Call of Neighbors : Time (John Price)
How it begins with John Price, who is known as the neighborhood handyman who always is too busy but always so helpful to the rest of the neighbors.
Busy, busy, busy. That was the best way to describe Mr. John Price.
He always had a polite smile on his face when he greeted you. And though it may have just been surface level, the soft warm smile crinkled his blue eyes in just the right way that left you reeling for a few moments after your usual hellos.
You didn't think much on it at first, until you kept pretty much running into him daily for a bit. It felt so odd that no matter what time of the day you had to run out, you always just seemed to run into him!
No, literally. You literally almost collided into him several times, earning some small hearty chuckles from the man and warnings to be careful as you left your abode.
There were times he caught you to make sure you didn't fully collide into him. By the arm, the shoulder, or even your side. (The firm grip he always had was not lost on you. You weren't sure if the universe was torturing you or not. )
"Careful now, that makes about the seventh time we almost collided." he would affably chuckle, gently patting the area he grabbed before letting you go, seemingly unaffected.
Agony.
Of course, eventually you came across neighbors asking for help with your odd encounters too, which made him all the more appealing to you.
"Oh John, dear...do you mind coming over to help us? We're in a bit of a jam today." "Sure thing, it may take me an hour or so because I promised to help someone else this morning, but I'll let you know as soon as I'm done."
Reliable, dependable, strong, and courteous. Not that you were keeping track or anything. (Or totally imagining being the one to be calling him for help or anything coquettishly. Not at all).
Before you knew it, the encounters, watching him help everyone, how he gently would "scold" you and held you the brief moments you almost clumsily toppled over him again, you got a crush of course.
(You knew you were done when you saw him in a beanie a little bit oversized, thinking it was so cute, and you were daydreaming about how his beard would feel on your face.)
It finally happened: something in your house needed tending to and you knew the right person to ask.
In this scenario, you were usually supposed to feel upset that something needed to be fixed, not be over the moon about it.
You knew without fail you would run into him as soon as you left the house, no matter how hard you tried, you'd run into him.
And even though you knew, it didn't stop your heart practically leaping out of your chest when you ran into him. This time chest to chest first.
"Whoa! Bit bold today aren't we?" He chuckled out quietly, one of his arms was mock surrendering in the air, while the other gently found the small part of your back.
Hoo boy and did that put you back for a bit.
"Ha......right...um, hey John. So, funny I ran into you again."
"That makes about ......the 30th time right?"
You could kill him if you didn't love him so much evidently.
"But who's keeping track right?"
"Right."
His eyes had a humorous glint to it today evidently.
"Anyways, I...." Phew. Was it getting a bit warmer out? Or was it just him.
"So, I need some help if you got some time." You fully expected him to put you off for a bit of a later time because you knew he always had something.
"Sure. I've got some time right now. You want me to take a look at it?"
.....fuck.
So this is how it ended up, you blustered a bit with the explanation but invited John Price into your home.
You could sense his wandering eyes on your home (kicking yourself for not tidying up first, but you weren't expecting him to just be ready??) and then led him to the living room, where he analyzed the situation quietly with sharp eyes.
After a few more minutes, he turned to you, eyes softening. "Wait a tic, just got to get some tools, be right back, and get this done."
"Oh god, John, I'm sorry, wait you can literally just come back later, I didn't mean to take up your time like this all of a sudden."
"It's fine. Surprisingly, my evening was free today." he gives you a reassuring smile that doesn't allow you room to question.
And just like that, he left and came back soon after with tools in question. You tried in a meager way to offer to help, but he politely re-assured he really didn't need it.
So he turns his focus onto starting repairs. You notice he starts to get lost in the process, not paying any mind to you or anything besides the task at hand.
You can't help but notice how he carefully and precisely moved, how his arms and muscles flexed as he reached for tools, how his relaxed t-shirt just fit on him, how calloused and thick his hands were, how oddly .....snatched his waist was?
Oh god, you needed to stop checking him out. You were thankful he was too engrossed. But you were in a limbo of figuring out what to do or leaving him to his own devices whilst you.....well, you weren't sure. You didn't exactly want to stop really looking at him or leaving his side either.
As if he could read your mind, he looked over his shoulder and spoke: "....this might take a while. If you want you can go handle some chores or other things you had planned. You can trust me to do the job and not do anything wrong. And if you don't, you know where I live". he quietly laughed out.
You couldn't really speak, instead promptly providing a quick nod and walking out into the hall.
You weren't sure honestly what to do. This whole affair had thrown you for a loop after all. You had plans to be a bit more smooth with your approach, but it didn't go exactly as planned.
A little dejected, you looked at the time on your phone. It was the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday. A bit of an awkward time to do or start anything you think, but suddenly an idea came to you.
"Hey John, I'm heading to the store but I'll be back, don't ruin my house while I'm gone!"
"I won't!"
You rushed to the store, picking up all the ingredients you needed, rushing back home and going directly to the kitchen to get started. What you were cooking needed as much time to cook as you could, so there was no time to waste.
Some odd hours passed, the both of you working away at your respective things. John was always one to get lost in his work. He liked when it occupied his mind and body fully and by the time he was done, he looked out of the window and saw it was dark.
He blinked moderately in shock, got up stiffly, his body also keenly aware of how long he was sitting on his knees working. He took one look at his handiwork, was satisfied, and made his way out into the hallway.
He could make out the faint scent of something warm cooking down the hall, following it until he got to the kitchen, seeing you standing by the stove top tending to something.
You were clearly lost in your own thoughts as you turned around and got startled, almost dropping the ladle in your hand, and slightly clutching your heart.
"JESUS. .......a little warning next time, yeah?????"
He chuckled, a smile instantly coming to his face.
"My apologies." He said with absolutely no hint of remorse at all. "So, living room should be done. Sorry it took so long. Lost track of time. But I wanted to tell you and give it one more lookover before getting out of your hair."
"You kidding? You're doing me a great big favor. You're always helping out the others, and now me, out of the kindness and generosity of your heart? Why would anyone complain about how long something like that takes?"
"Anyways, uh, not to make things awkward, but if you want, I actually made a beef stew. I'm not sure what you like so I can, actually pay you back properly later. But I figured after all that work, maybe a meal wouldn't be too bad...?"
Lord, you thought how more awkward that sounded actually coming out of your mouth and prayed it wouldn't deter him.
What you didn't notice was that John quickly surveyed the kitchen, noticing the strewn bags, the cutting board, and ingredients all around the counter as well as the humble pot that was boiling away on the range.
He noted your hesitance and your nervousness and the air thick with the scent of well-simmered stew. He couldn't stop the soft smile that came to his face and small flush that began to tinge his cheeks and the tip of his nose.
"....actually. I think that'd be lovely. Can't remember the last time honestly I had taken the time to enjoy a hot cooked meal."
You perked when you heard that and instantly went go for the bowls in cupboard, excited to have the chance. But you were probably a little excited and seemed like you were going to be clumsy, he appeared next to you and reached into the cupboard.
"Allow me. Can't have you doing all the hard work after all" he said playfully. (And boy did that make you flustered.)
However, you insisted on being the one to serve the stew. ("Can't have my contractor getting a burn whilst on site, you know. What WOULD the other neighbors think if I hurt their most precious handyman?") But truthfully you wanted to seem impressive, while also being incredibly nervous.
A thousand different thoughts came to your mind as you saw him carefully stand back against the counter, about to take a bite into the hot stew. You stressed if you seasoned it enough, if the potatoes and meat had enough time to become tender, etc., etc.
He took a bite and deliberated a few moments, before getting a few more spoonfuls in.
".....so....uh, how is it?"
"....it's wonderful. Can't remember the last time I had something this good honestly."
You felt your heart lurch. You couldn't really control your expression, but oh god, you were really in it. You were relieved, happy, and just......grateful. Grateful you had this chance.
"Man, that's such a relief. I was really worried if it would be alright with such a short window...."
"It's perfect. Definitely a good meal after some long work. Reminds me a bit of home honestly."
He looked down into the bowl with a soft expression.
"Oh geez, that's so nice of you to say. But I'm honestly glad to hear that. Everyone knows how often you're working and we just never know how to properly thank you. So I figured, maybe this would help."
He looked at you now and had you looked at him then, you would've seen the utterly fond sparkle he had in his eyes. How he held the bowl in his hands like it was the most precious thing he came across, how his ears turned slightly pink, and the slight way he shook his shoulders to indicate his own fidgetiness.
"I'm still so sorry for the last minute nature of it all though. I really didn't mean to take up your day with it."
You were still lost in your own tangent again, unaware of how he felt and what was going on.
"It's fine. I'll always have time to help you. No trouble at all. Especially if it always comes with wonderful food afterwards."
He wanted to also add "...and you." to the end.
But,
Another time he supposed.
A/N: I wanted to try my hand at writing something a little differently and challenged myself to write for one of the hardest people for me to think of things for, Captain Price LOL. So if it's a bit odd, that's why.
I also wanted to try my hand at a different flavor of characterization. I'm not good with smut, but I hope this is still well received and is coherent!
