fic: pictures of pawnee (leslie/ben; parks and recreation)
Just a small piece I bashed out to practice writing. I thought I might try framing it with the documentary team as well, so it's semi-voyeuristic.
700 words. PG-13 for swear words.
Leslie encourages Ben to visit places in Pawnee.
“Your afternoon espresso,” says a tall, gangly man - balancing two coffee cups, a pager, and a walkie-talkie in his hands.
“Cheers, Mike - you’re a life saver,” replies a weary looking camera man, perched on a bench at the end of Pawnee City Hall’s many long corridors.
“You look beat. Nearly done?”
His name is Steve, and he just about manages to mumble some sign of affirmation, hiding the urge to yawn in front of his boss. If only something would fucking happen in this corridor he might actually be able to take off early and sleep. Anyone would think he had been stationed on the fourth floor, or something.
A sudden punch in to his arm warranted a “hey, man! What the f-” until he saw what was happening down the other end of the corridor, and just who was walking towards him. The faint sound of bubbling laughter and intimate conversation wakened him up more than any espresso could have. He scrambled to get his camera up and ready, zoomed and focussed just in time to capture the remnants of a conversation between the deputy director of the Parks and Recreation department, Leslie Knope, and the new guy who always seemed to be around her. Steve didn’t really know what this guy did, other than he worked with numbers, asked him if he liked calzones one moderately freaky time, and preferred facial expressions that hovered around what could only be called sardonic. Except-not right now, it seemed. Right now this guy looked, happy? Bashful? Excited? Whatever, Steve thought, I’m a cameraman not a therapist. Whatever the guy was like, whatever he did, he made Steve’s life a whole lot easier. Human interest story? In the bag. The camera started rolling...
“There’s also the snow globe museum! Tom always switches off whenever I mention it and thinks I don’t notice, but it’s honestly one of my favourite places in the world. I miss it.”
“Did it burn down?”
“What? No. The owners just had a minor disagreement with me about my shaking habits.”
Ben looked down as he chuckled, imagining an enamoured Leslie running wild among the globes. Like a bull in a china shop, except even if she smashed every single tiny, suspended world, she could never be described as a bull. More like a kid, a kid in a sweet shop, and it happens to be their birthday, and their parents have just agreed that they can have as many sugary delicious treats as they like. But then, he thinks, little Leslie would still prefer waffles. Why was she so hard to pin down? Still-the thought of her shaking up the glitter in those globes, her face lighting up at every turn, made him smile. Made him wish he could visit the place with her. Crap, he was getting wistful.
“Hey, Ben?” Leslie said, pulling him back to reality rather embarrassingly.
“Yeah?” He jerked his head suddenly to face hers, trying so hard to seem interested but casual. Trying so hard not to read too much into her searching expression. Trying so hard not to give her any of the answers she silently asked, because they both knew going down that route would lead to bad, awkward, regulated places.
“Snow globe museum!” she reminded him with a beaming smile, obviously trying to impress on him the importance of the place to her and her picture of Pawnee. He’d already got the memo, had practically already set a date in his head for when he could go visit this place.
“I’ll um-I’ll remember that,” he managed to get the words, half-strained, out of his mouth, half-reassuring her. He whole-heartedly hoped for a time when he didn’t have to half-anything when he was around her.
Sharing a smile of acknowledgment and approval, they both made their way round the corner and out of sight.
Mike and Steve looked at each other as the pair walked off to settle in two separate offices. They didn't say a word, but Steve packed up his things and went home early.
700 words. PG-13 for swear words.
Leslie encourages Ben to visit places in Pawnee.
“Your afternoon espresso,” says a tall, gangly man - balancing two coffee cups, a pager, and a walkie-talkie in his hands.
“Cheers, Mike - you’re a life saver,” replies a weary looking camera man, perched on a bench at the end of Pawnee City Hall’s many long corridors.
“You look beat. Nearly done?”
His name is Steve, and he just about manages to mumble some sign of affirmation, hiding the urge to yawn in front of his boss. If only something would fucking happen in this corridor he might actually be able to take off early and sleep. Anyone would think he had been stationed on the fourth floor, or something.
A sudden punch in to his arm warranted a “hey, man! What the f-” until he saw what was happening down the other end of the corridor, and just who was walking towards him. The faint sound of bubbling laughter and intimate conversation wakened him up more than any espresso could have. He scrambled to get his camera up and ready, zoomed and focussed just in time to capture the remnants of a conversation between the deputy director of the Parks and Recreation department, Leslie Knope, and the new guy who always seemed to be around her. Steve didn’t really know what this guy did, other than he worked with numbers, asked him if he liked calzones one moderately freaky time, and preferred facial expressions that hovered around what could only be called sardonic. Except-not right now, it seemed. Right now this guy looked, happy? Bashful? Excited? Whatever, Steve thought, I’m a cameraman not a therapist. Whatever the guy was like, whatever he did, he made Steve’s life a whole lot easier. Human interest story? In the bag. The camera started rolling...
“There’s also the snow globe museum! Tom always switches off whenever I mention it and thinks I don’t notice, but it’s honestly one of my favourite places in the world. I miss it.”
“Did it burn down?”
“What? No. The owners just had a minor disagreement with me about my shaking habits.”
Ben looked down as he chuckled, imagining an enamoured Leslie running wild among the globes. Like a bull in a china shop, except even if she smashed every single tiny, suspended world, she could never be described as a bull. More like a kid, a kid in a sweet shop, and it happens to be their birthday, and their parents have just agreed that they can have as many sugary delicious treats as they like. But then, he thinks, little Leslie would still prefer waffles. Why was she so hard to pin down? Still-the thought of her shaking up the glitter in those globes, her face lighting up at every turn, made him smile. Made him wish he could visit the place with her. Crap, he was getting wistful.
“Hey, Ben?” Leslie said, pulling him back to reality rather embarrassingly.
“Yeah?” He jerked his head suddenly to face hers, trying so hard to seem interested but casual. Trying so hard not to read too much into her searching expression. Trying so hard not to give her any of the answers she silently asked, because they both knew going down that route would lead to bad, awkward, regulated places.
“Snow globe museum!” she reminded him with a beaming smile, obviously trying to impress on him the importance of the place to her and her picture of Pawnee. He’d already got the memo, had practically already set a date in his head for when he could go visit this place.
“I’ll um-I’ll remember that,” he managed to get the words, half-strained, out of his mouth, half-reassuring her. He whole-heartedly hoped for a time when he didn’t have to half-anything when he was around her.
Sharing a smile of acknowledgment and approval, they both made their way round the corner and out of sight.
Mike and Steve looked at each other as the pair walked off to settle in two separate offices. They didn't say a word, but Steve packed up his things and went home early.