#( ft; avalynn owens. )

[colemonroe]

“‘Cause I’m such a fuckin’ delight, right?” He countered, brows giving a playful bounce as he smirked around his Marlboro. Surely, that had to be the reason why the jury was still out. His smile soon dipped though– the more he inspected the old Toyota, the worse it got…and he hadn’t even popped the hood yet. “Well, think real hard on it, ‘cause it ain’t lookin’ perty from where I’m standin’,” he murmured, balancing his smoke between his lips as his features pinched into a troubled frown. Stepping back around to the driver’s side, he tugged the door opened and leaned down, popping the hood open so that he could further inspect this little clusterfuck on wheels. “I get it, but,” he paused, shaking head, “Ava– gotta be safe, darlin’.” And part of that didn’t include driving a clunker. Now that the hood was open and he could really dive in, the worry lines in Cole’s forehead only deepened, as did the doubtful hum that rumbled low in his chest, “Can do a little, but…gonna need more than that ‘fore too long.” Meaning…sooner rather than later, she’d need a new vehicle. Hearing her concerns, Cole could definitely understand where she was coming from– new technology was a lot, and in his experience, people preferred simpler options. “Y’know, my aunt’s lookin’ to offload her old Bronco– if you’re interested,” Cole prompted, shoulders shrugging gently, “Got a bunch of miles on it but she’s kept it up over the years. And ‘m sure she’d give ya a deal– wouldn’t even have to learn all that fuckin’ stupid new technology.”

Ava smirked in Cole’s direction. “The car. Jury’s still out on you.” she shrugged, watching him as he began to inspect the car. The hum he gave and the look on his face was not giving her any sort of hope, and she couldn’t help the defiant pout that presented itself. The brunette blew out a sigh at Cole’s verdict, arms folding across her chest. “I won’t smack you, but I’m definitely thinking about it.” Eyes rolled, arguing with herself in her head for a moment. “I know she’s old and tired, but I bought her with my first paycheck after I graduated college.” Ava frowned, looking up at him with her best puppy dog eyes and hoping for the best. “Surely there’s something you can do, even just to keep her going a little longer.” She pouted this time, taking a leaf out of Gracie’s book. “Besides, I wouldn’t even know where to start with getting a new car. They’re all like the car from fuckin’ Knight Rider these days and it’s confusing.”

[colemonroe]

He’d started making his way over the moment heard the clunker entering the lot and making quite the raucous while doing so. Cole lifted a brow, blue eyes giving the Corolla a once over while he silently put together a list of possible diagnoses– none of which having what he’d call a promising prognosis. With a Marlboro hanging limply from the corner of his mouth, he couldn’t help the smirk that warmed his features upon hearing Ava’s muttered curse, “Me or the car?” Asshole, that was. Giving a low, doubtful hum that more or less said probably not when it came to any magic doing, Cole shrugged a shoulder, “Dunno– got a few tricks up my sleeve.” It was his way of saying he’d at least try. “Smart choice,” not arguing with her mother. Inhaling a long drag, he resumed his inspection of the car’s exterior, doing a quick circle around it. “If I tell ya that ya need a new one though…ya gonna smack me?” He asked, lips molding into a frown around his cigarette, “This thing’s practically a fossil, Ava.”

WITH: @colemonroe WHERE: Reaper Crew

Ava wasn't a particularly stubborn person, but when it came to her car it was as if her inner child stamped her little feet and crossed her arms whenever an issue arose. Check engine light? It was lying. Tyre pressure? Not a thing. It wasn't until it started stuttering and jerking whenever she accelerated that her mom gently reminded her that it wasn't safe to drive Gracie around in a car that could crap out at any minute. So here she was, quietly sulking as she pulled the apparent death trap of a vehicle into the lot - the busted Toyota Corolla just proving her mom's point as it shuddered to a halt. "Asshole." she muttered at it as she got out, flashing Cole a sheepish grin as he approached. "Think you can work some magic on her?" she asked hopefully, not wanting to give up on it just yet. It wasn't that she couldn't afford a new one — she just didn't want to. "Mom thinks it's gonna end up stuttering me and Gracie to our deaths, and you know I can't argue with her."

[colemonroe]

“‘Bout time ya figured that out,” he quipped back, snorting out a soft laugh just before a sigh slipped out of him and he turned his attention back to the issue at hand. This car…as near and dear as it was to Ava’s heart, was only a liability, both to her and to others on the road. He couldn’t in any sort of good faith let her drive away with it clunking around the way it was right now. Her best bet would be if he was able to slap on some sort of bandaid as a bridge to a more permanent replacement. “Ya ain’t lyin’,” he agreed, blue eyes flashing wide at the thought of her mother getting involved, “We all gotta die at some point, darlin’, and at the mercy of your ma ain’t quite the way I wanna do it.” And so needless to say, he’d do whatever he could to keep that from happening, but above all, he just wanted to keep Ava safe the best way he knew how. “A look never hurt,” he encouraged, shoulders shrugging as he slipped his hands into his pockets, “Yeah, think it’s a ‘96. It’s red and white,” he explained, mumbling around his cigarette, “But y’know, that’s why I got Aiden here– if ya hate the color, I’m sure he could hook ya up.”

“Exactly that.” she smirked right back at him, both of them knowing full well that no matter what she said, Cole meant a lot to her. Even if he was an asshole. Ava blew out a sigh, fingers mindlessly twirling a strand of hair as she listened to him. He was right — of course he was right. Just like her mom was right, and the man at the gas station. Sometimes being more of an optimist really liked to bite her on the ass. “You’re right. I know you’re right.” she confirmed out loud, just to solidify that fact — more for herself than for Cole. “It’s probably best for both of our safety, honestly. I mean, if you’d let me leave in this car, my mom woulda killed you before it killed me.” Ava chuckled, shooting a small, sad smile at the car. It really was a piece of crap, and now she was standing here looking at it, she was almost horrified that she had actually been driving it around for so long. “A Bronco, huh?” she raised an eyebrow, trying to picture herself in one. It wasn’t a bad image. “Well, I s’pose it wouldn’t hurt to at least look at it.” she mused, perking up a little now that she’d got the sulking out of her system. “What colour is it?” Important questions first.