Second Floor Common Room [Tuesday Afternoon]

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

The facts were these: Young Ned had found his way into the common room again after getting bored of his room. He'd come with the intention of baking and, yes, there was something cooking in the oven (but he wasn't going to just reveal his pie choice today).

There was something different about today. Today, Ned had the hiccups. Now, as a boy at Longburrow, he'd been made to just wait them out.

Now, without that supervision, he could try to get rid of them. So, he'd looked up some hiccup cures and was currently attempting to stand on his hand and recite the alphabet in the middle of the common room.

It wasn't working.

Yet.

[Open, of course!]

Comments

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Oh." He deflated just a bit. "I mean, I was just going to show you. Not give you first aid or anything. I don't know first aid. I don't know second aid either."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"I dunno what second aid is, but I mean, you don't got to get them," she said quickly. "I mean, if you wanna show me, okay! But you don't have to worry 'bout it. You worry a lot."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"No, I just wanted to show you what they looked like," he said, wiggling his fingers, again, out of nervousness. "I can show you later. It's no problem. I'm not worrying."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"You're all twitchy," she noted.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I twitch all the time," he said, trying to force his hands to stay still. "I can't help it. Sometimes it's nerves. But it's a habit too."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"So is it just habit right now?" she asked curiously.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

He frowned and shoved his hands under his arms. "No."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

Kaylee smiled, tilting her head at him. "Why're you nervous?"

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," he admitted, shaking his head. "Because of bandaids?"

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

Kaylee nodded seriously. "Those are real nervousifying."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

He made a face and shook his head. No retort came to that so he crawled over to check on the pie in the oven. It'd be no good if it burned.

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"What're you making?" she asked, slightly worried that the teasing wasn't welcome today.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Another pie," he said, checking his watch to see how long said pie had been in the oven. "I was bored."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"What kind?" she asked, resting her chin on her knees.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Sweet potato," he said, tapping on the glass to the oven door just to give himself something to do with hands that didn't want to stay still.

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"...you made a pie of of potatoes?" she asked, confused.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"It's a different kind of potato," he explained. "It's sweet. It's not like mashed potatoes or baked potatoes."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"I don't think I ever had one," she said, eyes wide.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Everything makes me nervous," he said, keeping his eyes on the oven. "I don't do it for attention or anything like that. It's just...how I am. Band aids can make me nervous. I get nervous around people."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"I didn't think you did it for attention," she said quickly, shaking her head vehemently. "I just didn't want to be the one makin' you nervous."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"You make me nervous for different reasons," he said, picking at his sweater. "Sometimes it's embarrassing, though. I don't touch people. Often. I don't make connections. I don't know how. Worrying goes hand in hand with that. It's new."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"Is there somethin' I could do different?" she asked worriedly.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"...you want...different?" he asked, frowning. He hadn't made himself clear and she didn't know but that still made him internally frown. "What do you want to do differently?"

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"To make you less nervous. I could tease you less?" she offered. "And the touching thing -- it don't matter to me. I mean, I don't think about it but I could try to make sure not to touch you?"

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"No, that's just it." He shook his head and tucked himself into as small a ball as he could. Being honest and open like this was overrated. "It's that...I like that. When you do it."