Like Tattoos on This Town

@ requiem;
Zacky smiled as Hayden greeted him with a kiss. "Hey baby." He whispered to her, his hands resting on her waist as his eyes took in the sight before him. "Yeah just give me a minute." He informed her, before leaning down and pressing another kiss to her lips. Then he moved off to the bathroom. He'd managed to straighten his appearance up before she'd arrived. But he wanted to brush his teeth before heading out. Making fast work of it he quickly headed back to her. "Alright, now I'm good." He smiled at her before grabbing his wallet and placing it in his back pocket, then picking up the keys to his car. "Should I drive?" He questioned her, wondering if she wanted to take his vehicle this time. Exiting the house he closed the door behind him, before freezing in his track. "Mom, what are you doing here?" He questioned the woman that was making her way up the steps of the porch. Her new husband slowly trailing behind her.

---

Laney smiled up at him, watching as he did his best to accommodate her. Though she chose to ignore his rambling, hoping to ease his embarrassment, or what ever it was he was feeling. She had a hard time reading him, after all he really was the first man she'd ever had anything to do with. Taking a knife from the near by block she started to chop up the vegetables. "Remind me to go food shopping with you." She informed him, knowing that sandwiches weren't the best source of food. She set out making him an omelet, it wasn't a hard thing to cook so she hoped that even though she wasn't talking steps with him, but that he was keeping his eyes on her movement so he could pick up a thing or two. She really didn't know how to teach someone how to cook. But with Matt she was willing to give it a try, but now that she was his girlfriend she didn't plan on letting him starve himself.

Hayden took a seat on the couch to wait for Zacky. She was probably a little more excited than she ought to be about getting to spend a night out with him. When Zacky finally reappeared downstairs, Hayden got to her feet, nodding when he asked if he should drive. She could give him directions. Hayden followed Zacky outside, nearly running into him when he stopped short on the porch. She opened her mouth to ask him what the hell was going on when he spoke. What was his mother doing here? And who was this man with her? Hayden just wanted to go out and enjoy an evening with Zacky, but she didn't think he would just walk away from his mother. But it wouldn't hurt to try. "Zack, let's just go," Hayden whispered to him, tugging on his sleeve.

---

"Hey, if you're offering to buy, then I'm down," Matt joked. He stepped up next to Laney at the counter, watching as she went about cooking the omelets. It seemed easy enough to him and definitely something he could do on his own at a later date. He would just have to make sure he remembered jalapenos next time. "Well, these omelets look delicious," Matt said, handing Laney a couple of plates. He poured them each a glass of orange juice while she plated the omelets, leading her to his tiny, pathetic excuse for a kitchen table. "Sorry for my shitty furniture," he apologized, grinning. "But what can I say, it's a bachelor pad."

@ requiem;
Zacky frowned taking in the sight before him, shaking his head. "Have you ever heard of a phone?" He questioned her. She really hadn't been much of a mother to him, so being an ass wasn't hard. Hearing Hayden's words he knew she still harbored ill will towards his mother for being selfish. Grabbing Hayden's hand he lead her down the step and to his truck before opening the door for her. He waited until she got in before he turned and addressed his mother again. "Look there's nothing here for you so why don't you go back to your life." He informed her before heading to the driver side door. Getting into the seat, he turned to Hayden smiled softly. "Sorry I didn't know she'd be coming here." He started his truck, before driving off and leaving them behind. He knew his house was locked and they'd have to check into a hotel.

---

Laney laughed at his joking around, she couldn't believe how easy it was to just chill with him. She noticed his presence as he loomed over her to watch her cook. "There's supper easy to make too." She smiled up at him before taking their plates to the table. She shook her head at his apology not feeling that he needed to feel bad for the things he had, some people had nothing. She couldn't help but laughing at his retort about a bachelor pad. "Seriously." She giggled, before putting their plates down. "You don't have to do that." She informed him before giving him a quick peck on the lips. Then taking a seat opposite of him, she didn't care if he was broke and poor. Just as long as he carried for her, and right now they were starting something enjoyable.

Hayden had honestly been expecting a little bit more of an argument from Zacky when she insisted that they just leave. But then again, he'd never been particularly close to his mother so it made sense that he didn't want to see her. She climbed into his truck when he opened the door for her, glad when he only told his mother to leave before climbing in himself. "You don't have to apologize," Hayden told Zacky, reaching out to touch his hand. "Like you said, you didn't know she was coming. You didn't ask her to come. So let's just relax and enjoy our evening together, okay?" Hayden gave Zacky's hand a soft squeeze before settling in for the ride to the town over. But she couldn't help but wonder if maybe Zacky's mother had an ulterior motive for coming back. Because Zacky had been right when he said there was nothing for her here. What if she was trying to convince him to sell the ranch and give her the money? If Hayden remembered correctly, Zacky's mother had always been the type of person to mooch off of others and she didn't want her to ruin something Hayden had been waiting for for so long.

---

"Well, I shouldn't invite pretty girls over to my house when I have terrible furniture," Matt joked. He smiled when Laney kissed him, pulling his plate close. He was absolutely starved right now and he could probably eat both of their omelets and still be hungry. Oh well. They would just have to go grocery shopping and then she could show him something he could make for lunch. "So after breakfast maybe we could do a grocery run," Matt suggested, pushing away his now empty plate. He reached for his glass of orange juice and took a sip. "And then you can teach me something I can make for lunch. And dinner. Something southern and deep fried and bad for me. I go to the gym often enough that I think I deserve it." He took his plate over to the sink and rinsed it off before going back to the table. "Do you need me to take you home first so you can change or anything?" he asked Laney.

@ spencer reid;
Zack smiled over at her feeling her hand take his, he knew that they were just starting out. But all the old insecurities could easily resurface. He didn't want his mother ruining any more chances for him. Had he been a man back then and refused to go he might not be faced with this life now. He could be happily married with kids on the way. But those were thoughts that had kept him awake as a child, wondering what he'd miss since he left. "Sounds like a great idea to me." He smiled over at her, before turning his eyes back to the road. "So was their anything you had in mind once we got there?" He questioned her, wondering where she wanted to go. His girl hadn't taken her time to get all dressed up and not put it to use. Though he didn't give a damn what they did, just as long as he could be with her.

---

Laney rolled her eyes at his statement. "Pretty girls?" She questioned looking around, "I don't see any." She teased. Before turning her attention to her food. "Well we can go shopping." She didn't really want to but she knew that if she was going to teach him then they'd have to shop. "How about we stick to something easy and not setting the house on fire yet." She informed him. Knowing that fried thing included grease and an inexperienced cook could burn a house down messing with it. "We can do Mexican food, like enchiladas." She suggested, granted it was a lot of prep work, there really wasn't much cooking that went into it. "I think I have the prefect thing for lunch though." She smiled, and he had most of the ingredients here at the house all they needed was some more eggs since they ate them all.

"Well I figured we would just go out to dinner and then we can go to the bar, dance a little, have a few drinks," Hayden said. "And then maybe we can come back to the farmhouse and fall asleep outside underneath the stars." Hayden realized it was probably a little far-fetched to expect the two of them to camp out outside considering how much they would likely have to drink, but it wouldn't hurt to pretend that it might happen. She and Zacky used to camp out all the time when they were little, although they rarely slept outside. Normally they chickened out when it was time to go to sleep and came inside to camp out in the living room. Hayden gave Zacky directions to the restaurant, unbuckling her seatbelt when he pulled into a parking spot. "I'm so excited that we get to go on an actual date," Hayden said, grinning as she took Zacky's hand at the front of the car.

---

"Well, we don't have to go shopping if you don't want to," Matt said. He noticed the tone in Laney's voice and it didn't really seem like she wanted to go. "I just figured it would be a nice way for us to bond, do a few cooking lessons and whatnot. Enchiladas do sound good, though. We don't have to do anything fancy, maybe just ground beef and cheese?" When Laney was finished with her plate, Matt took it to his sink, rinsing it off before he sat it inside. "So what's this brilliant idea you have for lunch?" he asked, leaning against the counter. He was pretty curious, although there wasn't a lot that could be worse than his normal lunch of bologna sandwiches. He was going to lose a lot of weight around here because he couldn't just run out to a McDonald's or a Taco Bell whenever he was hungry.

@ spencer reid;
Zacky nodded, "sounds like a plan." He informed her. Before turning on to the road that lead them to the next town over. "And place you like to eat at?" He questioned, having just had this date night sprung on him. So he really hadn't had the chance yet to get to familiarize himself with the new additions to the towns. Though most haven't grown a lot they'd up graded a bit. He was however just happy to leave everything behind tonight and go out with his girl. They'd yet to have been on a date, so he felt a little bit in-masculine about not having made this a night she wont forget. But then again it was the best they could do on such short notice. Smiling over at her he wondered what prompted this, or if she was the kind of girl that like to let her hair down often. Whatever it was they were both still getting used each other, and really learning more about themselves as they grew together. He just hoped she hadn't changed to much from the girl he loved back in high school.

---

Laney furrowed her brows watching as he back pedaled over his offer. "I don't mind going shopping." She told him, frowning as he took her plate from her. She was more than capable of washing it. But then again she wasn't used to being a guest in someone's house. "They're called double deckers." She chuckled at the name. "Honestly don't know where I learned them from, but my dad loves them when watching football." She shook her head. "Though if we are going to go shopping, I do need to change." She informed him, she wondered if she should just meet him at the store, or if he'd want to come pick her up. After all her car was sitting in his drive way.

Hayden stayed close to Zacky as they walked into the restaurant, sliding in across from him when the waitress sat them at a booth. The restaurant wasn't too fancy - in fact, there were numerous children and families here - but it was still enough so that she and Zacky could easily have a conversation. "I'm glad we're spending some time together like this," she said, reaching for his hand. "I know you're stressed out because of the lawyers and the farm, but tonight let's just relax and have fun, okay?" She squeezed Zacky's hand, using her free hand to flip through the menu when the waitress brought them to the table. "Do you want to split an appetizer?" Hayden asked, looking up at Zacky. "I was thinking fried pickles. I love those damn things."

---

"Double deckers?" Matt repeated. "Aren't those sandwiches? Ah, who the hell cares. I'm always down for a good sandwich." He nodded when Laney said she would need to change. "You can go home and change while I take a shower if you want," he told her. "Just come back here when you're done and we can ride to the store together." Matt gave Laney a short kiss before she left, making sure to lock the front door behind her before going upstairs to take a shower. He didn't really need a shower, especially since they would likely be spending most of their day at the house, but he still didn't think it would hurt if he was clean and smelled nice.

@ spencer reid;
Zacky smiled at her, "Okay." He told her, nodding as he looked over the menu. "If you'd like." He said, knowing that he wasn't a big fan of fried pickles, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He wasn't going to let her not get something she liked because he didn't. "I think we need to do something like this reguarlly, maybe once a week or so." He thought out loud, knowing that it was best to get away from life every once in a while. And if he was going to run the ranch then he'd be in for some stressful days a head. "Would you like to share a salad?" He asked, knowing that if he got one then he'd be happy to share.

---

Laney smiled at him, "yeah they are, but they're super easy to make." She figured they'd stick to something light to cook so he wasn't rushed and didn't catch anything on fire. She moved out of the kitchen as he said he was going to shower. "Okay be back shortly." She informed him. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she made her way home. Knowing that Matt and her were starting something made her heart race. She'd never been given the chance to prove she wasn't just some little girl. And with Matt she was feeling more confident in herself. Even if she was still inexperienced. Once home she quickly started the process of changing. She figured her and Matt would just be hanging out for the day. So she didn't want to dress up, but she felt the need to feel comfortable. Once she finished she left her dad a note on the kitchen table before making the short drive back to Matt's.

"You can get something else if you want," Hayden said, catching the tone in his voice. "We don't have to split anything." She nodded enthusiastically when Zacky suggested doing this once a week. It would be nice to have a little time to themselves every once and awhile, especially after all the time they'd lost. "Uh, no thank you," Hayden said when Zacky suggested sharing a salad. "You can order one if you want. I'll stick to my definitely-not-good-for-me fried pickles." When the waitress returned to take their drink orders, Hayden asked for a sweet tea and her fried pickles. "I'm kind of excited to see you out on the dance floor at the bar later," she teased, looking at Zacky once the waitress had walked away. The thing she liked in particular about this bar was that it wasn't like a club; there wasn't a super crowded, dark dance floor and loud, terrible hip-hop music. Everybody really seemed to be having fun there and if she and Zacky got tired of dancing, they could always play pool.

---

Once Laney was gone, Matt headed upstairs to his bathroom to shower. He took a quick one, not even bothering to shave before he went back to his bedroom to dress. He put on his shoes before heading back downstairs, taking a seat on the couch to wait for Laney. He was on his feet as soon as he heard the car door close outside, hurrying to meet her at the door. "You look nice," he said, looking her over with a grin. He nodded towards his car. "Let's go." He led Laney over to his car, opening the passenger side door for her before going around to the driver's side and climbing inside. "I hope you have a list ready," he said as he drove towards the grocery store. "Otherwise, I'll want to wander around and buy shit I don't need. I have enough frozen pizzas and cookies, I don't need anymore."

@ spencer reid;
Zacky rolled his eyes at her stubbornness, and it made him wonder just what kind of men she'd been dating in the past. It was almost as if she was planing on splitting the check, and that wasn't about to happening. The waitress' approach distracted him enough, though he ordered his salad and drink. Before turning his attention back towards Hayden. Letting out a laugh he shook his head. "I remembered how to two step, though the rest might have gotten replaced with L.A club." He teased. Knowing that no matter what he didn't dance a whole lot. But he'd still do a bit to make her happy even if he did make a fool of himself. Nibbling on his lip he watched her excitement displayed on her face. "I think that we need this. I feel like we don't know each other like we used to."

---

Laney smiled as he lead her to his car, before opening the door for her. "Thank you." She said to him, about both the complement and opening the door. Laney smiled over at him as he joined her in the car. "I have a mental one, but I usually random shop." She chuckled knowing what he meant about buying things bad for him. "I'm usually good about not buying things bad for me." She informed him, she didn't eat a lot of sweets and candies. It was more like a once a year type of thing, or holidays. "But I swear we'll stay away from those." She teased him.

"Well you wouldn't know because you've never been to this particular club, but there will definitely be some two-stepping," Hayden said, grinning. "But there'll also be the dances we used to do when we were in junior high, like the Cupid Shuffle and stuff like that. And of course there will be some slower songs, which we're to at least one of." She was excited to go dancing with Zacky, even if she had to drag him out onto the dance floor. She would have fun just being with him. "I think we needed this, too," Hayden said. "We've both grown up a lot since you've been gone and we need to reconnect." She thanked the waitress when she returned with their drinks and her fried pickles, immediately dipping one into the cup of ranch. "Are you sure you don't want one?" Hayden asked Zacky, waving the pickle in front of his face.

---

"Well, let's not random shop or I promise you I'll end up with a bunch of junk food," Matt said. It didn't matter if Laney stayed away from them, if they were wandering around the store Matt would get hungry and then he would get something he didn't need. When they arrived at the store, Matt chose the closest spot to the front he could find, shutting off the engine and climbing out of the car. He grabbed a buggy from the corral inside, starting off towards the grocery section. "So what's first on this mental list of yours?" Matt asked, waiting for Laney to tell him where to go. Already, he was tempted to head down the frozen food aisle and grab a couple of pizzas.

@ spencer reid;
Zacky let out a soft chuckle, as she meantion the Cupid Shuffle. "Well remind me to have a few drinks before we do that." He teased, Knowing that it had been forever since he'd actually danced. "I think the slower songs I can do." He smiled hearing she demanding at least one. He nodded at the waitress as she placed his salad in front of him. "Yes I think we need to get to know each other, like we weren't high school friends." He informed her before taking a bite of his food. "No thank you." He informed her pulling a face. He knew that cat was out of the bag that he didn't like it.

---

Laney chuckled, "I just meant I'd keep you from it." She smiled over at him. Once at the store she followed him in. "Well lets start with the dry stuff." She informed him, helping him guide the buggy towards the spices isle, knowing that they'd need everything from scratch. Since he didn't have anything for cooking. Once in the isle she started grabbing the things she needed, before moving up some to grab the lasagna noodles. "Next we need meat, and vegetables." She informed him. Pointing towards the direction they needed to go.

"You can't have too many drinks, remember, you're driving," Madeline reminded him teasingly. When Zacky told her he didn't want a fried pickle, she just shrugged. More for her. Unwrapping her silverware, she pulled out her fork and reached over to stab a bite of Zacky's salad, grinning at him as she shoved the bite into her mouth. "So...what was California like?" Hayden asked, trying to find a conversation topic. She hoped it didn't bother him to talk about it. "Ooh, how was the beach? Did you go there every day? If I lived near a beach, I'd go every day. I went to Gulf Shores a few years ago and I fell in love. I can't wait to go back."

---

"Alright, dry stuff it is," Matt said. He let her guide the buggy to the correct aisle, watching as she put what she needed inside. He was a little curious as to why she grabbed lasagna noodles, but she wasn't going to say anything. "Meat and vegetables," Matt repeated. He headed off in the direction of the produce section, knowing the meat would be nearby. "You want to get some deli meat for the sandwiches?" Matt asked Laney. He figured that would be better than the stuff that came in the packages. "Get salami, I like that on my sandwiches. Oh, we'll have to get some mayonnaise and mustard, too."

@ spencer reid;
Zacky smirked at her, "I know I'm driving." He chuckled, before raising a bow at her stealing his salad, not that he minded. He'd share anything with her. "Hot." He chuckled answering her question about California. "It's a nice place you might like it. Though the beach it a bit over rated." He shrugged. "Since it's always sunny there's never a day it's not crowded." He shook his head. "It's better to have a pool." He smiled, hearing her say she's been to the Gulf Shore. "I actually think the Gulf shores are better then any place in California."

---

Laney nodded at him, before going through the mental list. She had all the spices, she just needed meat, onions, and biscuits. She turned to him as she listened to his recommendation. "If you want," she smiled at him. "Oh we also need eggs." She thought out loud. Having forgotten the stuff they'd need for lunch, him having reminded her.

"Well, we'll just have to try out both places and see which one we like better," Hayden said, grinning. She was excited about potentially visiting California with Zacky. Whether she liked it or not, California had been his home and she wanted to see what that part of his life had been like. But if he wasn't comfortable taking her there, she wouldn't force him. She'd just gotten him back, she didn't want to lose him again. It wasn't long before the waitress returned to take their orders. Hayden let Zacky go first, still trying to decide what she wanted. "I think I'll have bacon cheeseburger," she said. "No tomatoes."

---

Matt nodded, stepping up to the deli counter. He ordered some salami, some turkey, and some ham, tossing it into the buggy once the worker had bagged and priced it. "Alright, onward to the eggs," he said, pushing the cart in that direction. "Is that everything we need?" he asked as Laney placed a carton in the buggy. It looked like they had everything they needed, but Laney was the one with the mental list.

@ spencer reid;
Zacky chuckled, "okay though I'll promise you that California isn't as fun as it seems. Unless you have a shit ton of money to spend." He informed her, knowing first hand what it was like to not be able to do shit there. He was thankful when the waitress appeared to take their order. He really was missing California, more the friends he left behind. But he knew this is where he belonged. "Yeah I'll have the house burger." He informed her, knowing that they did a special kind of burger every night. It was kind of a mystery. He then turned his attention back to his salad.

---

Laney looked over the items in the buggy before lifting the lasagna noddles. "I must really want some lasagna." She chuckled before setting them aside, they didn't need them. She grabbed a can of biscuits before nodding. "Okay now we have everything." She informed him, knowing that the way they were going to make enchiladas wasn't normal. But it was good none the less.

"Well I do own a diner," Hayden teased. But in all honesty, the diner didn't make that much money. It made her enough to pay her bills and live comfortably, but not enough for her to take a vacation to California unless she saved up. "You'll have to let me try your burger," Hayden said, taking a sip of her drink. She usually wasn't brave enough to try something new. And this wouldn't be the first time she'd taken food from Zacky. It was just that this time she asked before she took it.

---

"Alright, let's get going, then," Matt said. He pushed the buggy towards the registers, loading everything onto the conveyor belt. He figured it would only be right if he paid for everything, since most of it was going to stay at his house. "God, I'm starving," he said as they pushed the groceries out to his car. "I can't wait for one of these delicious sandwiches you promised me."

@ spencer reid;
Zacky raise a brow, "owning a dinner has nothing to do with it. People can own things and still be broke." He teased back, knowing that she loved her diner and he wasn't going to attack it. Paying attention to the straw wrapper he'd crumbled up he nodded as she said she wished to try his burger. "You know I won't deny you the pleasure." He smirked before lifting his eyes to meet hers. It wasn't like he could do much for her now any ways, but he'd always do his best to make sure she was completely satisfied. With life and sexually.

---

Callie watched as Matt took control of the rest of the shopping trip. She wasn't going to let him pay for the stuff but he beat her to it. Shrugging it off she smiled as he said he was hungry. "Already?" She teased, knowing that he'd had a small breakfast. "Okay, just get us to your house and I'll start your cooking lesson." She informed him. She helped him load the groceries into the trunk of his car. Before sitting in the passenger seat waiting on him.

Hayden knew Zacky was only teasing her, but it still irritated her a little to hear him talk about the diner like that. She was proud of the work her grandfather had done to get it up and running and she was proud of the work she did there, too. Hayden rolled her eyes playfully at his comment after she asked to try his burger. "You're too much sometimes," she said, laughing softly. "But I guess I'll keep you around, since you're so cute." Hayden blew Zacky a little kiss just as the waitress returned with their burgers. She thanked the girl before reaching over to grab Zacky's burger from his plate. She took a bite before setting it back down. "What kind of burger is this again?" she asked, making a face. "The sauce tastes weird."

---

"I'm always down to eat," Matt said, laughing. He helped Laney load the groceries into his trunk before climbing into his driver's seat. Eventually he was going to have to find a gym to start going to, otherwise he was going to start losing the physique he'd worked so hard for. "Alright, let's get these groceries inside so we can start the cooking lesson," Matt said, pulling into his driveway and shutting off the engine. He handed the keys to Laney. "You wanna go unlock the door?" he asked, climbing out of the car. "It's the one with the little blue thing on the top. It's the only way I can tell them apart."