Waiting Before The End
By rese
Rating: T
Summary: Fooling around. An inescapable conclusion to cabin fever, especially when you're the last of something.
A/N: First Reign of Fire fic ever. Got no idea who has the rights to the film but I don't. Wren however is mine, heaven forbid her sweet and innocent soul be corrupted by money.
Wren laughed as his beard tickled her neck. "Creedy! This is disgusting – we're both filthy and sweaty!" Creedy looked up into her face and smiled boyishly "so is everyone else." He loved it when she blushed like that.
"Well yeah, but it's lunch time and no one wants to see this" she reasoned as she gestured between them. Honestly, he was so open about everything with such little self-discipline. What a combination she smiled to herself. He nodded and let her off the wall taking her hand and led her to a table. "So what will the lady be having today? Stew with bread? Or bread with stew? I myself favour the first option."
Wren smiled at his behaviour, "Well," she pretended to think, "Umm… I'm told you know what you're saying and that your opinion is well valued so I think I'll go for–" she stopped short seeing Quinn at the top of the stairs. "Here's someone else who values your opinion." Creedy looked in the direction she was facing and saw his best friend. He cringed a bit – Ren and Quinn were at odds and his friend's addition was going to upset this whole easy-going atmosphere he had running. He straitened up and waved at Quinn planting a smile on his face. He was going to have to make this work.
Quinn jogged down the steps frowning inwardly at the sight of Wren. When was she not with him? He hugged Creedy and smiled a greeting to Wren. "I didn't know you two were having lunch up here," Quinn referred to the fact that they usually ate sparingly and when they did it was always in private. This often led him to question whether they were eating at all.
Creedy looked at Wren and grinned, "Thought we'd try something new for a change. You know how easy it is to get into routines here Quinn." The inescapable castle cabin fever was starved off with great determination. Quinn nodded understanding his meaning and sat across from Wren. "Taking orders?" he asked Creedy who was fidgeting where he stood glancing between him and Wren. They were fine. Surely.
Creedy shifted from foot to foot unsure how Wren would feel about Quinn joining "their lunch". He scratched his head and decided to carry on as before. Pretending to hold a notepad he made a gesture as if holding a pen, "absolutely."
Wren sat on her hands, and leaning over to Quinn said, "I'd go for the stew with bread if I was you." Quinn gave her a puzzled look. Wren was clearly a little off - that was the only choice. But seeing Creedy's expression understood it was an "in joke". God he hated those. But smiling politely he nodded and Creedy ran off with a "stew with bread it is!"
A few more moments of awkwardness and Wren decided to try the water – take a stab at conversation. "So, how's the digging going on down your end?" Quinn looked up at her with shock; did that have a sexual implication? She was watching him too expressionless for it to mean that so he tentatively answered, "About as good as it should be. I know yours is fine." Good, she thought short close-ended answers. Thanks Quinn really. Where the hell are you Creedy? Fortunately before the atmosphere could become any more strained Creedy arrived with their trays, to both parties' relief.
"Eat up! Remember it's supposed to be good for you."
Wren trudged down the stairs, hands in pocket and head down. Why isn't it getting any easier? She was sure the tension between her and Quinn would have passed by now. But she was still on his turf and he was all territorial. Surely they could share Creedy?
Her musings were interrupted as she bumped into the door frame, earning her a bump on the forehead and laugh from Ajay. She glared at him, and then realized she didn't know how she had made her way from the kitchen down to his "comm. room" as he liked to call it.
"Well hullo!" This produced an even more amused look from Ajay, "Aren't I s'posed to be the one surprised?" Chagrinned she stepped further into the room taking his teasing as a greeting. "So," she began, leaning on the desk casually, "still on for dinner?" Ajay had found her this morning and made her promise to let him have a meal with her today and since Creedy had wheedled his way into lunch she offered dinner and a prompt acceptance followed. A little down about the whole Quinn and Creedy situation Ajay had promised to cheer her up, and she was becoming a little restless for pointless company.
"Was there ever any question of it?" he raised his eyebrows. Wren looked away shaking her head. She could always do with another friend. Not that he wasn't already one, but they could always improve on the relationship. God she rolled her eyes, she was even thinking in terms of reconstruction.
"Good. Excellent. So, what brings you into my den little Wren?" Ajay rubbed his hands together and Wren laughed. He looked way too suss doing that. "Apparently my feet. I don't have control over them anymore. But hey, what're you up to?" Wren replied, eager to steer the conversation away from herself.
Ajay, only happy to comply began, "stretching my ears for invisible sounds of course. You really are quite slow sometimes Wren." She smiled at him. "Actually it's impossible to hear something invisible anyway. It's more of a visual thing you understand." Ajay looked about, "I know that." He didn't look so sure, and neither did Wren. "I said it because for any sound to come is impossible anyway." Ajay tried to smile a bit saying this, but they both understood. They were alone now and it wasn't a pleasant thought. Manchester was the last in contact and probably the last to survive save themselves. But there were others, optimists, like Creedy who argued that maybe they still managed their way, that they just lost their communications. That's all. God help that it would be true.
With such grim thoughts in mind the two decided to part. "Until dinner then?" Ajay asked, insecure as he was that Wren would forget and spend it with Creedy. "Absolutely. I'll see you then." Wren ducked out of the comm. room and sped her way down to the mines. A few hours of digging would do some good for her scattered mind.