OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
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ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
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FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
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outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
The pandemic has really put a damper on a lot of things. Things even like going for a simple drive to a nature area and having lunch. That was probably one of the things that Jasper missed the most. His classic Chevy Impala was started to get a layer of dust on it. He was not thrilled about it, not even in the little bit. There were days where he would wipe down the car when his customer base had dwindled. Too many long hours, or days, in between work. Being a mechanic meant that people had to be out driving their cars to notice their issues. But there had been a dramatic decrease in traffic, which meant he slowed down.
And his 'family', or at least the ones that took him in, had moved away from the area. He stuck behind to keep the shop going, for those who were essential workers and still needed the work done. Which in a way, made him an essential. Kind of a funny thought when the other essential jobs were from people trying to save others. Or corrupt ones trying to do harm to others. The thought alone could make his blood boil. But he wouldn't linger on it long. Instead he decided to grab his freshly made peanut butter and jelly sandwich and the keys of his car. Today he'd take a drive.
He refused to have another lunch locked in the warehouse like shop. So he took a drive to a local park. Enjoying the breeze with the windows down and the purr of the engine. The park was closed, having police tape up to try and detour people from going into it. But that didn't stop the large man from lifting the tape and ducking under it. He made his way over to the bench and plopped down on the top of it, his feet dangling on the floor, considering the man towered over six feet and his legs were longer than some people stood tall.
Even though it was just a simple PB&J, he truly enjoyed it as he watched the wildlife that went by. Nothing grand or spectacular, but a few squirrels chased each other. He heard birds chirping and saw them duck into the grass ever so often, probably chasing a worm or bug to eat. A few different insects, like butterflies and dragonflies skipped across the blades of grass. It was peaceful. It was completely different than what was happening in the concrete world behind him. The one that he would be driving back into way too quickly.
As he headed back to the locked up shop, he spotted someone peering in the window of the front office. As he pulled in front of one of the closed garage bays, he got out of his car and looked over the top of the impala, one leg on the concrete outside of his car door. "Hey there," His deep voice called out, "Can I help you with something?"
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
It was a rare morning when she didn't have something to do. Especially since the pandemic began, it felt like every waking moment she spent on her job or on avoiding social contact. So when she finally found herself a free day, she let herself sleep in before Stitch finally coerced her out of bed with a few well-placed kisses. Ezra ran through her morning routine, showering and getting dressed before taking Stitch out on a well-deserved walk. By the time she got home, it was nearly eleven. She locked her apartment up and decided to go out for a ride - she had a dinged up, old Harley that she'd bought before moving to Lethford. Her getaway vehicle. Ezra slipped her riding gloves on her hands and mounted the bike. It started with a grumbling cough, which Ezra did her best to ignore.
Taking off, Ezra avoided the main roads - even though they were probably just as empty as they always were, those were the same roads that she often saw the most patrols on. Though they weren't being forced to stay in their homes just yet, Ezra didn't really want to deal with some bored military personnel who decided today was the day to start problems. For the most part, Ezra had been successful in avoiding any kind of confrontation over being out and about during a quarantine. Luckily, as a journalist, her job as a news reported was considered essential enough that as soon as she informed anyone, they generally left her alone.
Instead, Ezra rode out on back roads and towards the edge of town, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair and against her face. She didn't wear a helmet, never had, and the most she wore were a simple pair of sunglasses to protect her eyes. Surprisingly, she felt like a different person when she was out on a ride - a more peaceful person. She'd never ridden a bike before she bought the one she had now, and that was just days before she left home for good. It was a learning curve, and she had had plenty of bad falls. She took the necessary precautions by wearing a leather jacket and good quality denim jeans, but the helmet had never been something she considered. Ezra just didn't care enough to bother with one, and she felt much too confined when she wore one.
Her peaceful ride was interrupted as the bike shuddered beneath her, the engine's usual roar gurgling for a moment before returning to it's usual rhythm. 'Couldn't hurt to swing by a shop.' She mused, heading back into the city. She'd seen one shop on her way out, so she stopped at it when she happened upon it again. Parked the bike and threw her frizzy hair back into a messy ponytail. Only, as she approached the front door, she saw that it was dark and the door was locked. Sighing, she peered into the shop to see if maybe she could see someone inside, and as she did so she heard a vehicle approach. Turning, she first appreciated the vehicle the man was partially out of. Definitely impressive. Focusing her attention on the man who was speaking to her, Ezra gestured over her shoulder to the bike. "I was out for a ride, and the bike sounds like it's on it's last leg. I was hoping to find someone open and willing to take a look at it." She explained, going back over towards her bike so that she was closer to an escape route, just in case. Ezra gave the man a stern once over with her gaze, as if he might be wearing a sign that said "hey, I'm a criminal!" on it. "You work here?"
tag: @ezra | OOC: my muse will pick up i swear. jasper is just new to me lol
Jasper decided quickly that he liked this one. Her stern look at him as she seemed to map out an escape route, but she didn’t back down from speaking to him. And he hadn’t even fully come to height yet. His long hair was down, cascading over his shoulders in a mix of blonde and brown waves. He didn’t do much besides wash and brush it, but sometimes it looked nice. If not, it was quickly pulled back in a, what was now being called, man bun. God he really hated that, but it seemed to be the normal term now a days. Why couldn't he just pull it back out of his face?
Had he thought about cutting it? Sure. But he had it so short for so long during his time served that he wanted the growth. It was different and he enjoyed it. Hell some women did to, so it helped the case on that end. Not that it had been a particular concern as of lately. He let his eyes land over on her vehicle. A motorcycle to be exact.
"You work here?"
At that note, he got out of the Impala fully, extending to his towering height of six foot seven. He shut the door to the black vehicle as he walked around and towards her. Maybe he wanted to see her get nervous. Maybe he had forgotten how to act properly from the lack of normal customers coming into the shop. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, stopping a few feet from her, near the closest garage bay. He swooped down and unlocked the lock. With a grip from both hands he pulled the bay open and gave it a shove to full open the shop. He shot her a wicked grin. "Does that answer your question?"
Jasper made quick work of going back to the impala and pulling it into the garage before turning it off and heading back towards her and her motorcycle. "How long have you had it? And what sounds was it making to make you feel like it's on its last leg?" He stopped in front of the two wheeler before he looked back at the small blonde. "Mind if I touch it? Or do you want to pull her into the shop?" He might be a big man, but he had some manners. Ask permission before he just started handling peoples things.
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
'Delightful, he's a giant.' Was all Ezra could think as she watched the massive man uncoil from his vehicle like a snake stretching to it's full size. The man had to be at least a whole foot taller than she was, and as he stepped out of the vehicle and began a slow, silent approach, she felt every muscle in her body tighten with anticipation. She kept her gaze locked on him, but she didn't give him any ground as he stooped down to unlock the garage bay. And then he had the audacity to flash her a grin and hammer his point home with a witty reply. She gave him an appraising look, the edges of her mouth curving into a crooked smirk. "Certainly does." Her muscles slowly relaxed as he went to pull his vehicle into the garage before coming back to her.
His question made her face scrunch up in thought, as if she had to dig back through her memories to get the answers. "'Bout three years, but when I bought her it was from an older guy who hadn't touched her in years. So I've already gotten her fixed up once. The sound is kind of like...like the engine is clogged, I guess?" As the man stopped in front of her bike, she got to experience what young children must experience when they looked up at grown ups. He wasn't just bigger than her, he towered, it felt like. And though he seemed fairly harmless, his sheer size was definitely intimidating. "If we were discussing a living being, I'd say she's got a bad cough. And it's not just noises, it felt like it vibrated through the entire bike when it made the sound." Ezra felt a pang of guilt - she should have been getting the bike checked more regularly, but she was often so exhausted after a long day at work that heading out to a mechanic wasn't high on her priority list. But the bike had become important to her, sentimental if you will, and she should have cared for it like it meant as much as it did.
The next request knocked her out of her self-guilt session, and she responded by pushing the kickstand back and throwing her leg over the bike. "I'll pull her in, and then you can touch it." This comment was accompanied by a coy smirk thrown in his direction as she started the bike, which thankfully roared to life beautifully. Angling around the tree of a man, Ezra gently directed her bike into the garage, easing to a stop next to the impala. Disembarking the bike, she put the kickstand back with the toe of her boot before turning her attention back to the man, holding the key out to him. "She's all yours. Mind if I stick around and watch you work? I've been trying to get a better understanding of bikes so I can do some stuff on my own."
Jasper Covington - AND NOW SHE'S SHAMELESSLY FLIRTING BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IT BE SOMETIMES
Jasper watched her with blue eyes as she explained what was going on her with bike. By the looks of it, she had been keeping up with it appearance wise. And he could feel her gaze on him. It wasn't something he was found weird anymore, being as large as he was, you kind of get used to being stared at. But he couldn't help himself, he peeked over at her as she looked up at him. She was so small compared to him and it was quite adorable. Made him almost want to reach over and rough up her hair. He had a feeling she would go into full on 'I'm not little!' mode and try to argue the case.
But he kept his hands to himself as he waited for her to give the okay on handling her bike. What he wasn't ready for, was her little witty comment.
"I'll pull her in, and then you can touch it."
A bark of laughter came out of him. She knew what she did, that smirk thrown in his direction was all too knowing. "Be careful little one," he found himself telling her as she pulled the bike inside the shop. He followed behind her, turning a switch as he walked in the door that lit up the inside of the large warehouse. An office with an apartment above it was to their right and more bays to work on cars to the left. There was a supply room she could probably see a little into near the center of all the bays, and what she wouldn't see was the area he had made to hide others from authorities.
As she unmounted the bike and asked about hanging around, he shrugged. Thankfully no one was hiding in the back currently, and it had been momentarily quiet lately. So he didn't worry about the few that used him showing up. "Sure thing. Just don't break anything," he said as a joke, cause if anyone was breaking things around there, it was him. He pushed a seat towards her that had wheels, made it easy for mechanics to scoot around quickly. And when you were as tall as him, they were amazing when working on smaller vehicles or motorcycles like this one.
He took a seat and motioned her closer to him as he started pulling a few tools over to the bike and popped started removing a few things. "Not a lot of women pick motorcycles, " Jasper found himself commenting as he put things aside that were in his way of inspecting other things. "So what made you pick one or a jeep or convertible?" Those were the usual choices that he had women pick if they just wanted the wind in their hair.
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
"Be careful little one."
She felt a thrill run through her as she caught those words, even over the grumble of her bike. Cutting the engine, she didn't bother responding - she had a feeling that arguing with the little pet name would only get his engine going, and she really was trying to focus on getting her bike fixed. Well, at least mostly. It certainly wasn't her fault that he was handsome and sassy, which were two things she liked most in her men. His next words, however, coerced a shock of laughter past her lips. Her? Break things? It would be oh-too-easy to respond with flirtations, but she just shook her head at him.
"I won't touch a thing. I don't make enough to reimburse have the equipment in here." She responded, waving her hand in the general area of the shop they were in. Heck - his car was more than she probably made in six months. Ezra was still trying to stop herself from drooling over it. There wasn't much that got her interested, but a classic vehicle like that? She wanted to take it for a drive, but she was pretty certain he was the kind of guy who loved his vehicle, so she didn't even bother wasting energy on that idea.
She accepted the seat he offered, and couldn't resist pushing herself across the space to him, letting the wheels do the leg work. Coming to a halt at his side, she watched him start working on her bike, and kept her gaze on what his hands were doing even as he began speaking again. Questions. But moderately safe ones, at least. Ezra scrunched her nose and glanced up into his gaze. "If I was going to spend money on a vehicle, it wouldn't be either of those two. What kind of girls live in this city?" She asked, directing the conversation into safe banter. Ezra had never been a fan of questions - how did one even enjoy talking about their past? And the reason she'd gotten the bike was because she was so desperate to just escape that she'd taken all of the money she had saved and bought the best thing she could afford. Any car she could have afforded would have been in much worse condition than the bike was, and even still the bike had required work to get into good condition. Turning her focus back to the work he was doing - because extended eye contact made her uncomfortable - her expression was thoughtful for a moment. "Dream car: 1970 Dodge Challenger." She had always liked the older muscle cars - the boxy bodies and the dangerous sex appeal they offered up.
"I won't touch a thing. I don't make enough to reimburse have the equipment in here."
A deep chuckle came from him as she waved her small hand around his shop. Even though it wasn't truly his, he considered it his own in a way. He knew that it all looked fancy and nice, even if there were grease stains on the concrete below them. "I couldn't afford to replace half the things in here. But I am sure we could work something out to pay off your debt." He kept his eyes on the bike in front of him, but the smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of his mouth. He was going to enjoy teasing her. Though she started it earlier. So he would blame this on her if she brought it up. "What do you do?" He thought to ask after the fact, but he was curious now.
As she slid her seat into the space next to him, he slowed his movements, listening to her retort on the girls around their parts. "Not all of them can have good taste in cars, little one. Or else men would really be thrown out of their element." He teased, his hands pulling apart one part and let out a small cuss as liquid that shouldn't be there started leaking out. He whipped a rag from the station on his side and caught the majority of it before it hit the ground. "Lesson here, this should not have oil in it as much as it does. Which means you have a leak somewhere." He slowly removed the rag, making sure that it was done pushing out the liquid before he started a closer inspection.
"Dream car: 1970 Dodge Challenger."
He raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her at that point. Normally if someone was trying to just say something to impress him, it was like 'oh a classic mustang' or something along those lines. Clearly not really versed in the car world. Though a challenger wasn't a unique car, it was a specific year that caught his attention. "The only way that one is acceptable is if it's a semi." He commented, pushing his chair back as he grabbed another tool before he slid back to his spot. Possibly getting a little closer than before to her. But it was more to see if she'd squirm away from him. His build was intimidating sometimes. And he liked seeing how others responded to him sometimes.
Jasper nodded towards his Impala. "That's my dream car. And she didn't always look like that. Lots of hours went into her, all spent well for the way she purrs now." He explained, blue eyes glancing over at her. "So your little Dodge Challenger doesn't even come close to her." He challenged.
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
"I couldn't afford to replace half the things in here. But I am sure we could work something out to pay off your debt."
She hadn't flirted with someone like this in ages - and the most recent time was just so she could get some information for a story. It was relaxing, because it didn't feel like some kind of interrogation. A lot of people these days didn't know when to keep their nose out of other peoples' business, but she liked that he was perfectly content to trade witty flirtations back and forth more than he was interested in picking her apart. Ezra certainly wasn't mad at an attractive guy flinging flirty comments her way, either. "Oh, I'm sure. You look like someone with a very active imagination." She replied, fighting to keep her smirk from growing into a grin. She hadn't had this much fun at a mechanic's shop before. Though her mechanics had never looked quite like this, either. His next question was to be expected, the usual polite banter between strangers. "I'm a journalist for the Lethford Daily. Nothing too exciting." She replied, shrugging her shoulders.
As she sat next to him and he started to work, his next words made her tilt her head at him with a quizzical expression. "Have you ever met someone shorter than you that enjoys being called little one?" She asked, though her smirk and tone conveyed that she wasn't quite as annoyed as she was presenting herself to be. "But I do appreciate you acknowledging the fact that I have good taste in vehicles, so I'll let it slide. And, for future reference, my name is Ezra." A tiny part of her wanted to point out that she wasn't that much shorter than him, but then he might be tempted to stand up and prove it, and that wouldn't end well. She might have continued to tease him, but the next thing she knew, there was liquid - oil? - coming out of a compartment. He was quicker in reaction time than she was, because all she could do was stare at the devolving situation as he hurried to stop the mess.
"Lesson here, this should not have oil in it as much as it does. Which means you have a leak somewhere."
Frowning at her bike as if it was responsible for it's current status, she watched him continuing to work. Mostly she was just hoping this wasn't going to be an insanely expensive bill. A leak could be an easy fix, or much worse. Thankfully, he broke her thoughts by commenting on her dream car statement, and she smiled, shrugging a shoulder slightly. "If I were picking for raw power, it probably would be a different car." She responded, not oblivious to the fact that he was now closer than he was a moment ago. Which really proved just how much shorter she was than him, as she lifted her chin slightly to look up into his glance, the faint smile on her mouth turning into a smirk as he talked about his vehicle - which of course, as a typical male, ended with him challenging her pick. She let out a surprise of laughter, shaking her head. "That's going to be really embarrassing for you when I smoke your ass with my little Challenger." Ezra shot back confidently. She pretended to inspect his Impala for a moment, before returning her gaze to him. "You sure you even know how to handle her correctly?" She asked smoothly, raising a challenging brow.
“Oh, I'm sure. You look like someone with a very active imagination.”
He couldn’t stop the wicked grin that found its way onto his face. Normally he was untrusting of new people. He would be polite but tiptoeing around topics and not really letting them in. But this little blonde had him intrigued, even during this pandemic where really he should be telling her to wait inside the waiting room under his apartment of sorts. Keeping a spacial distance between them, all that jazz. But instead, he was practically shoulder to shoulder with the woman and letting her into his workspace. Which he didn’t even want to think about the legal issues that could arise if she was to get hurt. “I was never good at art. But I am great with my hands and listen to coaching well.” he joked. He didn’t look over to her after he said it, just because he knew he might laugh or possibly make a stupid move.
As she mentioned she was a journalist, he almost felt his mind smack him. Not too exciting his ass. He glanced at her very quickly before he was back to the engine in front of him. She had a way of speaking, a way of asking questions to found out the truth that was underneath. She’d probably be persistent and not willing to back down from a challenge either. Nor would she give up if she got the wind of something good. A good journalist had to have those things. He was sure about that. Which meant she was either one of two things to him; a threat or possibly very useful. She might have information from the inside of things that a normal civilian might not know. Though she’d also have the resources to bleed him dry if he was caught on her bad side. This gave him a very interesting situation outside of the fact that he was attracted to her.
“It sounds more exciting than sitting in a garage all day and fixing engines.” He told her, leaning back a bit to put something down before he wheeled himself back into place next to her. He chuckled lightly as she went on giving him a hard time about him calling her little one. A soft shrug of his shoulders came before he answered, “I feel like you enjoyed it when I first called you that. So yes.” He gave her a knowing look. Challenging her to tell him differently. “Ezra. Well, I can’t promise I won’t call you little one. But it’s nice to meet you officially.” He wiped his hand off on his jeans and offered it for her to shake. He was also a bit curious how small her hand would be in his. “Jasper.”
“If I were picking for raw power, it probably would be a different car.”
At that comment, he felt like maybe, just maybe he was about to feel like a jerk for what he said. And he couldn’t help the next words out of his mouth even if he wanted to. “Then why did you pick it?” It wasn’t a tease or a joust. It was a curious question that he actually wanted to know from her. He looked down at her, their gazes locked as she seemed to find his comment about his car that amusing. He had a feeling she was going to have a witty little comment back for him. And he wasn’t disappointed as she started off with how embarrassed he’d be. He gave her an ‘oh really’ look, brows raised high in a challenge. And then she hit him with the question that just about booted him in the rear.
“You sure you even know how to handle her correctly?”
His first thought was how he was going to prove her so wrong. Whether he meant from the driver's seat or by picking her up and dragging her up the set of stairs behind him, he wasn’t quite sure. But he contained himself, knowing he was more of a gentleman than that. At least for the time being. “Oh sweet little Ezra. Trust me, I know how to handle her perfectly.” He said, moving to pull apart a few more pieces of her engine and start cleaning them off, his eyes inspecting the parts as he went for anything that gave away what was happening. “If you really think you could do much better, if you ask nicely, I may just let you show me how to handle her.” His blue eyes looking above the part in front of him to lock eyes on to her. Would the challenge be accepted?
“I was never good at art. But I am great with my hands and listen to coaching well.”
Ezra felt a laugh bubble up from her chest and couldn't stop it from escaping from between her lips. It was a genuine laugh - it had been a very long time before she felt so at ease talking to someone. There were very few people she knew that she actually enjoyed spending time around, and this encounter was quickly climbing the ranks. He wasn't only just nice to look at, but the way he took everything she threw at him and dished it right back to her was simply...attractive. She could feel anticipation building in her bones, crackling between their nearly-touching shoulders. She was suddenly hyper aware of how his hands moved as he methodically worked over her bike's engine. She didn't try to hide the fact that her gaze was raking over his every move, letting her gaze slowly wander over his arms, to his shoulders, and finally resting on his face.
“It sounds more exciting than sitting in a garage all day and fixing engines.”
His words snapped her out of her thoughts, which allowed her to realize that she was leaning into the conversation and additionally - into him. As if he had some sort of gravitational pull. Admonishing herself, she eased back on her stool and let her gaze flick over to her bike, trying to look interested in what he was doing. As a matter of fact, very little of her attention was actually on what he was doing. She'd already lost most of what he'd done since the discovery of the leak. But if he tried to tease her about that, she decided she would just blame that on him. "Honestly, sometimes I'd prefer to be doing work like this. It's exhausting interacting with people sometimes." Ezra responded, forcing herself to cool down. She'd barely known him for what? An hour? And she was ready to jump him right here in the garage.
The challenge that followed about the nickname he'd chosen for her made her gaze find it's way back to his face. Her lips parted to retort, to defend herself, and then she lost her train of thought as his lips formed her name. Oh. She liked the way he said her name. She shook her head, smirking as she looked back to the bike. Clearly the bike was their safe space, because if she wasn't staring at it like it would save her life, he was. When he offered his hand, she found herself staring at it for a moment, as if it might bite her. She was certain that physical contact was a horrible idea, but she still reached out to take his hand. Which, of course, dwarfed hers. He was warm, and thankfully not clammy. And of course the moment she felt her hand enveloped in his, her heart decided this was the time to start trying to escape from her chest. That anticipation came back full blow, and her gaze flicked up to meet his. She gave him a slow, burning smile. "Jasper, huh?" She piped up, releasing his hand and trying to look like she wasn't on edge. "I like it. It suits you." She tacked on, nodding her head in approval.
“Then why did you pick it?”
Inhaling like it took a lot of effort to gather the answer to that question, Ezra let out a soft sigh and shook her head, smiling ruefully. "My dad was a military guy. So when he was home, his time was spent in the garage." She said, though part of her brain was still trying to figure out why she was sharing this info. With a practical stranger, no less. Maybe it was because it felt like she might never see him again, so maybe being a little open was okay. Or maybe it was because she felt woozy from the whiplash of their conversation - one moment ready to ravish him, and the next being thrown into her daddy issues. What a hoot. "If I didn't go in there and help him out, I didn't get to see him. He drove a truck usually, when he was home. But he had an old, beat up Challenger that my grandpa had owned before him. I was helping him restore it." She hesitated, then scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "Well, I was really good at handing him tools, at least." She quipped, already trying to clear the air with humor. Brush the feelings under the rug and carry on - that was how she coped.
The electricity that crackled between them suddenly surged in power as he responded to her teasing. As he spoke, chills ran down her spine and she suddenly felt like she was half way to sprinting for the door and half way to throwing herself into his arms. The thought almost made her start laughing, but then his gaze lifted to hers.
“If you really think you could do much better, if you ask nicely, I may just let you show me how to handle her.”
Ezra was pretty certain the oxygen in the garage was just gone. She stared back into his blue eyes and considered her options. Screw it. Ezra thought, leaning in ever so slightly. Her gaze remained locked with his, and she let a slow, suggestive smile slide onto her face. ”How nicely do I need to ask?”
“Honestly, sometimes I'd prefer to be doing work like this. It's exhausting interacting with people sometimes.”
He chuckled. He understood that on a level. Back before the pandemic, he was the man behind the scenes. Just the mountain that moved in the shop and actually worked on the cars that people would get a look at through a window or when he dropped off keys back into the office when things were done. Mostly because he didn’t like being stared at with wide eyes or hearing ‘how's the weather up there?’ Or some other lame thing that he has heard a thousand times already. Now that the family left and he was the only one there? Well, he is both the face and the hands of the shop. “Sometimes. But every so often they will take you by surprise.”
Kind of like how she did with him. He normally would push people off but this fiery blonde was able to snatch his attention and he was rolling with it. And boy did he like the look that crossed her face when he said her name. And her hand was just as he pictured it, small, soft against his calloused one. Warm without causing discomfort or wet from being clammy. He was glad that the feeling was mutual because when his name rolled off her tongue, he felt like she kicked him in the rear. He released her hand and gave her a small shrug from one of his shoulders. “Glad it pleases you my lady,” he joked. It wasn’t like he had a choice in his name, it was something given to him a long time ago. Though he definitely didn’t feel like another name fit him any better. He didn’t look like a Michael or Derek. Jasper was something he felt like fit him well.
When he asked his question, he was expecting her to fire off with how much better the car looked or some movie that she had seen it in where it was a badass car. He had expected something simple and witty or easy to go off on. What he hadn’t prepared for, was the explanation that it was her father's car. Was, being the keyword in the sentence that let him know that the man wasn’t around anymore and that this was all from a fond memory of the man. Well didn’t that just make him feel like a giant jerk. Go ahead and get the stamp of ‘jackass’ and stamp it to his forehead now. He focused his eyes back on the work in front of them. When she stopped talking, he wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Sorry,” he apologized lightly for the way that he talked about it. Or perhaps about the thought of her losing someone close to her like that as well. All of it? Yeah, all of it. He was sorry.
“I didn’t realize it was more than just a pretty car.” He pressed on. He wasn’t really sure how to recover from it now and he fell silent for a moment between this and her taunting him about handling his car. When his response was out, and his eyes locked onto her face, he had to fight the urge to smirk at her. Though his eyes wandered over her as she leaned towards him. He couldn’t help it as he took in the curve of her body as she popped out a question that was going to get them both into some trouble if he let it get carried away. Like he really wanted to.
“How nicely do I need to ask?”
Jasper met her head-on, placing down the part that was in his hands on the tools that he had beside him. His arms shot out and grabbed either side of the seat under her, hands grazing the sides of her hips as he pulled her closer to him. He spread his legs so her knees would hit the seat between them, signaling they were as close as they could get at the moment. “You seem to be pretty smart. Why not ask nicely and find out?” He didn’t invade her space any more than pulling her close to him. He sat up straight, still towering over her even when he was sitting down. Though that had more to do with the fact that she was sitting as well.
The reason he didn’t lean into her, to give her easy access to his face was because he liked the crackling anticipation between them. And if he leaned towards her any bit, he might grasp her face and ravish her mouth with his. But he had a bit more manners than that. He’d at least like to buy the girl some food first before he did anything of that sort. “She’s probably going to be in the shop for a few days until I can get the right parts. Maybe I can treat you to lunch or dinner one day while we wait for them?” Yes, he was asking her out in his own, semi-awkward way. He didn’t do this regularly and wasn’t exactly the smoothest talker when it came to being serious and not teasing. But he was shooting his shot.
“Sometimes. But every so often they will take you by surprise.”
Ezra's smile softened at that statement. Most of the time she didn't give people the chance to surprise her - she knew that about herself. Knew she didn't want to let people peek under the mask. It made her uncomfortable to be under the magnifying glass. But she was definitely pleasantly surprised by Jasper. Looking at him, you would expect some gruff, maybe sexist, rough around the edges type. But he was actually making her laugh, which was a rare thing. She was at ease, and most definitely feeling attraction to him. His response to her approval of his name made her chuckle, and she waved a hand in the air flippantly. "Anything to please the menfolk." She replied breezily, ignoring the parts of her thoughts that looked down on the silliness. It was nice to let loose; she so often kept herself bottled up. So what if she wanted to flirt and be stupid for a little while?
And then, of course, she had to go and spill the beans about her father. “I didn’t realize it was more than just a pretty car.” Jasper was saying, and Ezra smiled broadly, shaking her head as if the action would erase any awkward silence. This was why she kept her past to herself. "Don't be sorry, it was a long time ago. I'm pretty sure I've got a really good chance at becoming some comic book super hero, honestly." She joked, her dark humor rearing it's head in the face of the silence. Ezra couldn't help it - she hated these too real moments. She hated facing the things that she preferred to keep out of sight. Ezra was relieved when the anticipation of his reaction to her challenge broke up the hard silence in the room.
She was not, however, prepared for him to grab her chair and pull her in. Without thinking, her hands came up to steady herself, which unfortunately due to their height levels meant she had two handfuls of solid chest. And boy was he solid. As soon as she felt the warmth of him through his shirt, she realized what she was doing and dropped her hands into her lap as if they had spontaneously caught fire. Almost infuriatingly, she had to look up slightly to meet his gaze as he spoke.
“You seem to be pretty smart. Why not ask nicely and find out?”
For the first time in a long time, Ezra was gobsmacked. Very few men took charge with her; potentially because she was always the aggressor when it came to flirting, or perhaps because they viewed her as fragile due to her small stature. She found herself waiting for him to kiss her, and then her thoughts went even further into that fantasy. She almost missed his next words she was so lost in her growing attraction to the man before her.
"...treat you to lunch or dinner one day while we wait for them?”
Snapping from her day dream, Ezra cleared her throat, drawing on all of her focus to pull a smirk onto her face. "I feel I should warn you that I don't eat salads." She responded, the tight coil of her anticipation relaxing slightly. The joking words were a stalling tactic - Ezra had never gone on a serious date. She'd never even been asked out other than when men mention grabbing a drink. "But I'm sure my dog won't mind eating dinner alone. When do you want to go?" Ezra asked, feeling a flutter in her chest. She didn't make any attempt to distance herself from him, wanting to feel his hands graze her hips one more time. She had to mentally slap herself from falling into another fantasy.
"A few days in the shop sounds expensive." She said, her tone nonchalant, but her gaze mischievous.
"Don't be sorry, it was a long time ago. I'm pretty sure I've got a really good chance at becoming some comic book super hero, honestly."
Even though she joked about it, he was sure that it still hurt. And that having some random guy you just met poke fun at something that was attached to good memories didn't make it easier. Hell, he was sure that he wouldn't have handled it as smoothly as she did. Jasper had to admire that about her. Though it also made him think that maybe during actual times of distress that she might hide behind that same dark humor. "Only if you get great superpowers." He joked back lightly at her.
And then he was pulling her in. Her small hands landing on his chest made the breath come out of his lungs in a hurry. He liked the way that they rested there, and all too quickly she pulled away from him. As if he was on fire. Which he certainly felt that way now that she was nice and close to him. She looked surprised by his actions, which is what he was trying to do. And he was further drawn in by her by the fact that she didn't try to place any distance between the two. Even when he started talking about taking her out on a date. Like he was some respectable gentleman.
"I feel I should warn you that I don't eat salads."
Jasper shrugged a shoulder and lifted a dark eyebrow at her. "Well thats good, the place I want to bring you doesn't serve those." He tossed back at her. Not that there was anything wrong with salads. Hell, every so often he enjoyed one. But at least he now knew she wasn't a vegetarian or vegan or anything like that. Meaning safe bets for being able to offer her a date that he was thinking about. Especially now that he insulted her about the whole dad's car thing.
When she asked him when, and mentioned having a dog, he perked up a little bit. "Maybe the dog can come along." He offered, a small smile on his face. He didn't have any pets of his own but he enjoyed them when he could. "Well, I can get an order in for parts today, but it probably won't be filled until tomorrow. So depending on availability of them and shipping times during this time... it could be a few days before I can have this girl out of the shop." He patted her bike lightly on its side, as if it was a stead of its own.
He wiped his hands clean on his jeans before he reached into a pocket and pulled out his phone. With a quick swipe of his finger, he unlocked it and opened the contacts area, handing it to her. "If you put your info in, I can call you when things are in. And we can work out the cost later. In the meantime, you can text me and we will set up a date." He kept saying the word date, and even though it was an odd thing, he felt excitement stir in his chest. It had been a while, and he didn't mind the idea of dressing somewhat nice for her and trying his luck at charming her.
So far it didn't seem like he was doing such a bad job at it. Jasper decided then to lean down to her just a little, a teasing smile on his face as he looked into her eyes. "So is that a yes, you will go out on a date with me?"
"Well thats good, the place I want to bring you doesn't serve those."
The fact that he could keep up with her humor and sarcasm were definitely points in his favor. A solid back and forth chemistry was a must to keep Ezra interested. Somehow she'd found a guy that checked all of the boxes. And then he followed this up with suggesting Stitch come along, and she couldn't help but offer a genuine smile in response. "He'd probably enjoy that." She conceded, listening to him explain the process for fixing her bike and then watching as he pulled his phone out.
"If you put your info in, I can call you when things are in. And we can work out the cost later. In the meantime, you can text me and we will set up a date."
Ezra took the phone, feeling her heart stutter on the word date. She was glad to have something to focus on so that she didn't have to look him in the eyes. She entered her information into his phone, trying to convince herself that agreeing to go on a date wasn't agreeing to get married had have three children. That it didn't have to mean anything other than what they said it did. "Sounds good." She finally mustered up, lamely at that, as she handed his phone back. As if fate had demanded it, he leaned into her as she looked up to meet his gaze, and she felt her chest freeze. No breathing for what felt like minutes.
"So is that a yes, you will go out on a date with me?"
Oh, right - she hadn't ever explicitly agreed, had she? So he was quick on the uptake of stalling tactics. Ezra smiled, confidence in her gaze despite her uncertainties. The best way to deal with uncertainty was to meet challenges head on, right? She tilted her chin, bringing her face closer to his so that she could actually feel his breath brushing her skin. "Yes, I'll go on a date with you." She replied coyly, gaze locked on his as she stood up - trying not to think about the fact that, at full height, she still wasn't all that much taller than him, even if he was still seated. She pushed the seat she'd been on with her foot, her smile curving into a smirk as she stepped back and around him. She walked a few steps before turning back around to face him. "So I guess I'll see you later."
Gesturing at her bike, Ezra gave him a playfully serious look. "And I expect you to take good care of her." She warned, her tone barely able to remain serious. With that she spun on her heel and left the shop, forcing herself not to look over her shoulder at him like a teenage girl.
