Disclaimer: They're not mine, but they're fun to play with.
A/N: Jane and Lisbon, and the truths about every day.
Drive You Up the Walls
She gets as bored as he does.
He pretends to sleep on her couch while she fiddles with the trinkets in and atop her desk, squaring a stack of papers here, inspecting a staple remover there. She even appears to be checking the ink quality of all her pens, scribbling something again and again on a loose scrap of paper. It's unfortunate, really. It almost looks like she's simply tidying up, but he knows better. And she glances expectantly at the door whenever someone walks by.
A slow day at the CBI, and all her paperwork already completed. Who'd of thunk it?
"Alright, Lisbon, come with me," he says, swinging to his feet, and her expression doesn't alter even a fraction. Probably knew he was awake the whole time – she would be able to tell these sorts of things by now. The familiarity makes him smile. "Come on. Up."
"You know I just can't leave, Jane."
"Why not? You're playing with paperclips! Surely the CBI isn't paying you for that. You'll be a better use to general public safety if you're out walking the streets. Look at that sunshine! It'll be good for you."
"I'm on call. As in, I have to be here if a case comes up. You know that. We can go somewhere at lunch."
"Lunch! People go to lunch at lunch."
"Generally, yes."
"I'm not talking about lunch. It's so pedestrian. What you need is an adventure."
She's giving him that perfectly "Lisbon" look: her head tilted downward just a tad, lips drawn, eyebrows slightly raised, and an overall appearance of contempt in her eyes as she looks up at him through her lashes.
"An adventure?" she asks.
"Yes, that's what I said. Now, come on."
His hand is outstretched, and he is poised between her desk and the door, ready to pull her away the second she accepts. Sweep her off her feet, perhaps. He is certain he looks irresistibly expectant - he wants so badly for her come.
"You're going to get me in trouble," she warns, but there's no real bite in it. Not particularly.
"I'm always getting you in trouble. I'll just get you out again."
"Couldn't you just be a normal person? Keep me out of trouble in the first place?"
He looks squeamish.
"You know perfectly well that I'd lose all my charm if I stooped to being 'normal.' Now, you're being stubborn." He shifts just a bit closer to her, and arrests the hand that is resting on top of a stack of folders. "If you don't come, I'm sure I'll get on the nerves of some fruit vendor who will try to bring me up on harassment charges of some sort, and the first phone call I make will be to you, so we might as well just avoid the hassle and have you there from the beginning. You're so good at ironing these things out."
So, they're standing in the elevator whens she says, "You know the only reason I'm coming is that I know that would actually happen, right?"
He nods. "That, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss it. Those fruit vendors . . . so touchy, you know."
"I don't think so. I think it's just you."
"I'm touchy?"
"No, you just drive them crazy."
"Oh. Well, I drive everyone crazy."
"So you admit it?"
"It'll be our secret."
She pats his arm consolingly. "I think your secret's out."
He shrugs.
". . . Do I drive you crazy, Lisbon?"
"Only every waking moment."
"Oh, good."
He thinks, how bored would she be, otherwise?
Next thing I write will probably be connected to Favors for a Ghost, my other Mentalist fic, but I guess we'll just see what happens. Thanks for reading!