Pushing Daisies: Cold Touch (M, Ned, Cold)

[Mercury]

A/N: I made a couple attempts to mimic the language used in the show, but it's really hard to get right so hopefully it doesn't jar too much. There's not a lot in there, anyway.

For anyone who doesn't know this fandom, but has decided to click on this anyway, it's basically about Ned, a pie maker, who can bring things back to life with a single touch, only for a minute without consequence to someone living, and a second touch returns them to being dead perminantly. His girlfriend, Chuck, and his dog are two being that he made 'alive again', so he can never touch them again or they'll die.

Enjoy

Cold Touch

blinked blearily at the kettle, placed on the floor beside the couch where he had fallen asleep. The kitchen object was accompanied by every pair of shoes he owned, the newspaper and a ceramic pig that he had kept from his childhood home.

The pie-maker frowned and contemplated the likelihood that his fever had spiked and he was hallucinating.

“Digby?”

The Golden Retriever whined at him and dropped the pair of oven mitts he had brought over. He shuffled forward, cautiously not getting too close to his sick owner.

It still amazed Ned how a dog who once ran straight in the path of a truck could have such a conscious sense of self-preservation. Both of them were painfully aware that one touch from Ned would kill Digby, but it seemed that his best friend was trying to make sure Ned had every comfort he could possibly find in the house while ill.

“Thag you Digby. You’re a good boy.”

The dog made a sound somewhere between a woof and another whine as the human buried his head under the duvet.

“Hekgittthh!” Ned sneezed in wet baritone. He had attempted to smother it, but failed, as he frequently did. He had always tried to keep a tight control over most in his life, but it seemed insufficient when it came to being unwell.

He liked to sequester himself in his apartment while he was ill for that very reason.

... Well, that and the need to remove himself from the Pie Hole, lest he start stress baking biohazardous pies.

“Gnktctttttchhhh! Hih... Hiditchhhhh!”

Immediately after the duo of painfully half-constrained expulsions someone knocked on both the door and Ned’s skull. The sick man looked dejectedly at the state of his hands, which he had used to cup over his mouth and nose, before kicking off his blanket.

“Just a seco’d.” He called out as he stumbled through to the kitchen so he could wash his hands.

Then, sniffling and crumpling a handkerchief under his nose for modesty’s sake, Ned opened the door.

He already knew who it would be. Emerson tended to stay as far away from sick people, and Olive knew he would be worried about the shop, so was holding down the pie fort while he was too ill to make his way down. He just didn’t particularly want Chuck to see him looking so miserable, as it would make her feel bad and consequentially he would make him feel the same.

She looked perfect. As perfect as the day they had kissed at the funeral of her father and his mother, and as perfect as she’d been the day he kissed her in her coffin; The kisses that will forever be their first and last.

“You look like hell,” she said, full of sweetness and sympathy.

Ned opened his mouth to say something, but felt his breath hitch and he quickly to a step back so that he could half-pull the door shut. His felt his eyebrows twitch and rise, but he didn’t quite mind pulling such a stupid face while he was hidden behind the wooden shield.

“Itgkchhhh! Hiejtttchhh! Ekthhhttt!”

“Gezondheid, Ned.”

He didn’t blink at her use of a foreign language, knowing she was so full of surprises never surprised him, and he smiled behind his handkerchief.

“Thagk you.”

He kept his nose deep in the cloth as he re-opened the door. She was smiling a little too innocently for his liking, and he suspected that she had looked through the peephole to observe his pitiful moment, but neither of them mentioned it.

“May I come in?”

Chuck took a step forward which caused Ned to instinctively move away, allowing her access into the apartment.

“I’b codtagious you dow, a’d very disgus’ding, I really dod’t thigk you should be here.”

“Why? Will I die if your germs touch me?”

“... quide possibly.”

“Don’t worry,” She said with a bright, coloured smile, “this is exactly where I should be.”

She disappeared into the kitchen for a moment while Ned tried to sniff quietly and scrub at his nose. He stared blankly at the collection of things, wanting desperately to lie back down on the couch, but wondering whether it would be rude to do so now he had company.

“Where’s the kettle?”

“Huh?”

“The kettle, so I can make you some tea.”

“Oh, id’s in hehhh...here.” Ned ducked his head and pinched his nose shut through the handkerchief. With Chuck in the apartment his control was even more important, he couldn’t afford to lose focus with her there or he could lose something, someone, much more important.

She came from the kitchen and Ned pointed with his free hand, wanting to direct the beautiful woman’s gaze off of him. Without comment she claimed the kettle and moved back, stepping carefully over the collection of objects without questioning them before she stopped and looked at him with curiosity.

“You do know it’s okay to sneeze in front of me, don’t you?”

“I dow.”

“Well, your eyebrows say differently.”

Ned nodded, knowing that if he wasn’t able to stave off the sneeze expression then the expulsion wouldn’t be too far behind. He wanted to wish Chuck into the other room, but knew he didn’t have time.

He turned away, trusting her to not approach him, and brought a second hand up to press the sodden cloth more firmly against his twitching nose.

“Hk’Idttchhh!” hr tried his best to muffle. “Ngikctttt!”

Woefully unsatisfied, Ned’s chest heaved as his nose prepared for one final battle against his control.

“Heh’EDKCHHHHOOO! HAEITCHHOOO!”

He expected another suspected blessing in another language he couldn’t recognize. Instead Chuck’s soft voice carried over to him with such concern that he couldn’t turn around to face her.

“Bless you, Ned.” He heard a tentative step towards him being taken on the carpet. “I think you’re going to need more than just tea.”

“Id I ta’gk ady bedia’dod I’ll doos ‘ocu-”

“And now you’re speaking a language even I don’t know.”

Ned flushed, glad that she couldn’t see him do so and that she had interrupted a babble that would have been incoherent even if his nose wasn’t so terrible.

He had his eyes squeezed closed, but flung them open to the watery vision of Chuck as she gently tugged the handkerchief out from its trapped position, careful not to touch any of his face or hands as she did.

“Wad-”

“This one isn’t being very helpful, is it?” She cast it aside onto the coffee table and produced a smaller, but softer looking one from her pocket, which she placed against his nose. “Here. Blow.”

“Bud-”

She rolled her eyes slightly and sighed, “Look, I’m not touching you and you can’t push me away without touching me. Now, I’m not going anywhere, so blow your nose and don’t try to argue with me...” she slowed, “I know I’m not going to be able to take care of you properly, and I made my peace with that before I came over here, but can you please let me do the parts I am able to do?”

Looking into Chuck’s eyes and the sincerity they held, Ned closed his eyes and tried to snuffle his best blow into the hand-held handkerchief.

There was a lot that he would never be able to do for her, but he could do this.

Ned steeled himself.

He could do this.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Mercury

[Garnet]

Ohhh Oh Mercury. When... when can we set the wedding? 'cause I'm gonna marry ya.

NO OKAY. Less creepy review time! Because I have been craving a Pushing Daisies fic since I started watching the show a couple months ago, and this hits every note.

I love so many of the little details here. Digby bringing him random comfort objects is killing me, and so appropriate, and I love the idea (well, canon) of Ned stress baking. I need a boyfriend with that problem.

And nnnhhh, Ned being even more closed off and apologetic than usual And trying to stifle. Baby <3

Also eyebrow twitching because haha, Lee Pace's eyebrows are the best.

I think you got the language of the show and the personalities spot on, especially Chuck! She's someone I would have the most trouble writing, I think, but I can picture her saying and doing everything you scripted. Sweet, blunt, and unashamedly a little mischievous (watching through the peephole yes perfect).

Thank you so much for sharing!

[snuffles]

eh Eh Ehhh?? Nooooo I needmoreomg!

Mercury seriously you are spoiling us, I need to go back and comment on each and every one of them when I have brain function again. But this one.... gaaawww~~~~ so sweet I've melted!

[VividBubbles!]

Oh, I haven't watched this show forever! I completely forgot how much I loved it. You did a wonderful job writing this, Mercury. I agree with all the things that Garnet said 100%. This was adorable and I would absolutely support a continuation if you ever think about doing one.

BYE!

[angora48]

So cute, so perfect, sooooo Ned and Chuck! And Digby - I adore Digby, and I'm glad you included him so sweetly. I can definitely buy Ned being uncomfortable/self-conscious about being sick, and I like Chuck saying that she knew she couldn't take care of him as much as she would've wanted.

More please?

[alias]

Another vote here for a part two!

This is lovely! It's so wonderfully adorable that I actually giggled aloud with glee a few times. You've captured the wonderful adorableness of the show to perfection. If only you could have been on their team of writers. I don't know if you did this on purpose, but I love how you mentioned Ned's eyebrows a few times, because damn, that man has some beautiful eyebrows.