United States of Tara reaction fic!
Guys this was in my drafts from line 2014-15 and I never posted it. Here we go!!
Okay, so this episode aired allll the was back in 2009, but my husband and I found it on Netflix last week and we like it. I saw "Possibilities" and I thought Marshall and Jason were freaking adorable! Then we watched "Betrayal" and I really liked where it ended, prefect for a fan to pick up where it left off. I wrote this between that episode and the closer for season one.
Fandom: United States of Tara, Season 1
Genre: Reaction fic to “Betrayal”
Marshall looked up from his novel, as he read placidly on the lawn. The fire was out, and Kate had gone inside. The shed was now a burnt-out stub in the ground, with ash and papers soaked in water, little memories floating around, soon turning to garbage. “Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Something just came over me.” He glared at his mother.
“Oh, don’t you dare do that!” Tara growled at him. “Don’t you fucking condescend me like that!”
“So you’re mad about this?” He shot back, annoyed.
“Of course I am! You burned our fucking shed down, Marshall!”
“Oh, so you get to make irrational, stupid decisions with little to not consequence but the second I act out, it’s wrong.”
“We’re wrong either way!” she shouted. “But in my defense, I wasn’t fully aware of what I was doing. You, however, are.”
She sighed and sat down on the edge of his chair.
“Look, we both screwed up, okay? Do you really think I’m happy about all this? Do you think I like making a mess of everything I touch? Barely able to keep a job, or get through a weekend of in-laws? Or have a normal afternoon at the spa with my sister?”
“Back to self-pity, again. You’re shameless.”
She grabbed his book and threw it on the lawn, aggravated. “I’m sorry, I didn’t order extra snark with this conversation. What is your problem?”
“Right now? You. You are my problem. I really liked him, and maybe, maybe he likes me back. Do you think I was happy putting myself through that disturbing production, just to spend time with him? What kind of origin story would that be for our adopted children? ‘Your father and I met because I thought he was cute, and he thought pretending to burn in hell for perfectly valid feelings was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.'”
“Oh my God, you’ve already imagined adopting kids with him?” she chucked good-naturedly, despite herself. She didn’t want to insult her son’s feelings, but that was one hell of a crush.
“Well, yeah. I’m like a wolf, or a clown fish, or whatever animals mate for life. Point is, I like one guy at a time. And when I like him, I really like him. And Jason’s not shallow like a lot of people my age. He’s rare. He’s kind of special. And he’s grown up in this totally controlling, unhealthy environment and maybe now he’ll let his guard down a little.”
“Aww, sweetie. I’m sorry.”
Tara’s anger melted away like the magazine clippings T had plastered on the walls of the shed last summer. She’d found every image of Justin Beiber she could get her hands on, and wrote “PUSSY BITCH” and “FUCK BELIEBERS” and the semi-political “DON’T TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK LIKE THAT!” In red Sharpie all over his stupid face.
She hugged Marshall, and his anger melted just like his bike had. “I promise I’ll never make out with boys you like again.”
“You better not.” He replied in her ear, finally relaxed. They parted and he spoke again: “I’m sorry too. I know that was kinda your…place.” His guilt finally caught up to him.
“It’s fine. You know, maybe it needed to go. Maybe that was just cosmic timing. You know, my therapist basically dumped me today.”
“Really? Aww, I was trying to think of some puns or a catch phrase for you guys, like a reference to Ocean’s Eleven or something.”.
Tara smiled in appreciation. “I love how creative you are. I’ve always loved that about you. But hey, maybe it’s a chance for a new start, you know? Maybe I should get this new therapist, or go back on the meds.”
“No, no, don’t do that just for my sake. That should be your choice, my melodrama notwithstanding.”
“Thank you. And I’d do it for us. All of us. It’s just something I’m tossing around anyway. Come on, why don’t we go inside?” she mended fences, picking up his book and handed it back to him as he got up.
“Was he at least a good kisser?”
“Oohh, details!” she squeaked. “Why? You wanna kiss him?”
“Already did, actually.” he beamed, content with his conquest..
“And then he kissed back.”
“But it was so quick I wasn’t sure. So…”
“He was all right. Not terrible, not great. Not much experience. Well,” she teasingly looked to him, “not yet.”
“Mom.” he blushed, looking away.
They had reached the kitchen by then. Kate was back up in her room and Max was washing his hands.
“OK,” Tara breathed a sigh, “I’m gonna go change, get cleaned up. Start helping out with dinner.”
As she went upstairs, Marshall sat at the counter and struck up a conversation with Max. “Dad?”
“You and mom work things out?” he asked, pulling a roast pan out of the cupboard.
“It’s all right. Just, don’t do it again, okay?”
“You’re fine, it’s cool. Not the first fire I’ve put out today,” he remarked with a smile.
“I have kind of an important question. About Mom and her alters.”
“What’s that?” he asked, while rummaging through the freezer.
“When she’s T, and she’s hitting on some other guy, or, making out with someone half her age. How do you get over it? You guys have been together for almost 20 years. Doesn’t at least a little part of you get insanely jealous?”
“On some level, yeah.” Max agreed, sticking a bowl of water in the microwave. “But I remind myself of a couple things. It’s temporary, it’s meaningless, and it’s not really her. To be honest, when she’s…not herself, I actually don’t really, uh…”
“Oh,” Marshall was taken aback. “So when she’s not herself, you guys don’t…”
“We agreed it was weird. So it makes it easy to disconnect.”
“That makes sense. Sorry if that was a weird question.”
“Aw, come on. We both know that’s the tip of the weird iceberg around here.” Max winked at his son.
Marshall chuckled, relived. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get that, you’re starting dinner,” he said, rising from his seat. Max thanked him and turned back to the microwave, hot water now ready for thawing.
He opened the door and Jason was there, looking a bit anxious.
“Oh,” Marshall’s mood immediately cooled off. He was square with his mom, but Jason didn’t exactly fight her off, and he was still hurt.
“Sorry, my mom’s not available right now.” He contemplated closing the door, but settled on giving him an icy glare instead.
“Look, I’m really sorry. And believe me when I say I’m not interested in any…version of your mom. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. If it makes you feel any better, it was weird. And I’m not into labels or whatever, but I really do like you. And your family’s kinda cool. Hell of a lot better than mine.”
“OK, OK,” God damn, he was so cute...he couldn’t throw him away after one weird afternoon, “you’re off the hook. I might have gone a little overboard…”
“Holy shit, that was you?” Jason’s eyes widened. “Whoa…I hope I never piss you off.”
“I…got…jealous.” he stammered. “Sorry if that’s weird for you.”
“I’ll take as a…compliment.” Jason said with a shrug.
They shared a smile, relieved at last.
“So…maybe we can hang out later on?” Jason suggested. “I mean, if you still want to.”
“I do want to.” Marshall quickly replied. He still had a shot! “We’re gonna have dinner in a little while, but maybe...” he reached over and tucked back a lock of hair that has fallen over his eyes, “we could go for a walk first?”
“Sounds good to me.” Jason agreed, grinning.
“Okay.” Marshall said quickly, voice teeming with excitement.
He bounded inside and let his dad know they’d be out.
“I’ll be back for dinner,” he promised.
“No rush.” Max smiled back, reassuringly.
Marshall waltzed out the door, and they walked off, together.
izzy806
ellievsbear
areudirty
stormborns
kaledo-art
