from the dining room table: part three
an: how are we all doing tonight!! feeling energetic af :) hope you guys enjoy angst hehehe, more fluff next update. hope ur all okay!!
warnings: swearing, angst, tears, some fluff, mentions of drugs and drug use
pairings: fez x reader, maddy x reader (platonic), cassie x reader (platonic), ash x reader (platonic)
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“Look, all I’m saying is that she definitely could have run if she wanted to. She didn’t really care that much.” You laughed, resting your head on Fez’s shoulder as you grabbed popcorn out of the bowl you two were sharing. You beamed up at him, taking in the moment as Ash slept quietly next to you.
You and Fez weren’t officially dating, but everyone knew that you were his and he was yours. You had always been with him, by his side or under his arm as you traveled through young adulthood together. When things got hard for him you were there, and when your anxiety got bad he always knew how to help you cope.
Looking into his eyes though, he seemed different. His nose was scrunched up uncomfortably, and his eyes were glossed over as he breathed in deeply. You ducked out from under his arm, taking his face in his palm as you studied him more intently.
“Hey. Is everything okay?” You questioned.
“We need to talk.” He sighed, shaking his head from your hand and rising slowly. “Can we like, go to the kitchen? I don't need to wake Ash.”
“I guess? Can you just tell me what's wrong? My anxiety is out of control right now.” You wrung your hands as you followed behind him, pursuing him as you stepped into the kitchen. He leaned sadly against the fridge as he looked up with distressed eyes. You went to him and expected to melt into his arms like normal, but he stopped you with his hand.
“Look. I didn’ want it to be this way. But you gotta stop fuckin’ with me. And if you don’t stop fuckin’ with me, imma stop fuckin’ with you.” He stated coldly, unable to look you in the eyes.
“What-” You reacted, flabbergasted at the situation. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I didn’ wanna do this, but like, people know who you are now. Bad people. And ion know if I can protect you no more.”
“So you’re leaving me because of a hypothetical? Fez, what the fuck are you even talking about!” You blurted, Fez shushing you as he pointed to the living room reminding you that Ash was sleeping steps away. “Sorry, but genuinely what the fuck. You’re not leaving me.”
“You don’t have a choice, ma.” He stated simply, finally lifting his eyes off of the ground to peer into yours. What shocked you the most was the tears. You had only seen Fez cry a handful of times, and all of them were during his lowest. But low and behold, fresh tears threaten to leak down his face. He blinked quickly, swallowing the lump in his throat before he continued. “I’m choosin’ for us. You not gettin’ hurt because I fucked up. You deserve…so much better. Better than me, better than what I can get you.”
“I’m sorry, but you don’t get to decide what I deserve.” You snap, shaking your head as you narrow your eyes. Is this really happening right now?
“One day. Maybe when we older and wiser. But now, now you gotta go.” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.
You both were quiet for more than a few minutes.
“So this is it?” You asked, afraid of the answer. He nodded slowly.
“I have to say it at least once when we're together.”
“Please don’t leave me Fez.” You walked to him, taking his face in your hands and you forced him to look at you.
“I can’t do this without you. I need you. You’re my person. And I love you, more than friends and I know you know but-”
He quickly steps back, ripping himself from your grasp making the tears in your eyes fall. You could feel your heart breaking in two. The fact that the only thing you ever wanted was right in front of you, but just out of reach made you want to curl up into a ball and weep. You couldn’t stand it.
Loud, horrible sobs sounded from your throat as the reality of your situation dawned on you: Fez was leaving you. A string of pleases and nos escaped your mouth as you crashed to the ground, taking the breath out of your lungs.
In an instant, Fez was next to you, holding you and running his hands through your hair. You couldn’t see him through your tears, but you knew he was crying too. “I know, I’m sorry ma.” He whispered, cradling you to him like his life depended on it.
Once you calmed down enough to open your eyes and breathe properly, you couldn’t help but look at him. You only had so much longer left to enjoy his presence, to soak up the sun that had made your life so bright for so long.
You couldn’t tell who leaned in first, only that one moment you weren't kissing and one minute you were. You had to make sure he knew how loved he was, how much he meant to you. Time stopped, and all you could focus on was how normal kissing him felt. Like coming home after a long day, switching into sweatpants, and getting a snack after a game. Happiness. Pure bliss.
“Fezzy?” Ash pouted, wrapped in a blanket as he groggily stood at the doorway of the kitchen. You two quickly broke apart, catching your breath as you turned to look at him.
“What's going on?” he questioned, eyes wide as he started to wake from his sleepy haze.
“Nothing, bud. We was jus’ talkin’. Y/N gotta go for a while, but she’ll be back soon ‘nough.” Fez stated, helping you stand as he held you close one last time. You breathed in his scent, begging your brain to remember it till you saw him again. “I’ll text you soon, okay?” He breathed, hands grasping your shirt tighter.
“Okay.” You answered, removing yourself from Fez’s chest as you smiled sadly at him. You turned around to say goodbye to Ash, but the look on his face was almost worse than Fez’s.
“Are you leaving?” He blubbered, padding over to you as he hugged himself into your side.
“Only for now. A little while. I’ll be back soon.” You smiled through your tears, rubbing his back as he sniffled against his torso. You removed him soon after, kissing his head as you called your mom to come get you.
“Well. I’m gonna get my stuff-” you paused, taking a deep breath to appear relaxed in front of Ash, “and then, I’m gonna go.”
You and Fez walked silently side by side, collecting all of the stuff left at his house into a bag he lent you. Your mom texted you shortly after, and you mentally got ready for reality.
“Well, I’ll talk to you soon?” You asked, hand brushing his as you took the bag from him.
“Real soon.” He confirmed, kissing your forehead. You nodded once, looking back at Ash in the kitchen, and walked outside to go meet your mom and drive home.
He never texted you again. Or called. Or even sent a fucking letter. Every day for months you texted, called, left voicemails, but he never responded. You begged him to just let you know he was okay, or to see Ash once. But he never responded. By the second month, he ended up blocking you.
It was the worst pain of your life. To just be left, no warning and no reason. It made you question everything about yourself. You hated how weak you were when it came to him. You hated how he made you question your own worth, just because he left you. But most of all, you hated the way you felt without him.
You and Fez texted daily, through all hours of the night. At first, it was just small talk, asking about your day or seeing how you were, but it developed into something more natural quickly. Jokes, memories, his perfectly rolled joints. Everything you ate throughout the day. Your hamsters.
After an eventful night, you slept peacefully. Your brain finally felt rested, and you couldn’t believe the impact a full eight hours of sleep had on your life. You woke up the next morning, full of energy and the feeling of ease. As shitty as life was right now, you had one thing to look forward to.
On the car ride to school, you had the windows down and were blasting some song you didn't know the name of. As much as you hated country music, you knew that it was your brother's favorite. He had a rough morning, and being the good big sister you were, you let him play what he wanted. You couldn’t lie, the song was kinda catchy.
About halfway through the ride to school, your phone started to ring. Normally you would just ignore it until you parked, but the ringing was getting on your nerves.
“Can you answer that?” You ask your brother, assuming the call was from Maddy or Cassie. He rolls his eyes and scoffs when he sees the name, which gets your attention. “Who is it?”
He answers the call and puts your phone in the cupholder. “Who-”
You're immediately nervous. You look over at your brother with the rudest face you can muster, but he's looking out the window already.
“Fez?” You question, turning the volume down as your car shakes from the bass in his voice.
“Well, uh, I'm driving to school.” You state, smacking your palm on your forehead at your awkwardness. Why couldn’t you act like a normal person around him?
He chuckles lightly, and you swear you can see his smile. “Well, that's nice.” He says, teasing you. ”Where you goin’?”
“School. You're on speakerphone with my brother, by the way.” You try to make everything have as little tension as possible.
“Chill. How you doin’ Josh?” He questions, his voice going down an octave as he speaks to your brother. You laugh at his attempts to seem tougher in front of your brother.
“I’m fine, thanks.” Josh spits out, eyes now locked on his phone as he scrolls lazily. You want to hit him for being rude, but you're worried if you try to do one more thing that you’ll crash the car.
“Cool. Anyways, I got a question for you. It’s about Ash.”
Your eyebrows raise at the mention of his name. The last time you two met, he didn’t seem to be your biggest fan. “Shoot.”
“So he’s like, failin’ math right now. Like, he got an F. I need him to have at least a C. I know you used to like, tutor people. Do you think you can help him if you got extra time? I’ll like, pay you and shit.”
“Oh! Yeah, of course. I’ll do it for free.” You state, shaking your head even though he couldn’t see you. The thought of being alone with Ash makes your heart hurt. You wonder what he would think about you now.
“I can’t have you doin’ it fo free.” He sighs. You can tell he’s being serious.
“I’m not kidding. You can pay me by other means.” You say, thinking of the time he paid a guy in weed as a tip for UberEats. Your brother whips his head around fast with a loud ‘what the fuck’ as you hear Fez start to die laughing on the other end.
“What the fuck, Y/N! I’m gonna be sick!” Josh yells at you, fake gagging as you hear Fez catch his breath on the other end.
“I didn’t mean it like that!” You explain, not even realizing what you had suggested until after you said it. Your cheeks flame as put your head down on the steering wheel, sighing. Your face is so hot it might as well be on fire.
“I didn’ know you was like that!” You can basically visualize his smile.
“I’m fuckin’ with you, girl. I know what you mean. But you finna do it then?”
“Yes, of course. When is he free?” You ask, desperately hoping he says a day you don’t have soccer.
“Well, today. And Sunday.” Fez suggests, a pause between both days.
“I can do it today. If you guys want.” You wonder what he’s learning. You want to make sure everything is right for the first time you guys get will be together…almost two years ago.
“It’s a date. Is five chill for you?” You need to stop home to drop off your backpack and grab a snack. You get out at four. Are you missing anything? No, that should work.
“Yup!” You state as you drive into the school parking lot. You find a spot right by the back, one of the only spots left as you and Josh have a bad tendency to be late. “Okay well, I’m at school. So I’ll see you later?”
“See you later.” Fez confirms as you hang up the call quickly. As you open your door you can't help but fake shoot yourself and slump back into your seat.
“God, you're tragic.” Josh laughs, slamming his door as he jogs to the school.
You had told Maddy at lunch today about whatever was going on between Fez and you. You wanted to say she was happy, but it was Maddy. You didn’t really care what she had to say though, as she would never know Fez like you would and she was back with Nate. Can’t throw stones in a brick house as your mom would say.
The day was gone before you knew it, and soon enough you were driving over to Fez’s with a small bag with your computer, paper, pencils, and stickers. You knew that he probably wouldn't like your stickers, but he might think they were fun to burn. Or something. Ugh. You just wanted him to like you again.
As you pulled into Fez’s driveway, an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia came over you. More specifically, the last time you were here. Somehow you were always crying.
You shut the car door and walked to the front door as calmly as possible, hiking your bag over your shoulder as you fixed your hair one last time. You barely have to knock before Fez is in the door frame, smiling down at you.
“Wassup ma?” He asks, narrowing his eyes at your bag as he cocks his head. “What’s in the bag?”
“Stuff for tutoring, duh. Did you think I was here for you?” You joke, brushing past him into the house.
“Ash is in the kitchen, he’s like all ready and shit. Made sure he showered and he ate so he shouldn’t be hangry.”
“Okay!” You walk to the kitchen and see Ash sitting at the table with his phone in his hand. “Hey, Ash.”
“Hey Y/N.” He almost seems shy. He puts his phone down, the camera side facing up, as he focuses his attention on you. You can hear Fez locking the door again and walking back into the living room
You sit down in the chair across from him and place your bag on the table. “So, do you have homework? I can look it over and then we can talk about it.”
You had spent two hours at Fezco's, going over Ash’s homework and answering questions he had. At around seven-ten, you were starving and exhausted. “So, next week, you’ll be back?” He asks, his tone slightly hopeful. You smile up at him as you clean up your things on the table.
“Yes, I'll be back.” You chuckle, ruffling his hair as you go to say goodbye.
“You leavin’?” Fez yells, lifting himself off the couch to come to see you out.
“Yup.” You look down at your feet, pulling your jacket on and tapping your feet on the tiles of the floor.
“Well, ‘ight. Can I walk you out?” He asks with longing in his eyes. You can’t help but smile wider, the awkwardness overwhelming you. Is this how you’ll always feel around him?
He walks you out the way you came in and strides you to your car.
“Can we talk fo a sec?” He asks. You nod once for yes and unlock your car for the two of you to get in.
You open the door and watch him climb in, ducking his head under the car frame to get in. Something about the way he looked made your mouth dry. He was so beautiful.
“So, we should talk. How's life been since I last saw you?” He questions, sincerity in his voice.
“It’s..been a lot.” You sigh. You can start to feel the tears well up in your eyes, blowing out air sharply as you try and swallow them. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“Shit, ma.” He looks at you with melancholy eyes. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing really. I’ll be fine. Like-” you start, then shake your head to stop yourself. “I’m fine.”
He shakes his head and smiles at you. “You don’t look fine. It’s okay y'know. To not be okay around me.” His sentences just make you cry harder. “Do you want a hug?”
“Yes? No. I don’t know! You make me confused.” You bite, eyes closed and hands gripping the steering wheel.
“Come here, Y/N.” You open your eyes, and you're met with the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. His seat is pushed back, making extra room in front of his feet. His legs are spread wider than normal, and his arms are reaching out towards you. Everything about this moment just reminds you of old times, and you can’t help but start to move over the center console and into his arms.
His strong arms wrap around you tightly and a hand runs through your hair. “It’s okay, you can cry now, I gotchu.” He mumbles, rubbing your back. Your face is in his chest and all you can do is sob as you breathe him in. Just like old times.
You’re listening to a podcast and eating a piece of chocolate pudding pie your mom made when your phone lights up.
fez :), nine-twenty-two pm:
fez :), nine-twenty-three pm:
you, nine-twenty-three pm:
thank you for checking on me
fez :), nine-twenty-four pm:
don’t gotta thank me for caring
you, nine-twenty-five pm:
fez :), nine-twenty-five pm:
i was countin’ money but now i’m talking to you
look in the pocket of your jacket
You furrow your brows and get off your bed. What? You smugly grin to yourself as you walk to your closet and find the jacket on a hanger. As you reach your hand inside of your right pocket, you're met with the feeling of two joints and a hard candy. You laugh out loud at it. You guess he paid you.
you, nine-twenty-seven pm:
so you did know what i mean
in the car when you made things awk
fez :), nine-twenty-seven pm:
i remember everythin’ from years ago
and if you want to make new memories
you, nine-twenty-seven pm:
like why do you even wanna try
fez :), nine-twenty-eight pm:
i got more people to back me
you still the same you and i'm still me
and i wanna be there for you if you’ll let me
you, nine-twenty-eight pm:
fez :), nine-twenty-nine pm:
next week when you come over fo ash
you, nine-twenty-nine pm:
