fandomtownies | Luke's Diner; Sunday [ 03/09 ]

Because they pay him for something, right?

Ino came in, saw him, and crossed her arms. "Okay," she said firmly, "you look like you need a hug. Or five."

A.J. gawked a bit. That had to be at least a record in mood-based attitude adjustment. And then he stopped gawking, shut his jaw into a frown and muttered, "No I don't," while he went to go get his things for milkshake making. Ino, he decided, was getting a milkshake whether she wanted one or not. She was going to be stubborn at him, he could just tell, and so he had to be stubborn about something back.

"Yes, you do," Ino said, moving over to the counter, "and this counter is not a deterrent for me if you continue to deny sense and let me hug you."

She would go over the counter if she had to.

"No, I don't," A.J. insisted. "But you need a milkshake, and you shouldn't interrupt people trying to make you milkshakes."

...

Ino blinked. "I wasn't aware I needed a milkshake." Pause. "And you're not getting out of a hug that easily!"

"Well, if I need a hug, then you need a milkshake," A.J. reasoned, opening up the door to the ice cream freezer a little too hard before going to scoop some out. "In fact, how about this? You agree to have a milkshake, you'll drink the milkshake, and then we'll see if you still think I need a hug when you're done."

She frowned at him. "I still think you need a hug right now."

"Can't hug now," A.J. said. "Working."

He stared at the cup with the ice cream a moment.

"Any particular flavor?"

"You decide," Ino sighed, leaning against the counter and fixing him with a steady gaze, "since you're the one that decided I needed a milkshake in the first place."

"Well, you're the one who decided I needed a hug," A.J. countered simply as he put together just a nice, simple strawberry shake. "How come you can go around saying who needs hugs and what-not, but I can't go around saying who needs milkshakes?"

"Because I said so," Ino retorted, "and hugs are warm and comforting while milkshakes are cold and fattening. Different categories altogether."

"But they taste better than a hug does," A.J. offered.

"Only because you can't eat a hug." Edible hugs? That'd be beyond weird.

"I think a milkshake for a hug isn't too bad a deal," A.J. continued lightly as he started to move toward the blender. "I mean, you don--"

The sound of the blender, as always, buried anything else he was saying until he finished.

"--at anyway, with all that training you do, so no complaints."

And he set the milkshake in front of Ino with a light, weary sort of smile.

The fact that she could almost guess how he'd got from start to finish even without being able to hear him made her smile slightly.

"I've always got complaints," she said lightly, taking the milkshake with one hand and having her other hand reach out to try and touch his, "but if you say so, then I won't complain about this milkshake." He was still getting a hug though.

It would only be fair. That was part of the deal, after all. A.J. smiled a little lightly with a nod at her agreement to no complaints (...about the milkshake, anyway), and leaned his elbows on the counter. "Besides," he offered lightly, "you didn't look like you came in here looking for a hug; the whole hug thing seemed entirely incidental."

"Well, no," she said, "I came in here to see a friend, you, and thought you really needed a hug. So, not really incidental, but a bit."

A.J.'s head ducked a little, a small expression to say that he could agree with that transition of events. "So, what's up? Anything else I can get you besides a forced milkshake?"

"I'm fine with the milkshake, thanks. There's lots of things up in Ino-land," she said, "but I'm not sure you're in the right mood to hear about them. So really, I should be asking you what's up?"

She took a sip of her milkshake. Mmmm. Strawberry.

"I don't know," A.J. said. "Hearing about someone else's problems instead of thinking about my own might do me some good."

Ino tilted her head at him. "I never said that most of what's up with me was problematic though," she pointed out, "there's a few things, yeah, but I don't tend to brood on them."

Unless she had nothing else to do.

"Okay, true, you didn't," A.J. agreed, "but if they're good things, then I don't want to hear about them, because I like you, Ino, and I don't want to totally hate your guts today."

OMFG, I just woke up like an hour ago. *headthunk*

Talk to A.J. -- 03/09

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Mod your Service -- 03/09

OOC -- 03/09