Title: Car Rides and Oysters
Author: Fab_fan
Fandom: Fried Green Tomatoes
Pairing: Ruth/Idgie
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters
Summary: Ruth and Idgie's drive back home from Georgia
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Idgie watched Ruth nod silently. The other woman hadn't spoken a word since they left that bastard Frank Bennett's place, and that had been nearly an hour ago. Idgie's teeth grit as she remembered seeing that no good sonofabitch hit Ruth. She should have killed him the second she found out. She had wanted to alright. When she saw that bruise on Ruth's face, she had wanted to march right into that house and show that man what happens when you hurt Ruth. Course, Ruth had stopped her and told her to go home. Idgie did, but that didn't mean she forgot. No sir. So, when she got that bible verse she drove out as fast as she could with Julian and Big George. They packed up Ruth's things and got the hell out of there. Not before Frank had hit Ruth and kicked her down the stairs, but Idgie'd given him a taste of what she'd do if he ever touched her again.
She'd driven off, but after a few minutes she pulled over and had Julian take over the steering duties. Instead, she had slipped into the back, coaxing Ruth along with her. Idgie about hopped out of the car to finish what she started with Frank when she felt Ruth still shaking, but stayed because Ruth needed her and she wasn't about to let her down. Not again.
Idgie's train of thought came to a screeching halt when a soft finger gently wiped at her nose. She glanced over to see Ruth staring at her with concern.
"You're still bleeding." Ruth spoke quietly.
Idgie roughly ran the back of her hand across her nose. It must have happened when she was fighting that bastard. She hadn't even noticed, "I'm ok."
Ruth bit her trembling lip, "He hurt you."
Idgie shook her head and leaned in closer, throwing her arm over the back of the seats, "Me? Naw, not me." She flashed a charming grin.
Ruth's eyes sparkled for a second at the familiar smile, but it quickly dimmed, "I'm sorry, Idgie."
"Hey now, why would you say that?" Idgie frowned. "Ain't no need for you to be sorry. That bastard, he needs to be sorry. Not you."
Ruth sighed quietly and turned away from the blonde. She seemed to hunch in on herself, hiding her face from Idgie. She shivered as a hand tenderly brushed against her cheek. "Idgie…" she breathed out, lightly biting her lip in regret. It was because of her that Idgie was hurt. There was even a small patch of blood on her white shirt from where it had dripped from her nose. It was because of her that they were all in this mess at all. Now there was a baby, too.
"Did I ever tell you the story about the oysters?"
Ruth's brows knit together in confusion, the question seeming to come out of nowhere and bringing her out of her thoughts. She blinked and peeked over at Idgie. The younger woman was staring at her, the corners of her mouth hinting with uncertainty. Idgie was nervous, not knowing what to say exactly, but knowing she needed to say something. She just wanted to make Ruth forget about whatever was going through her mind. Ruth was the nicest person Idgie had ever met. There was no one else better on this earth than Ruth Jamison. Sometimes, though, she could be so damn sorry for things she had no control over. Idgie didn't blame her anymore for leaving. She never really did. She'd been young and foolish. She'd ended up being more mad at herself than anything. She wasn't strong enough to be the sort of person who could take care of Ruth before. But, she was gonna work as hard as she could to be that now. And she sure as hell was not going to listen to Ruth apologize for what Frank Bennett did. No way in hell. So, she went to what she knew best to get Ruth to smile. Storytelling.
"The oysters." Idgie nodded like what she asked made complete sense.
Ruth shook her head no.
Idgie made a face, "No? Why, you gotta hear about the oysters."
Ruth couldn't help but smile as Idgie began to weave a tall tale about oysters and pearls. She always did love to hear her tell stories. That was one of the things she missed most in Georgia. Sometimes, late at night, after Frank'd had his fill and left her alone to recover from his rough nature, Ruth would imagine Idgie curling up beside her on the bed. She pretended to have those strong lean arms wrapped around her body as that charming voice softly whispered the craziest stories into her ear.
As Idgie finished her story, she leaned into Ruth and carefully rested an arm across her shoulders, embracing her gently, "I'm gonna take you home, Ms. Ruth. If that's alright with you."
Ruth sank into Idgie, "That sounds just fine, Ms. Idgie. Just fine."