Title Crashing Into You
Chapter 4/? Banana?
Author Devylish
Pairing DiVe, Dick/Veronica
Rating PG13
Warnings language
Words 1361
Spoilers None
Disclaimer All publicly recognizable characters, settings, plot, etc. are the property of the creators of the TV show Veronica Mars. Any original characters, settings and plots are the property of devylish. devylish is in no way associated with the TV show Veronica Mars and no copyright infringement is intended. This work is an amateur fan effort and no profit is being made.
AN unbeta'd

Wet sand, stuck between clothes and skin – abrasive and cold; Veronica had thought that was the epitome of discomfort…. She'd thought that was the epitome of discomfort, that is, until she had to spend a day covered in embarrassment over having been in Dick's arms. In his arms and kind of not disliking the feeling.

Shit.

She looked at him as he returned the small scaled fish to the flames. I can do this, I can be get past this. So I almost, sort of, kind of kissed Dick Casablancas, I mean, it's not the end of the world. Only… I ALMOST SORT OF KINDA KISSED DICK CASABLANCAS!

Taking a quick puff of breath, "Banana?"

Dick lifted his head at the sound of Veronica's voice speaking the first word that either of them had uttered in the past three or four hours.

"Huh?"

"Banana. Do you want one?" She held a yellow green banana out to him, her eyes focusing on everything, anything other than his face… his eyes.

I almost kissed him!

I almost kissed her!

"Uh, sure. Thanks. I'll grab it in a second."

She lowered the banana to the sand. Well that went well…. Not.

Dick focused on the fish; slowly turning the stick that the fish was skewered to so that the fish broiled evenly.

Hmmpf. Fish on a stick. Fish stick! Ha! He opened his mouth to share his finding, when he remembered they weren't talking to one another. All because I can't control my fucking cock.

Maneuvering the two small fish off of their skewer, he placed them on the large leaves they were using as 'plates'.

He spoke, "They're probably a little hot, might want to give them a few minutes to cool." He leaned forward and picked up the banana she'd given to him. Shit. This was dumb. Really dumb. He needed to man up… and soon.

"Thanks." Okay, really this is just stupid. We're both adults. I didn't attack him or anything. Well… I sort of did, but.…

"So I think I'm going to need your help getting the tenting stuff up."

He's 'talking to me'. She offered a too chipper response. "Definitely. After we're done eating?"

"Yeah, sure. Umm good banana." Shit.

"Good fish." Uh, duh.

They ate the rest of their 'meal' in silence, but at least this was companionable silence. An 'okay, I can do this, we can do this; I'll just pretend it never happened' kind of silence.

***

"Are you sure we're doing this the right way?"

"Nope."

Veronica glared at Dick's back. "Not comforting. Not at all comforting."

He chuckled and moved to the fourth corner of their makeshift tent, stick and log in hand. "Hold it straight." He ordered as he knelt and worked the fabric of the parachute around the stick.

She strained against the tall stick they were using as the center post of their tent and growled, "How'd I end up being pole holder girl?"

He couldn't stop himself, "Every woman I've met needs practice with the pole."

"That was almost funny."

"No almost about it dude, it WAS funny…. And true."

Veronica bit her lip. I'm not getting into a debate with Dick about women's – my - ability to work with a pole. I sooooo am not having that conversation.

Using the log to hammer the stick further into the sand, Dick sat back on his haunches and surveyed the tent. It would hold for now, tomorrow he would try and find some heavy rocks to put along the edges for more support, but for now, this would do. Turning around, he glanced at Ronnie, she was looking up at the top of the center pole, blowing a strand of her hair out of her face with a sigh.

Something in his gut turned. She was a beautiful woman, even wearing just a t-shirt and shorts, and with her hair up in a haphazard bun. It was ridiculous how beautiful she was. And it was also ridiculous how utterly wrong it was for him to be looking at her the way he was. He cleared his throat, "So, yeah, dude, I'm going to get some more wood for the pit."

As he scampered out of the tent Veronica looked after him with a scowl. "I take it I can let go of the pole?"

At the sound of his laughter, she dropped her hands and shook out her arms. She'd never been camping, but if this was what it was like, she never, ever, wanted to do it again. It was hard work. And it put people and things that should never be close to one another… close to one another. Things like Casablancas' and Mars'. She looked around the small space that would be their sleeping quarters and groaned wayyyyyyyyy too close.

Crawling out of the tent, she grabbed their baggage and dragged it into the tent. She briefly considered using the bags as a divider, but then she realized that would be childish… and she was an adult woman. Damnit.

****

"Dude, I've got more wood than we could use in a week!" Dick dropped his fourth pile of kindling on the ground next to the pit and stretched. Opening his eyes, he found Veronica staring at him with one eyebrow quirked. "What?"

"Nothing."

He paused then bit the bullet. Bending down to throw some sticks into the fire, he teased "Ron, get your mind out of the gutter, not everything is about sex."

"ME!? My mind!?"

"Dude, I was making an innocent statement about wood and you took it to the 'bad place'."

"Dick, you've never made an innocent statement about anything before in your life! To you, everything is all about sex."

And then it hit her like a bat; not only was she embarrassed about having jumped Dick's bones, she was pissed that he hadn't taken advantage of her 'jump'. Dick went through women like they were candy, but when she was there… right there… NOTHING! She glanced down at her chest surreptitiously, she knew the girls weren't huge, but they were still breasts. She was still a woman. What the hell? Why hadn't she had to fight Dick - Dick of all people- off?!

"… so yeah, probably 93% of the time if my calculations are right. This was one of the remaining 7% where I was innocent." He lifted his eyes from the now healthy fire and found Veronica staring at him. Glancing down at his chest to see if he had leaves stuck to him, he ran his hand over his face, checking for schmuck before he gave in and asked, "What?"

Veronica tore her eyes from him. You don't want Dick wanting you. Jumping you. Responding to your 'bone jumping'. Although, she flushed lightly, he had responded to the jump. She frowned, he just hadn't taken advantage of the opportunity. Why the hell "didn't you take advantage of me when you had the chance?"

And, oh fuck, I just said that out loud.

Dick paled, then flushed, then sputtered, "I…, but I…, you don't…? Dude, what the fuck?! Are you kidding me?"

Veronica blinked a few times. "Never mind. Forget I said anything. As a matter of fact, I said nothing. Nothing. Do you want another banana?"

"Dude! I so fucking don't get how women think! I mean… fuck!"

"What, you're anti bananas?" She asked mock-innocently.

"Okay, no, now seriously, Ronnie, if I had… if we had…" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "you would have cut off my balls in my sleep, right?"

"I guess it depends on how good you were." There must have been something in that fish… do they make truth serum out of fish?

Dick stared at Veronica, a Veronica who seemed determined drive him insane. But then, that's what she always did. She captured a man, reeled him in with her magical, blonde, petite, beautiful bait, and then when she had him -- balls out, heart in hand -- she twisted him around until he broke.

He'd seen it happen.

More than once.

Bending down, he crawled into the tent, throwing over his shoulder. "You'd break me Mars."