andyholliday

[andyholliday]

breakdowns and breakthroughs || andy & morgan

WHO: Andy Holliday @andyholliday & Morgan Weston

WHERE: Andy's place

WHEN: The 9th of October

WHY: Andy calls Morgan to ask for help with their car, and there's a small breakthrough in their relationship.

WARNINGS: None

ANDY:

Andy wanted to scream. Their truck was old but it was good. It ran well and they didn't tend to have problems with it. Except when they did. And when they did, it was tricky. It was never something straight forward. Which meant that it almost always cost more to fix than it should. But none of that immediately mattered. What mattered was that Andy was supposed to be taking Oakley to daycare so they could get to work. Sure, they could call their parents and get a ride, but that didn't fix their truck or solve the issue of later in the day. So, they dialed the one number of the one person who they knew could fix this, because he'd done it before, Morgan. They weren't sure he would answer, but they had to hope he would.

MORGAN:

Back to work, and back to his regular routine after his shoulder injury, Morgan was busy cleaning out the stalls while the horses were outside, grazing on the pasture, when he felt a buzz in his pocket, coming from his phone. A furrow painted his face as he got worried when he saw who the caller was, and he instantly picked it up, leaning against the rake. "Andy? Are you okay?" They weren't exactly speaking - even though they'd tried - it still wasn't casual between them, so he could only assume that something had happened to them.

ANDY:

They thanked the gods under their breath when he picked up. "I'm fine. Oakley is fine. But... my truck is doing the stupid thing it does sometimes and I don't have the time to get it to an actual mechanic this morning, without missing work, and... can you help? Just this once. Even if it's just enough for me to get through my work day so I can get it to a mechanic." They hated asking him, but he really was the only person who they knew could get it fixed even for the short term right now.

MORGAN:

Morgan could almost feel the entire universe's weight get off of his shoulders when Andy reassured him that they were okay - both of them. After what had happened with Andy's dad, there was always a slight paranoia. Nodding along as he listened, Morgan bit the inside of his cheek. It was nice that Andy thought of him, even though it was just for his knowledge of cars and how to fix them. "Yeah, sure, of course! Text me your address and I'll be right there." He promised, and started heading out to his car, dropping the rake, so he could hurry over.

ANDY:

"Thanks for this, I owe you." They texted him their address to him. "Sent it. I can let you go until you get here? My place isn't super hard to find."

MORGAN:

The phone buzzed against his ear, and he knew he'd received it. "Thanks," a hand dug into his pocket for his car keys, and he nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you in a bit." He told them, before getting into the car and hanging up the phone so he could make his way over to Andy. The drive was quick, thanks to an easy route on his phone's GPS, and he saw Andy and the truck as he pulled up and parked. "Hey," He greeted them, with a soft smile. "I can't believe you still haven't changed this ol' thing out." Morgan joked, and casually went to pop the hood of the car, as if he knew it like the back of his hand; which he kind of did.

ANDY:

"See you soon." Andy hung up and sighed. This sucked. They hated that this is what they were having to do, but such was life. They let Oakley out of his car seat and allowed him to play in the yard while they sat on the tailgate to wait. "Hey," they greeted, hopping off the tailgate, "and she's good to me, why would I get a new one?" Andy knew their truck was dying and the they should get a me one, but it was hard.

MORGAN:

"Hmm, maybe because this keeps happenin'?" Morgan teased, his voice heavy with thick irony, knowing that if anyone could take it, it was Andy. Looking into the engine, Morgan didn't take long to locate the problem. It was the same issue as always. "The valves are worn-out, hold on," Morgan said, moving towards his own truck so he could get his toolbox out of it. He always carried that around with him. "Maybe a clean will help it drive 'round, until I get you some new ones. It'll be a temporary fix, and I can't guarantee that it'll work, but I can try." He told them, and started screwing them out. His eyes remained on the engine, but his interest was elsewhere. "How's life otherwise?"

ANDY:

"It hasn't happened in a while." Which was true. Happened maybe once or twice in the last few years. Not to say other things hadn't happened, of course, cause they had, but Andy wasn't going to mention that. Their truck meant a lot to them and they knew they needed a new one, but like a lot of things in this life, Andy was bound to use it until they couldn't anymore. "Look, I just need the damn thing to get me through today and I'll figure it out from there. So anythin' you can do to get it working again is worth it." Andy shrugged at his question. "It's alright, nothing big going on or anything like that. What about you?"

MORGAN:

Humming to himself, Morgan nodded with that cheeky smirk on his lips. Andy was stubborn and that certainly hadn't changed. Screwing the parts loose, he collected them in his pockets, keeping them safe as he started cleaning and polishing them. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked at Andy. "Can't complain, I guess. My shoulder's finally healed, which I'm grateful for," he sniffed, and gave Andy a small smile. "How's Oakley findin' LA?"

ANDY:

Andy nodded, leaning against the truck as they watched him, something they felt like they'd done so many times before. "That's good, imagine it makes work easier." At his question about Oakley they shrugged. "He's taken to it better than I ever did, which I'm grateful for. Kid deserves to not have to struggle to adapt to life."

MORGAN:

Raising his eyebrows, Morgan felt a pang of deja vu, remembering this exact scenario happening back in Montana, when Andy would watch him fix up the old cars with his granddad. "Oh yeah," he chuckled and shook his head. "I tried really hard not to work so it could heal quicker, but d'ya know how hard it is to just-...not?" Morgan chuckled to himself. He'd struggled a lot. Nodding, Morgan agreed with Andy's statement. "That's great, though. I've been thinkin' 'bout him and how he's adjusted to it all. I remember how hard I found it myself, comin' here. But then again, I was a lot older, so the age probably makes a big difference, huh?"

ANDY:

Andy chuckled. "It's you, so I imagine you felt a bit like you were losing your mind." They had experienced something similar when they were pregnant, having tossed themself into their work to forget and ignore, so when they'd been unable to work it had been rough, but they'd never quite been the type of workaholic that Morgan was. "Him being younger does seem to help. And now that we have a set routine and the house is set up, I think he's been able to really settle down and settle in. New normal was easier to find for him."

MORGAN:

Nodded, letting out a laugh. If anyone knew that about Morgan, it was Andy. They knew him like the back of their hand. "Losing my mind doesn't even come close to it," He looked at the valve, and deemed it clean enough to screw back into place. "Well, that's great, Andy! And, y'know, if he's still got that fascination with horses, you're still always more than welcome to come out, you know that." He told her, finishing screwing the valve into place. "Alright, try turnin' on the car now."

ANDY:

Andy chuckled, shaking their head. Of course it didn't, but at least he could admit it. Whether he realized what that meant about himself, Andy didn't know, but it wasn't their place to point it out for him. Especially not these days. "He does, and I'm sure he'd like that, if I can swing it one of these days." The weekends were easiest, but Andy also knew that they didn't always want to go places and interact with people during their free time, even when it was good for both them and Oakley. They nodded as he spoke about trying to turn it on and climbed up in. They turned the key and while it almost looked like it wasn't going to start, it thankfully did. They grinned. "I owe you one, seriously."

MORGAN:

It had taken Morgan's entire life up until now, to find out that there was more to life than just work, and unfortunately, he'd discovered it a little too late when it came to his and Andy's relationship. But he still wanted them in his life. "You're always welcome," he told them, a gentle smile hiding beneath the beard. As he heard the engine struggle but finally start again, the soft smile turned into a full-blown grin. "Nah, it was nothin'," he started, waving casually at her. "Although, if you're ever in the mood to make those triple chocolate cookies you always made back in Montana, I wouldn't turn down a batch, y'know?"

ANDY:

Andy knew he meant it. That they really were always welcome and something about that hurt. Maybe it was because of the truth of everything, the truth they'd buried so far down that some days they nearly believed themself about Morgan not being Oakley's father. Or maybe it was just that he was who he was and being around him but not being with him hurt. They tried not to dwell on such thoughts. Instead, they rolled their eyes as he waved them off, only to immediately backtrack in favor of cookies. "I think a batch or two of cookies could find their way into your possession."

MORGAN:

Packing his tools away as the car rumbled in the background, Morgan grinned, pleased with the fact that he could get the car up and running again - even if it was just temporary. "And this is why you're my best friend," He smiled, grabbing his toolbox and walking up to the car door where Andy was sat. "Now, remember, this is just a fix for now - with the amount of problems this ol' thing has, you oughta start thinkin' 'bout either spending a ton of money on repairs, or consider buyin' a new car. But if ya need any help, don't hesitate to call me again, okay?"

ANDY:

Andy bit the inside of their lip at his words. They didn't have the energy to argue that they hadn't been his friend, much less his best friend, in a very long time. Not when he'd just done something nice for them. Not when they still had so much left to do in their morning. "I will keep that in mind. Thanks, again, Morgan. Really saved me today."

[andyholliday]

blessed samhain! the veil is thin and so is my damn patience

[andyholliday]

Andy: My house didn't stop making me want to gag for like a week! Of course I remember that, and I'm sure you won't.

MORGAN: Come on, it was pretty funny though! Remember the time I burnt those chickens in the oven? Safe to say I won't be making that mistake again!

[andyholliday]

Malfunctioning harvester because a rock is caught in the belt.

I was recently in the studio doing the folly sounds when and we started messing around to see who could create the most accurate sound from things we hear using just our mouths. They said it couldn't be done but i proved them all wrong. Scrunched up paper, a seagull, even a siren, it wsa no challenge. Now i'm wrapped up in a bet to prove i can make the sounds of whatever you throw at me, but i warn you i'm not called trouty mouth for nothing. So throw them at me. Challenge me to create a sound and i bet i could re-created it!

[andyholliday]

Andy: Hush. We don't talk about that. Andy: You and me both.

MORGAN: As long as you don't make that thing again. Do you remember? It was burnt and it somehow managed to still taste more like anchovies than what it actually was. MORGAN: I love your cooking, but I was so thankful that "Joe's" was open that night!

[andyholliday]

Andy: Mmhmm, and had I been alone I might have. Andy: All you're doing is coming over for dinner. So unless you intend to insult my cooking, you won't hurt me.

MORGAN: Yeah, that poor guy almost had you using his tie to choke him out, huh? MORGAN: I don't wanna hurt you, Andy.

[andyholliday]

I'm alright, living that single parent life, trying to adjust to a new normal, all that fun shit. Yourself?

Oh my gosh, it has been a while. How have you been?

[andyholliday]

Andy: That they can be. Andy: Okay, well it sounds like you and Stacey have technically made it right then???

MILA: yeah museums can be hit or miss MILA: nah, she told me to make it right with her sister first MILA: which I guess is a huge no bc there's nothing else i can do, i mean stacey and i agreed to be friends and she's moved on and dating someone else so there isn’t really anything to resolve

[andyholliday]

Andy: Saving me from wanting to fist fight a car salesman warrants something more than cookies in return. Andy: Yes, you did, three years ago. And maybe I was holding a grudge and maybe seeing you still sometimes really fucking hurts, but you still did me a solid and I've more than enough manners to know I need to pay that back.

MORGAN: No, I just wasn't expecting you to invite me over for dinner. MORGAN: I just mean, I hurt you big time, and everything. MORGAN: I ain't complaining though, I love the idea of getting to have dinner with you.

[andyholliday]

Andy: Dude. You good? Are other people ignoring you, is that the problem?

MORGAN: I just didn't think you'd text me, you know? Not to ruin all of this progress you've done at therapy.

[andyholliday]

Andy: You went from worried I'd sent you a message for my dad to almost jumpy levels, I'm just making sure. Andy: I will see you then.

MORGAN: Yeah, I just don't want to miss out on this opportunity. MORGAN: How about Friday night?

[andyholliday]

Andy: Yeah and I had someone go with me to buy a new one, which sucks but was necessary.

Emmy: Okay. I'm glad everything is okay.

[andyholliday]

Andy: You good? Andy: My evenings are free, so you pick and I'll have dinner on the table by 7.

MORGAN: No! MORGAN: I'll definitely come by for dinner! When is it?

[andyholliday]

Andy: My dad calls every day, if this was meant for him I'd have just asked him over the phone. Andy: So, no, it wasn't meant for my dad, but if you're gonna be weird about it we can forget I asked and I'll just make you extra cookies or something.

MORGAN: I was scared that maybe you'd texted the wrong number. MORGAN: But then you mentioned the cookies and the truck shopping, and I feel like the only other person that should be receiving this text is your dad. MORGAN: Did you mean to send this to your dad, and not me?

[andyholliday]

Text > Morgan

Andy: Hey, I still owe you those cookies and I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come by for dinner? As thanks for going truck shopping with me. @morgan-weston

[andyholliday]

What's one thing you wish you had said to someone?

"May your god be the very reason you never find peace, in this life and the next." Or, to put it much more simply: "Rot in fucking hell."

[andyholliday]

Andy: My dad gave me a loaner, so I'm good, but thank you.

Emmy: I hope you do get a new truck. Are you able to get around? I am not a great driver, but I can help.