Washing the Car…Sort Of

By Jeune Ecrivain

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance/Humor (Oliver/Miley)

Summary: Miley, Oliver, and Lily are now 16. When Jackson blackmails Miley into washing his car, Oliver comes to help. As things turn playful, Miley and Oliver prove to be more of a distraction to each other than a help.

"I can't believe Jackson caught me!"

16-year-old Oliver Oken gave his best friend, Miley Stewart, an amused smile. "Well, it was only the premiere of a big-time Leo DiCaprio movie," he observed sarcastically. "What'd you expect? Where there's Leo, there's girls, and where there's girls…"

"…there's Jackson," Miley finished for him wryly. "I should've known he'd blackmail me the moment I found him there with that despicable smirk on his face." She remembered her brother's expression all too well. She had snuck out to go to the premiere of the latest romantic comedy, despite her father's adamant orders to stay home and study the algebra that had been giving her particular trouble recently. She had been having a good time under the guise of her pop-star secret identity, Hannah Montana, until, just her luck, she and her brother had locked eyes across the crowded entry hall of the luxury theatre.

Now, Miley stood before her brother's Impala convertible in overalls and a tank top, clutching a large, soapy towel in one hand and a hose in the other. This was the price of Jackson's silence: to make his rather dirty Impala "shine like new," as he had put it.

"Hey, I tried to warn you," Oliver reminded her good-naturedly.

"Yeah, you did," conceded Miley. "Which only makes it all the kinder of you to stick around and help me out. You're really sweet, sometimes. You know that?"

"Thanks, Miles," Oliver replied as he scrubbed hard at a mystery stain on the driver's door. "I was just bored, I guess," he shrugged. "Plus, it is absolutely scorching today, so I'm game for pretty much anything that involves water."

Miley let out a small giggle, which quickly faded as she found herself struggling with a particularly stubborn bird-poop stain. "I swear, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Jackson got his car especially dirty for just an occasion like this!" she said dryly. "Makes me feel so special!" she added, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Oliver laughed. "Psychic brother, heh?"

Miley smiled. Satisfied that she had soaped-up the avian excrement enough, she turned on her hose and began spraying it. She breathed a sigh of relief as the water washed it away. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, she ran the spray of water along the side of the car, intending to work her way to the front and give the hood an initial rinse-off.

Meanwhile, Oliver was also satisfied with how soaped up the mystery stain was and looked around for his own hose. He found it about two or feet in front of him, approached it, and bent down to pick it up.

Unfortunately for him, he stood back up at the exact moment Miley made it past the windshield with her hose. Miley gasped and turned off the hose to find her best friend standing on the other side of the car, drenched from the abdomen up. "Oops!" she said, trying her best not to laugh. "Sorry, Oliver."

Oliver let a spurt of water out of his mouth and looked at her. Miley was doing her best to look innocent, but Oliver knew better. Although it was an accident, it might as well have been deliberate, because he could tell Miley was laughing her head off internally. "It's okay," he said resignedly. "Go ahead and laugh. We both know you want to."

Miley wasted little time in giggling out loud at the sight. He just looked so pathetic standing there, soaking wet. His seeming nonchalance about the whole thing made it all the more comedic.

Oliver gave her a wry smile. "Just remember something, Miles," he said.

"What's that?" she replied, still chuckling softly. Before she knew it, however, a straight-on torrent of water hit her straight in the face. She yelped, and in an instant, she found herself just as soaked as Oliver, standing there in shock as he looked back at her with hose in hand and a broad grin on his face. Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, no you didn't," she seethed, and Oliver knew the game was on.

The two eyed each other, hose spickets cocked like pistols, and proceeded to lean with lightning speed from side to side, dodging each other's attempted attacks. Miley faked a move to the right and caught Oliver square in the face when he dodged to the left. "Big mistake, missy," he said before taking off after her.

Miley ran off, giggling all the way, with Oliver in hot pursuit. She yelped once more as she felt a wave of water strike her back and neck. She looked over her shoulder, then turned her abdomen and ran sideways long enough to shout at him, "I'm going to put out your smoke, Smokin' Oken!" She shot a jet of water at him that struck him firmly on the chest before turning to run straight around the side of her Malibu home and onto the beach in her backyard. Their very long hoses trailed behind them.

The two continued to chase each other around the beach, exchanging well-aimed pot-shots as well as somewhat more sustained torrents in what would've looked to an outside observer like a sort of watery gun battle. At last, Oliver caught up with Miley and tackled her to the sandy ground. The two rolled around in the sand, squirting each other vehemently until their zeal slowly died down into a simple giggle-fest. Miley stayed where she had landed, straddling Oliver and playfully touching her nose to his as if silently challenging him. Staring defiantly into each other's eyes, their giggling dwindled into a sort of daze as they realized the position they were in. Soaking wet and panting, they took a moment to take in the sight of the other, the unprecedented proximity allowing a new depth of visual exploration. Almost as if it were second nature, Oliver reached up and gently tucked a lock of dripping-wet hair behind her ear. Perhaps incited by this gesture, Miley's head lowered towards his seemingly of its own volition. Oliver lifted his own head slightly as well. Only half-aware of their actions, they drew closer until, before she knew what she was doing, Miley kissed Oliver softly yet firmly on the lips.

The kiss lingered for a few seconds before she withdrew, but she had only pulled back a millimeter before Oliver brought his lips to hers as if returning a kind gesture. They parted momentarily, their eyes fluttering open slightly, before they were drawn into another kiss. The third kiss was a little more daring than the first two, and it lasted significantly longer as well. They parted for a second. Now completely aware of what they were doing but for the moment not caring about the implications, they promptly initiated a fourth kiss. Miley parted her lips to deepen it, and Oliver gladly followed her lead. He wrapped his arms around her waist and, breaking the kiss for only an instant, rolled her over so that he was now on top. Miley cupped his cheeks in her hands and resumed kissing him, parting her lips for a deeper kiss almost immediately this time.

As they continued to lock lips, a great sensation of pleasure, comfort, and safety washed over Miley. Meanwhile, Oliver was experiencing a similar feeling. Both of them felt as if a floodgate had been opened in their minds and hearts, letting subconscious desires they'd never known they had flow into their consciousness. Each kiss grew longer and more passionate. A soft moan escaped Miley's lips as Oliver kissed her gently yet fervently.

Finally, they broke apart long enough to open their eyes and catch each other's gaze. Panting once again, this time from massaging each other's lips with their own, they stared at each other in awe of what had just transpired. "Miley,…" Oliver squeaked huskily, "what was that?"

Miley shook her head. "I don't know," she replied softly. "But…I liked it," she added with a blush.

Oliver responded with a blush of his own. "Me too," he admitted sheepishly.