Alone Together.

                                    

                                          
Vincent tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, keeping his eyes glued to the road. Scott's presence next to him was damn near unbearable, and his few attempts at cracking jokes at Scott's expense had fallen flat. Flirting like before, before their night together in the office, had been different lately. It felt wrong, with everything still fresh hanging in the air. Ironically, it felt inappropriate. More-so than any of the comments he had made before they talked. The sound of rain splashing on the windshield helped fill the silence, even a little, but of course, he was with Scott. And Scott couldn't handle more than 15 minutes of quiet. 
                          
"Oh-" Scott sat up in his seat, earning a questioning hum from Vincent. He leaned forward, and Vincent could see him pick up something from the floor. "I almost stepped on these."
                          
Vin took a quick glance in Scott's direction, eyebrows raising at the sight of his headphones. Must've fallen off of the seat on the ride here. He looked back at the road, thinking for a moment. "My apologies, love... You can set those in the glove department, if you'd like." He mumbled.
                          
Vincent could hear Scott fumbling with the glove department for a moment, cursing as a few things fell out and onto the floor. Then, he paused. "You smoke?"
                          
Vincent's grip tightened on the steering wheel, clearing his throat. He looked over at Scott for a moment, cringing at the sight of the bright red pack in his hands. Shit. He'd forgotten about those. He turned his attention back to the road, trying to come up with a viable excuse, but there was really no point. "It-... it's a bad habit... picked it up from Henry." 
                          
"Ah..." Scott mumbled, less of a reaction than Vincent was expecting, continuing rummage in the glove department. Vincent silently hoped he put the box away.
                          
It started more as a stress reliever, helped soothe things after the springlock incident. Soothed his nerves, the temporary warmth soothed his throat once he got used to the feeling. But, of course, once he started... well, it's a given what happened. And here he was, 12 years later. Still trying to quit. 'Trying' in loose quotations.
                          
Vincent heard the button click when Scott finally closed it, and he let out a small sigh of relief. 
                          
"You know," Scott mumbled, looking out the window, thinking for a moment. "I don't really know that much about you, do I?" 
                          
"...I could say the same about you."
                          
"I guess you could." Scott went quiet for a moment, observing the warped lights as they sped past them. "I know you drive a black car now." 
                          
"You didn't before?"
                          
Scott chuckled, and shifted to lean back comfortably. "I-I always assumed it'd be purple. It's your... it is your favorite, right?"
                          
Vincent made a strange face, and he could hear Scott laugh in response. "That... seems like a lot. A lot of purple..." 
                          
"I know, in hindsight it- it does sound dumb."  Scott stopped his chuckles, and Vincent could feel his eyes on him. Watching him. "It's nice talking to you like this."
                          
Vincent didn't say anything for a second, trying to keep his face as still as possible. "Like what?"
                          
"You know what I mean. Without all that- that flirting stuff that you do. I-I dunno," Scott mumbled, drawing out his 'I' in a way Vincent found overly endearing. 
                          
Vincent smiled, tilting his head to the side. "What? Couldn't handle me?"
                          
"Vincent, come on. I'm being serious."
                          
"I know," he said, ".. I know." 
                          
The ride from there on was pretty tame, few comments from Scott kept the small talk going. Vincent made a right turn, one that came almost too soon in his opinion, pulling up to a large apartment building. The area was more run down than the main part of the town where Freddy's was located, not that Vincent minded. It was a little worrying though. Scott lived here alone?
                          
"Thanks for the ride, Vincent. Really. It, uh... It was nice of you." 
                          
"Mm..." Vincent nodded, trying to get a better view of the building as Scott gathered his belongings. Scott paused and followed Vincent's stare, quietly sighing as he eyed up the building. 
                          
"Yeah, it's- it's not the prettiest..." 

                          
"Nono, it's not that..." Vincent murmured, looking up at the apartment, only turning his attention back to Scott when he noticed the other staring at him. Waiting for him to continue. "Oh! No- it... I just haven't had the chance to come around... here before. I don't..." Vincent cut himself off, thinking before he spoke. 
                          
Maybe saying I don't get out much isn't the best idea.
                          
Instead he followed up with a shrug, turning his attention back to the building. 
                          
"Well... you don't live far, do you?"
                          
"Oh, no. I live 45 minutes from here."
                          
"What?!" Scott sat up, giving Vincent a more baffled look than he anticipated. "Why didn't you tell me that before offering me a ride?" Vincent stared at Scott blankly. He didn't think there was a reason to. It was just a drive. Though, the conditions were bad, yes, he'd driven in a blizzard before. Nothing he couldn't handle. Scott didn't give him much time to answer; or maybe Vincent took too long to think, because he spoke up soon after. "Here-" Scott sighed and got his keys ready, holding them in his hand as he thought something over. He looked back out at the street, then at Vincent. "Do you want to come inside? There's a parking lot around the corner, and-"
                          
"Yes."