[-][L-A][P-1x1] ⊰~мαи-мα∂є ωιиɢs~⊱

[After Midnight Blue]

R a ú l A r m a n d o

Though Armando had initially made a move to start on the dishes, he figured it really was best to keep out of Travis’ way. That Travis had not been as sarcastic as he usually was was a little unnerving to Armando. In many ways it was concerning. He remembered how, as a child, when any of his cousins acted unusually a mother or aunt was quick to swoop down on them and accuse them of illness. The really strange part about that was that they were usually right. Armando hoped that Travis was not coming down with something.
While Travis cleaned up, Armando tried to keep William. This was a much easier task than Armando had anticipated, as the boy was used to being very self-sufficient.
“Do you have a bed time routine or something?” Armando questioned, to which William merely tilted his head to the side. After pondering what this odd man could possibly mean, William shook his head. That was just a little surprising to Armando. Though when he thought about it, it made sense that Travis would not have the time, and most likely not have the patience, to establish a routine. Again, Armando could not help but note the difference in his own childhood. He had had an elaborate routine which involved a story, a song, and going around to every member of the household for a last hug.
Armando’s theory of Travis having caught some kind of sickness seemed even more plausible (at least to him) after Travis offered him the coffee. Normally Armando didn’t really drink it except on nights when he had to stay late at the shop, and the stuff kept him up till all hours of the night, but he was so surprised that he nodded.
“Thank you,” He said. He could not help the smile that flashed across his face. For all that he knew he probably shouldn’t, Travis was one of the many things that made Armando smile.
Returning to the kitchen, Armando rummaged through the cabinets. He was starting to grasp just how much food Travis had bought. He didn’t even know what half the things in there were, but then again, he didn’t really cook. Eventually he found what he’d been looking for in a metal tin, which he brought out with all the pride of someone who had ventured through a dark cave and made it out alive on the other end.
The tin was actually pretty old, though Armando could not say exactly how old ‘old’ was, and had been given to him by his aunt during his last visit with them. His mother was not one to gush over him, but his aunt had no qualms about remarking on ‘how skinny’ he was getting, though Armando knew for a fact that he was the exact same height and weight as he’d been the last time he’d seen her. She’d given him the tin to help ‘the poor bachelor.’ Her scones were said to keep forever.

((I'm alive! I'm alive! Oh yeah!))

T h e M e c h a n i c

 

[Lady Sherlock]

T r a v i s - D y e r


((After this, we skip... one week? Or two? And what's next on your list? The day that everyone goes and sleeps in the same bed?))

Travis turned and leaned against the counter, still a little miffed as to why he had offered that cup of coffee in the first place.
He took a sip of his own dark black coffee, which was how he liked to drink the bitter liquid.
When he heard the cabinet close, the looked up, one eyebrow raised, wondering just what was in that tin can that Armando held.
Before he asked, he took a glance toward the door to the bedroom and saw that William had already taken himself to bed.
Of course, the kid hadn't brushed his teeth—though the kid was perfect, he wasn't without childhood faults—but that was okay.
Travis let that go and returned to Armando.
"What's that? A can of gunpowder?"
It wouldn't surprise Travis if the man liked his coffee with gunpowder, frankly, since the man was odd enough.
For all Travis knew, magical wizards weren't killed by poisoning by gunpowder.
No. Of course they didn't.
Travis took another sip of his coffee and crossed his legs a little—as much as he could while leaning against the sink counter.
For some odd reason, he actually felt peaceful at the moment.
It was something that he never thought he would feel when he was around the smiling and bumbling idiot in front of him.
Perhaps living with this man wasn't the best idea. It was only the second day in, and Travis actually caught himself letting his guard down once already.
The thought was a little irksome.

((Between the good and bad's where you'll find me!))

A s s i s t a n t - M e c h a n i c

 

[After Midnight Blue]

((Sí))

R a ú l A r m a n d o

Armando chuckled, and attempted to open the tin, which had probably been designed to hold some kind of holiday cookie, not his Aunt’s scones, with flat, washed out pictures of smiling children riding a sled down a snow covered hill. It took Armando a few tries to get the top off, mostly because he could not get a good grip on the top with his wooden fingers and it took him a few minutes to figure this out and think to switch hands.
The top came off with a small pop revealing the scones, which did indeed look like pale, fist-sized rocks, and not exactly how he remembered them looking when he’d been handed the tin. Then again, that had been… a little more than six months ago. Ni modo, they were probably fine.
“Here, Travis, you want one?” Armando offered, sliding the box across the counter to his assistant after having taken a scone for himself.
Even though he knew that it was perfectly good by itself, probably, Armando dipped the scone in his coffee, which softened it considerably.
The coffee itself was a bit too strong for Armando. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate intense coffee, he didn’t think anyone raised by his family could grow up and not appreciate intense coffee, but caffeine had strong effects on Armando that he wasn’t sure he was up to right now.
He leaned towards the counter, balancing on his elbows with his chin in his hands. It had been an unusual day. Not a bad day, no, Armando had enjoyed himself and he could not remember the last time he’d eaten such a good meal that was not cooked by a relative, just different. It was not how he usually spent his days off. Those were usually spent alone, sleeping or dealing with the financial aspects of the shop, which was honestly his least favorite part.
Now he just felt tired, staring absently into space with half-lidded eyes, and neglecting both the barely touched coffee and the half eaten scone.

((Reaching for heaven))

T h e M e c h a n i c

 

[Lady Sherlock]

T r a v i s - D y e r


((Their shop closes on both Saturday and Sunday, or just Sunday?))

Travis took one look down at the proffered scone and shook his head.
"Frankly, I don't want to chip my teeth so early in my life."
Though he was growing tired himself, he still had his touch of sarcasm. After all, in his life, his dark humour would be the last to go.

Today had been a relatively long day for the assistant mechanic. Things had been switched around and his whole life had taken a turn for what he couldn't tell was the worst or the better. But Travis was sure that he'd find out soon enough.
Still, seeing William smile and be so happy implied that this place couldn't have been that bad, could it? No, of course not.
Though seeing William smile that much might actually turn out to be a bad thing. Travis wasn't quite sure about that just yet.

Upon finishing his coffee in silence, not really feeling like speaking to his boss at the moment, Travis washed his mug and put it on the drying rack.
Not waiting for Armando to finish his own cup, Travis went off to the couch and plopped down on it, not really having changed either. He would eventually get rid of his pants sometime, but surely not while Armando was around. And he would definitely not get rid of his scarf while anyone was still around.

The next couple of days passed without much event. The shop ran just as it always had, though there certainly was a different mood to the shop now that everyone lived together.
New customers came in and business was actually picking up. It was obvious to Travis now why Armando really needed the help when the sign had gone up.

While Travis and Armando worked, William would walk around and offer little bits of wisdom here and there that usually wouldn't help whatsoever, but both Travis and Armando entertained his ideas readily enough, especially Armando. The mechanic seemed to like entertaining the kid, and Travis didn't really stop his boss from doing so, unless he thought that it was actually damaging to the boy. But for now, nothing of such danger struck Travis yet. Yet. But the assistant felt that it was only a matter of time before William's inner trauma started to show.

The sun had begun to set on the last day the shop was open for the week, and work was almost finished for the day. Wiping his hands, Travis got up and brushed off his sweat with the back of his arm. His work was done for the day.
Feeling satisfied with his progress, Travis walked over to the counter and pulled out his water bottle, taking a sip. Standing there, he found his eyes wandering to his boss, who was currently not looking in his direction.

((What season is this again?
And do you mind just putting your words of your plan of action here so I know how things go?))

A s s i s t a n t - M e c h a n i c

 

[After Midnight Blue]

R a ú l A r m a n d o

Armando was not a liar. He was not one who usually tried to fool himself into thinking things, though on occasion overly peppy self-talks were a very good thing he found. Armando enjoyed having William and Travis living with him. He enjoyed the company, he enjoyed not having to eat his own cooking all the time, he enjoyed Travis’ snide remarks on everything, and he even enjoyed William’s occasional melt-downs (to some extent).
Still, Armando could not help but think that he barely knew his assistant. True, it had only been a week since he moved in, and only a few months since he’d hired Travis, but the only thing Armando knew about him was that he could cook and had the care of a boy who was in no way related to him. Travis was a mystery
It was this that he contemplated, staring into space, neglecting the car in front of him. This was probably not the best idea Armando had ever had, as the car was a rather expensive one and the customer in question was paying him a lot of money in order to get it ready by tomorrow. Of course, that had been a week ago, but Armando, being who he was, had let the car sit in the corner of the shop for the majority of the time, leaving most of the work for today.
He sighed to himself, realizing that he was going to have to put in extra hours that night if he wanted to finish the repairs on time, which he most certainly did. While he might be able to absorb the loss of time and money that just the man would cause him, if the customer put out word that he was unreliable or that he was not punctual, it could hurt the business, especially among the wealthy circle the customer in question seemed to belong to.
"Here, Travis," Armando called, glancing around for his momentarily misplaced assistant. "I need to work on this. Why don't you take William and go get something to eat? There's money in the cash register."

((Hmm… Let’s see. If Christmas is in a month, than it is November? The following has been translated from Anna-ese: While Armando works late at the shop one day, William, virtually unable to sleep without Travis close at hand, cohereces said assistant into lying down with him on Armando’s bed. Travis agrees with the reasoning that he can always get back up as soon as William falls asleep. However, by the time Armando returns, both Travis and William have already been asleep some time. In the dark, Armando (who has grown accustomed to William camping out in his bed) feels someone next to him and falls asleep himself, unaware of the change in sleeping arangements.))

T h e M e c h a n i c

 

[Lady Sherlock]

T r a v i s - D y e r


Travis snapped out of his quiet observation of his boss—which he hadn't even realized that he had been doing—and immediately looked down at said cash register.
It didn't sound like that bad of an idea to go and get something to eat. No doubt William was probably hungry, since the boy seemed to brighten up considerably at the mention of food. And Travis had to admit that he was quite famished himself.

"Dinner..." he absentmindedly murmured as he popped the register open with a key and took out as much money as he thought he needed. Any change would go back into the register when they returned. Though Travis had stolen money before, it was really no use stealing money from the business that he worked for when it was only the two of them that worked there.

Turning to the door, Travis took William's hand and headed out, not even asking Armando if he wanted anything. It was the man's fault that he had neglected that car all this time, and the man would have to pay.
Of course, somehow, Travis knew that they'd end up coming back with something for the head mechanic anyways.
Though whatever dish that was would be left to the discretion of the assistant mechanic and his... younger brother.

They wandered around a bit out in the open air, William seeming to enjoy the cool breeze averse to the slightly oily and stuffy atmosphere within the shop.
During the fall, when Travis had first arrived, the shop doors had been left open, and so when night came, the air was still cool and fresh. But now that it was winter, the shop doors tended to be kept closed so that any bad weather couldn't damage the cars.

At first, Travis hadn't been sure of a destination, but by habit of his feet, he found himself in front of Picante's yet again. And for some reason, eating here was never actually boring for the assistant.
This would be the first time that William would try something from Picante's though, and Travis was quite sure that the boy's stomach didn't have a great capacity to stand against heat.
Travis ordered something that he knew Armando would like just based on experience, then ordered something for himself. William just pointed to whatever looked good, and Travis ordered it after ascertaining that it wasn't a relatively hot dish.

A s s i s t a n t - M e c h a n i c

 

[After Midnight Blue]

R a ú l A r m a n d o

The shop was indeed stuffy from the lack of ventilation. He might even go so far as to say it as hot. Armando’s fingers began to slip over the tools, slick with sweat. He found himself wiping his hands on his pants every few minutes, the apron had once again been and dragging the back of his arm over his forehead to prevent the sweat from dripping into his eyes.
He should be grateful for the warmth. They were halfway through December and the heat everywhere, his own house included, was faulty. More and more often, he found himself pulling William closer to him at night, if only to prevent the boy’s shivering. Yes, William did not seem to have a problem making himself at home in Armando’s bed. He wondered if Travis ever got cold at night. He should really offer his assistant an extra blanket or something.
His back was starting to ache from alternating between crouching over a damaged engine and lying on his back underneath the body of the car itself, when the door swung open to reveal Travis and William. The breeze that rolled in with the two was both frigid and refreshing. Looking beyond them, Armando could see that it was sunset was drawing to a close. Though the days were short this time of year, he knew that, though he would close the shop soon, he would still be working in the garage for hours after that.
All the more reason to take a break now! Armando left he car he was working, feeling only a twinge of guilt, to greet them. William held a brown paper bag, which he offered to Armando with a smile. Even without looking, the moment he opened the top of the bag, he could smell the familiar ingredients of Picante’s food. Armando peered down at the skewer of mixed meat and vegetables. He was very tempted to take it and devour it on the spot. He would have to, if his manners didn’t catch up with him first.
Armando thanked first William, then, hesitantly, Travis. Travis’ reply was scathing, but the food was still warm so Armando didn’t mind. Perched on the counter, Armando began to eat, explaining that he really would be up late, that they should just go ahead upstairs. After all, it was almost time to close anyway and there wouldn’t be any more customers. He didn’t really need help locking up; he’d managed for months on his own, hadn’t he?

((Wait? What wait? I don't know what your talking about.))

T h e M e c h a n i c

 

[Lady Sherlock]

T r a v i s - D y e r


Travis crossed his arms and leaned against the side door that led out right to the staircase to their house. Their house. Travis shuddered. He had barely gotten used to calling it by a collective term yet, with Armando involved. It was just so odd to be living in the same house as his boss—not to mention one that he often wanted to punch just to rid him off the annoying smile.

Travis looked down at William, who was trying to hide his tiredness by rubbing his eyes while he thought no one was looking. What a considerate kid. He never told anyone when he was tired, hungry, or in need of anything. He always worked around other people. That was probably a habit developed from his days wandering homeless.
Travis knew nothing about those days, and never sought to ask. In return, William didn't ask either. That was a part of their lives that neither one really wanted to remember nor bring up, understandably.

Ignoring half of what Armando had said, Travis muttered, "Well, the boy's getting tired, and I finished my share of work, unlike some, so I'll take William up."

Getting up from his leaning position, Travis took William's hand and started turned, opening the door. William followed without a fight, for he was quite tired, and thankful that Travis knew him well enough to notice.
William turned and waved sleepily—and utterly adorably—at Armando, murmuring in a subdued voice, "Good night, papa..."
Travis didn't turn around himself, but he muttered, just loud enough that Armando could possibly hear, "We sure won't miss you."

((I love it how right above my previous post, you're like, "So... It's November, right? Since it's one month until December." I died laughing. You didn't need to ask me, but I guess November just passed in two posts, and it's now December! Let's just stick with December!))

A s s i s t a n t - M e c h a n i c

 

[After Midnight Blue]

((Do you remember... The Plan?))
R a ú l A r m a n d o

Armando watched the pair depart, listening to the bells that signified the door had once more been pushed open, or in this case, pulled shut. He would easily admit that he much preferred the former scenario to the later. It was always better to have company, in his mind.
There was only a small twinge of loneliness in Armando's heart watching them go, all but overwhelmed by the warmth blossoming in his chest. "Papa," William had called him. The swarthy man was not even aware that he was smiling. Though he loved being called this, he did not think he would ever grow accustomed to hearing such a name directed at him. His branch of the family, consisting only of his mother, father, and himself, had always been tiny compared to the rest of his family. Armando still felt a little guilty that his parents would never become true grandparents, and disappointed that he would never be a true father. After all, whoever his chosen partner would be, they would not be able to bare children.
It was a hazard of being male.
Turning away from the now empty doorway, Armando returned his attention to the brown paper bag. Reaching into it, Armando was grateful to his roommates for choosing something that he could eat without utensils and without using his hands, the first because he had none in the shop (those forgotten rusty things didn't count), and the second because his hands were still smudged with black grease from the car. He withdrew and ate three of the five skewers, seated on the counter.
The shop now appeared rather lonely, filled with nothing but the inanimate vehicles under his care. While Armando was exceedingly fond of automobiles-he would not have become a mechanic otherwise-the machines could not talk back. They appeared as hulking and stoic as the mountains in his home country, with only the light directly above the car he was working on lit, mostly to save power. With a sigh, Armando hopped off the counter, and made his way back to the car. He could not shake the feeling that it was a little irate with him for neglecting it, much like some of the lady customers who liked having attention paid to them as much as to their cars.
The feel of metal under his fingers calmed him, and the work dulled his senses, allowing his mind to wander aimlessly. He was yawning by the time he finished, his eyelids were drooping. Glancing outside, Armando could tell that darkness had long since fallen. Dragging his feet, the man sleepily locked up the shop, and headed upstairs. Stumbling in the darkness, he unlocked his apartment, made his way inside, and fell, instantly asleep, into his bed beside William.

T h e M e c h a n i c

 

[Lady Sherlock]

T r a v i s - D y e r


When they got upstairs, William barely had enough energy to change into his bedclothes and hop into bed. Travis, on the other hand, was tired, but felt like having a cup of coffee or something before heading to bed. The couch hurt his back sometimes, and he found that the caffeine, for some odd reason, helped with the pain, or at least it dulled the aching he felt when he woke up.
However, just when the hot water was about to finish boiling, Travis felt a slight tug on his right sleeve, a pretty weak one, at that. Looking down, Travis saw a very tired looking William standing right there, clutching his wrench with the other hand that was hanging by his side.

Travis put the mug down on the counter and turned to face William completely. Before he had to ask the blond boy what the issue was, William simply tugged Travis along to the bedroom. Travis really was never one to resist William on simple things such as this that would involve no danger, and so he followed without issue.
When they arrived within the room, William handed Travis Travis's regular bedclothes and murmured sleepily, "There's no one here..." William rubbed his eyes sleepily in an extremely adorable fashion to top off the innocent statement.

Travis's expression broke into an exasperated smile. Of course. He should have known, having been around William for four years and counting. Well, laying down a little wouldn't hurt, right? And his coffee could wait until William was asleep.
Travis quickly changed and got into the bed beside William. The boy ended up clutching Travis pretty tightly, and Travis ended up asleep, completely forgetful of his coffee.

---

The orange light streamed in through the window, though definitely not bright enough to signify the presence of a full sun in the sky yet. It was just the break of dawn—the time at which Travis would usually wake up.
Travis started stretching before he opened his eyes, but stopped short when he realized that this place felt far more different than the couch—far more comfortable, for one thing.
The assistant mechanic opened his eyes warily, though once his vision cleared, he practically jumped inwardly. Travis actually turned around to make sure that he hadn't woken William up before turning back to the sight in front of him. Travis found himself face to face with his boss. They were in the same bed.

Uncomfortable was a very strong understatement. Travis really wanted to get up, but he didn't want to wake up William—who cared if he woke up Armando, but waking up William this early would leave Travis with a guilty conscience for the rest of the day. Therefore, he was stuck right here, in this extremely uncomfortable position.
Travis closed his eyes once again, in an attempt to go back to sleep, but he couldn't. The situation was just far too uncomfortable and awkward for his mind to be able to rest. Therefore, Travis just laid there with his eyes closed, trying to not feel so cramped, since he was trying to edge away from Armando while not encroaching on William's space too much.

A s s i s t a n t - M e c h a n i c

 

[After Midnight Blue]

R a ú l A r m a n d o

It was the light that woke Armando. It felt as though he'd only just laid down, but try as he might, he could not ignore the rays of sun that shone determinedly into his eyes. In a last desperate attempt to stay asleep, Armando rolled over, his arm brushing against, whom he assumed was William, in the process. It was only Friday, wasn't it? He still had to go into the shop. With this thought and a slow exhale of breath, Armando cracked open an eye, ready to face the day... And stopped.
Travis was in his bed. Travis was in his bed. Travis was in his bed. No matter what inflection he gave this sentence, the fact refused to process with his brain. If his mind had been an engine, it would be stalling. If it had been a stick of dynamite, it would have exploded. However, his mind was not an engine, nor a stick of dynamite, and so, overwhelmed, it chose simply to stop working. His mouth opened and shut, like a fish gasping above water, flabbergasted and unable to make any sense of the fact.
Yet, there was no mistaking that it was indeed his assistant lying awake next to him, his hair disheveled from the night's rest, looking awkward to say the least. Armando definitely hadn't been drunk last night, but he had no recollection as to how the man could have gotten there.
"G-good morning." Armando finally sputtered after a few more moments of stunned silence, his brain beginning to whir back into action.

T h e M e c h a n i c

 

[Lady Sherlock]

T r a v i s - D y e r


Travis glanced up at the head mechanic when he felt a little movement in front of him. His gaze was pointed and dark, making sure that Armando knew perfectly well first thing in the morning that this was a situation in which Travis did not want to be. And when Armando finally noticed that Travis was lying right next to him, Travis stared even harder. Maybe it wasn't the mechanic's fault, but Travis wanted to get up as soon as possible, and Armando was in the way.

"G-good morning."

Travis said nothing in reply, but stared hard at Armando. Was the mechanic really going to lay here and expect to have a conversation with his assistant while they were both in the same bed? Boy was that naive. Travis really didn't want any part of it. If there was going to be a conversation, they should start it by at least standing up. Yeah, that'd be a wonderful start to a good morning conversation.

"It would be awfully nice if you moved, old man," Travis whispered steely. He didn't want to wake up William, who was still fast asleep right behind him, but he needed to get up. This proximity was way too awkward—and it was definitely far too early to deal with this. The sun had only been up for about an hour after all.

A s s i s t a n t - M e c h a n i c

 

[After Midnight Blue]

R a ú l A r m a n d o

Armando flinched under the pressure of Travis' gaze. He'd thought he'd known the full power of his assistant's harsh glare, but everything he'd received up until now was nothing compared to this. It made Armando feel guilty, as if he'd done something wrong. This thought actually worried him a great deal. Had he done something last night that he, for some strange reason, couldn't remember? Try as he might, all the mechanic could recall was coming upstairs and falling into bed as usual.
"Yes, sorry," Quickly, Armando rolled up into a sitting position on the end of his bed, bare feet connecting solidly with cold floor, the covers falling off the two in the process. For a moment, his head spun from the sudden change in position. Clearing, Armando stood, giving Travis enough room to get up if he chose to.
"Travis..." He started tentatively, keeping his voice low, unsure of how to phrase the question that had not yet completely formed in his brain. What happened? Did I do something wrong? What's going on?

T h e M e c h a n i c

 

[Lady Sherlock]

T r a v i s - D y e r


The moment that he had the space to move, Travis did just that. He moved lightly, however, in an attempt to not shake the bed too much. William was still asleep after all. However, he wanted to get off this bed as fast as possible, since things were already too weird, and it was only around eight in the morning. This day was definitely not getting off to a good start.

As Travis stood up, shivered a little, and picked up the blankets that had fallen off the bed and gently placed them back on William's small figure at the corner of the bed. It was probably one of the few times that Armando would have been able to witness a more gentle side of Travis, since Travis only showed this side to William, feeling that no one else really deserved such gentleness and care. No one needed it.

Travis then made for the door quietly, not sure what to say. He wanted his coffee that he hadn't had last night. However, Travis was stopped right as he was reaching for the doorknob by Armando's unsure words.

"Travis..."

The assistant mechanic wasn't sure on whether or not he should just continue on his way and get his coffee, or turn around and actually hold a conversation with Armando. However, the assistant wasn't sure if he really wanted to listen to anything his boss had to say after waking up next to him in his bed. Not a real nice way to bond and further their relationship, since that would be furthering it in a way that Travis found utterly disgusting.

Travis finished reaching for the doorknob, seeming to have ignored his boss. He made it almost completely through the door, seeming to be ready to close it behind him when he turned around and looked at Armando exasperatedly.
"Are you coming or what? Because I sure am not talking to you anywhere near that painful memory," Travis muttered, nodding his head in the bed's direction. They both knew what he meant. His reason was partly true, but he was more using it to cover up the fact that he just didn't want to wake William up.

A s s i s t a n t - M e c h a n i c

 

[After Midnight Blue]

R a ú l A r m a n d o

Was it embarrassment that caused Travis to turn away so quickly? Or something more ominous? Armando felt his heart sink in his chest. Had he really done something terrible without knowing it? His mind couldn't, wouldn't, explore this possibility deeply, knowing that his imagination was all to vivid (not to mention dramatic). He sighed quietly. This was not how he'd planned to wake up this morning.
Quickly, with the same care not to wake William as Travis had taken, Armando followed his assistant. Immediately his bare feet protested the cold of the floor. Ignoring them, the mechanic made his way into the kitchen, where he stood, nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot.
For lack of anything else to do, Armando located the kettle - still on the stove from where Travis had left it this morning. While it still had water in it from that occasion, he brought the kettle to the sink to refill it, just for something to do with his hands. How strange, to feel so awkward in his own kitchen. The stove was reluctant to start on this particular morning, and so, again happy to busy his hands, Armando searched for a match. However, upon finding one, he could not seem to light it, his wooden fingers unable to grip the thin match stick.
"Sorry..." He said self-consciously, though even he was unsure whether he was apologizing for last night or for his own clumsiness.

T h e M e c h a n i c