suddenlybees | || IC INBOX

Which one's the ceramic?

[ He just crouch there and hug his knees until Maverick tells him which are okay to pick up and shove into his pockets and... maybe think about wrapping up first before doing that, because digging through his pockets later would be a real and literal pain. ]

It can't be right that they're harder than iron, right? Mother would always get mad at me when I break ceramic cups and stuff, they're way too easy to break!

[What a good boy that waits to pick up dangerous things and who also just says things to confirm even more than necessary that Maverick would fucking hate this kid's mom. Though being mad about breaking cups is a pretty...normal...thing. Whatever, he still hates her. Mav squats down next to Kano and begins pointing out all the chunks of ceramic.]

It's science. Has to do with molecular structure. Mugs and stuff will fucking shatter if you drop 'em, sure, but that's because they don't have a lot of flex to them. In...trampoline terms, I fucking guess, it's a tight weave versus a loose fucking useless net. You can stretch the net more, but it won't have the same strength. Ceramic won't bend, just break, so it's hard but brittle. Metal is more flexible, so it'll bend a lot fucking sooner, even if it doesn't break right away. You can actually sharpen knives on the bottoms of mugs because ceramic's the harder of the two.

[Isn't learning fun!!!]

Want me to get the other spark plugs for you?

[ Science is... a lot. But Maverick's explanation is easy enough to follow, with examples that he can visualize, and when he gets home later he'll be texting Ellie to try sharpening her knives on the bottoms of her cups. ]

Yeah, let's collect all the spark plugs~! But maybe not smash 'em, 'cause I don't know what'll happen to everything inside the bag if it tears~

[ He picks up one of the ceramic pieces, finding one with a large enough flat edge that he can hold it in between his fingers without worry. ]

Something like this could kill somebody, huh... But it'd be safer than a bullet? Because it won't explode?

Yeah. Way fucking easier to transport them intact.

[But he'll happily straighten back out, stretching his arms up to the extent of their length before he gets back to digging around in the engine.]

I mean, you can fucking kill someone with anything of you try, dumbass. I guess most of the time it's fucking safer? It's a speed thing, too, but for a general rule, smaller and cleaner you can get an injury, the easier it'll be to get patched up again. That's why they say "twisting the knife".

[ Ugh, yeah... Kano definitely knows what twisting the knife looks like, how much pain and blood is involved and it'd be nice if he could die with a bullet straight through his head, a clean in and out with none of the mess involved. He doesn't need to kill anybody, though, so he entertains himself by watching Maverick fish out spark plugs, so he knows what to nab the next time he needs to replenish his supplies. ]

How smart~ Another question for you! Since today's turned into an educational field trip~ Ramona says you know how to hotwire a car! Teach me~

Yeah, I don't fucking know how that happened...

[It's fun, though... Awh, heck, he's been forgetting to get pictures of Kano. He's been the one going around feeling all good and stuff, when this was meant to be a trip to make Kano feel better and honor Ellie.

Hotwiring, though. Mav slows for a moment, easy grin falling a little. It wasn't hotwiring itself that was the problem, or even thinking about how he came about that knowledge... Going from freely sharing fascinating information to being asked to divulge information like that, though... You take what's useful and get out. That's how people have always been, even when it comes to others.

He's so stupid.]

I only know old cars like this. Newer ones don't work the same.

That's fine, isn't it? All we have is an old car here, so the other way doesn't work?

[ The newer ones probably have some sort of security system that'd make it impossible, but it's not like everybody in the world has fancy new cars, there are plenty of people still driving junkers around and so the knowledge isn't outdated. ]

Just sayin'.

[well, he won't show him the quick and easy screwdriver way, anyway. Gotta work for your crimes, cricket.]

Hop in the passenger side and pay attention. We won't be able to actually do it, but I'll show you where shit's supposed to be and what it should do.

[get ready for method one, but with some unenthusiastic swearing thrown in. He'll put up with questions and requests to show him again, at least.]

[ He's quiet when he watches, focused and still so he doesn't miss a step in memorizing the process, which wire goes where and the need to be careful and exact or else he'll fry himself, probably. It's disappointing that they can't actually make the car run... ]

Hm~ In the end, the movies are a lie, huh? [ It's not that easy!! He definitely wants to find a real car and try it out now. ] As I thought, I can't rely on this method, in the end~ Never mind, never mind~ You said there might be motorbikes here, right? Let's go find a motorbike!

After you get all that shit done, you just gotta make the wires fucking touch again and it gets going. Just the first time's a pain in the ass.

[He crawls out of the car again, brushing fragments of glass off his back and behind where he'd carelessly sat on it, and retrieves his bat again.]

Yeah, yeah. Run along, cricket, it's your turn to model, anyway.

[Go nuts for the camera.]

It's too troublesome~ I'll just bring you when I need to!!

[ Off he goes, turning his attention to dumpster diving... Motorbike, motorbike... He finds a regular bike, but it's missing its wheels so the most he can do is stand it on the ground and pedal without going anywhere. A camera? A film camera, with no film, but he hangs it around his neck anyways. Christmas ornaments- a tree topper, a mess of lights, baubles... He tosses the bauble up and down in his hands, glancing over at Maverick. ]

Batter up!

Mmmhm.

[That's what he thought. He's just someone around to be used when it's convenient.

His phone pics are pretty nice. Not award-winning, and without that unrestrained, joyful expression that the shots of Maverick had had, but he's working with what he's got.]

You're supposed to be the fucking batter, idiot.

[ He's happiest when he's just quietly doing his thing like this, but that's not what Maverick wants to capture- instead, it's this, right? The laugh that escapes Kano's throat as he holds his hand out for the bat, smile on his face that's the usual, rather than holding any particular joy. ]

Alright~ Go easy on me, okay? Trade you, trade you~

[ Here are the baubles. Give him a soft, underhand toss. ]

[It's not about what Maverick wants to see, even if big bright smiles are a language he understands better than quiet enjoyment. It's about making Ellie jealous so she'll hurry on up and get her ass back here. The variety is good...so he only pauses a second before offering the bat out.]

I'm not gonna throw it too close, or you'll find a way to jack up your face.

[The split second before he tosses one of the ornaments, he remembers.

He has The Worst Aim.]

-- shit. Sorry!

[ -—IS HE ACTUALLY BLIND

Kano had very little confidence that he could hit the ornament in the first place, but he reflexively stretches out to try to hit it, and as bad as Maverick's aim is, Kano's grip is weak and there goes the bat flying through the air- it misses the ornament, and also Maverick's face, but barely. ]

...That's a "bunt," right? It still counts??

[It’s a big anxious wave, going from being concerned about Kano, jerking out of the way so he doesn’t get his skull split open, and then the preemptive hostility when he thinks for a second that he’ll have to listen to Kano laugh at one of his many shortcomings, but. Ah.

Instead, he grins with a weak chuckle.]

Fucking good enough for me... Man, neither of us are gonna be on the team anytime soon, huh? Fuck.

Hm~ I think in baseball, pitchers who can do curveballs are the best? They're coveted~

[ Pitchers are supposed to have stupid unhittable throws, and Mav's wild throw is somewhere up there, Kano thinks as he picks up the ornament and then trots over to retrieve the bat and hope it didn't get bent out of shape too badly, or accidentally landed on a mouse or something. ]

Here, we'll do it like this. Tee-ball style~ Hold this, [ here's the bauble, ] arm straight out, and I'm going to smack it out of your hand.

[That's one way of looking at it...and no need to worry about the bat. It's seen better days, but it's been through much worse than someone letting go of it by accident.

Maverick takes the bauble on automatic, but he just laughs at the suggestion.]

You think I'm gonna fucking trust you won't take my hand off? Smash my teeth in? Come on, cricket, you know I'm smarter than that.

Aw, I was so sure we've built up that level of trust! Have we really not?! I'm kinda hurt??

[ They have not and Kano wasn't expecting otherwise, but he could still hope. ]

But alright, alright, I can still use these. Help me gather up a bunch of them, okay? The round ones, that are still intact, these'll be fun to play with later~

You're like a fucking magpie, you know that?

[Easy enough task, though... Certainly less dangerous for everyone.]

Haha, they're birds of fortune, aren't they? ...Or are those the birds that like shiny things?

[ He does like shiny things. ]

But it'll be fun, alright? So free up another day for me sometime! I think you'll like it! Just gotta get some supplies from outside, and they'll be ready to play with~

Shiny things.

[Maybe fortune, he doesn't know. Birds aren't his area of expertise.]

Make it a weekday and you got a deal. Shouldn't take too many days off from work.

[ Kano doesn't know much about birds either, except that ibis are going to die, or something. ]

Deal~ Weekdays are fine too!! But weren't we just doing weekends 'cause you got class? Here I was trying to be respectful of that!

[ It doesn't matter to Kano since all his days are free no matter what, but this would be great, now he can bother Maverick 5/7 days of the week with no repercussions. ]

You fucking have class, too, jackass.

[Just because you don't go doesn't mean it doesn't exist!!!]

But since I actually fucking go and I'm smart enough to do the homework blind, I can cut now and again. It's getting boring going every fucking day anyway, makes me remember why I used to skip.

You've been going every day?? Three whole months of that?!

[ HOW...... How do you go to class when you can't even get up at 6 in the morning, when do you find time to do homework, how do you sit in a classroom for 50 minutes a day without wanting to craw out of your skin, teach him your secrets. ]

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