to drive a car had been his therapist's idea, something about independence and confidence, and since the first part had been learning from a little paper booklet, Theon had agreed. He reads the book often and even takes it back in with him to ask questions.

Somewhere along the way, he thinks he might really like it, like sailing over concrete.

He finds the place with the test almost by accident, and he's there already, so he tries.

About an hour later, he's letting himself into Neil's apartment with a permit in his sweaty hand.

"Neil? Are you here?"

Comments

[myfavoritedream]

I'd sort of lost track of all the people who had keys to our apartment.

It wasn't like we were giving them out to everybody in the world, but between my friends and Edgar's and Grantaire's, and even Yona's, there were people who came in and out, people who had spares, and people who just felt like they could walk the fuck in whenever they pleased.

I shuffled out of the bedroom with my hair still wet and curling at the nape of my neck, no shirt and still buttoning up my jeans. It was just Theon, anyway. I wasn't going in to the shop until late, to close up and check the inventory, and I'd slept late and hard, waking up groggy after noon.

"Hey," I said, ruffling my fingers through my hair, loosening damp curls and sending water droplet's flying. "What's up?"

[farfromthesea]

Theon's first instinct is to question whether he's interrupted Neil, or whether it's a bad time, or whether-- a hundred anxious questions that he hopes will someday go away without him having to take a slow breath. It's easy with Neil, because Neil will absolutely be honest.

So he doesn't ask.

Instead, he shows him the paper.

"I got a driver's permit. Will you teach me?"

[myfavoritedream]

"Wait, seriously?" I said with a bemused smile, stepping forward to take the paper out of his hand. My smile widening, I said, "Yeah, man. Lucky for you, I'm a fucking great teacher, too."

Shoving the paper back into his hand, I said, "You gonna let me go get my shirt?"

[farfromthesea]

Theon lights up, with a rare open grin of delight. "Lucky for me, you're fucking great at everything, I suppose," he says, only half-joking, and sets himself down on the arm of the couch to wait. "Well, go on, get dressed," he adds, relaxed enough to pester Neil a little.

He glances down again at the paper in his hand, reading his name over and over.

[myfavoritedream]

"Damn right, I am," I said, tapping my palm against his cheek on my way past him, nudging Fred aside with my hip as I made my way back to the bedroom.

I finished up getting dressed, brushing my teeth and running a comb through my hair, then came back out to find my boots.

"We'll head out of town. Let you get a feel for it without dealing with traffic and shit."

Which was a lesson I already learned with Edgar.

[farfromthesea]

Theon laughs, and stays put.

He's glad they'll be going to the countryside, a place he doesn't go to quite as often as he'd like. The idea of driving around out there, the windows down, seems appealing the way that being out on the ocean would be-- without the memories that come on each wave.

Cars are safe, too, some kind of lasting impression from the time Neil had taken him home.

"Thanks," he says quietly, but he's still brimming with bright energy.

[myfavoritedream]

Stepping into my boots and bending to lace them up, I shrugged, grinning up at him before I walked over to grab my keys. "It's no problem."

Slinging an arm around his shoulders, I steered him towards the door with a teasing smirk. "You might not feel so grateful after we get you behind the wheel."

[farfromthesea]

"But you'll be with me," Theon reasons. "Unless this is some kind of threat. You wouldn't teach me like--" He just shrugs, in the sheepish way that suggests he does at least know it was a joke.

"If I can steer a ship, I ought to be able to drive."

Ships are bigger than cars, after all.

[myfavoritedream]

"You'll be fine. They let sixteen-year-olds behind the fucking wheel, and they're all idiots, so," I shrugged, turning to make sure the door was shut and locked behind us as we made our way down the hall and out the door.

"Any reason in particular you wanna learn, or just 'cause you can?"

[farfromthesea]

"I should hope I've learned something since then," Theon says, tucking his hands in his pockets as he trails after Neil. "I was a smarmy little prick at that age." He would have preferred another method of growing out of it, but that's none but his own fault, he supposes.

"Because I can. Because it gives you some extra freedom around here. I like, I like the idea that it goes fast but you're still safe inside."