MISSION: n/a; post 423*PROMETHEUS
TIMEFRAME: Sept 28th, around 0200
LOCATION: warehouse kitchen
PAGING: open to all agents
West is a hot mess after the mission, both physically and mentally. Pretending to be rich and snooty for most of the night is a huge buzzkill, and any vestiges of a good mood are torpedoed by his conversation on the ride home. The first thing West does when they get back to the warehouse is slip out of the ruined suit. A sigh of relief escapes his lips when he loosens the last bit of the half-Windsor and unbuttons the top two buttons at his throat and neck. He carefully unties the silk scarf from around his arm, careful to keep it separated from his items. Once he gets back home, he’ll figure out where it came from and mail Jack a new one. After he shrugs out of the suit jacket and long sleeved shirt, he has space to assess the damage.
The cut is small. A small trail of blood sluggishly wraps down his arm and to his wrist, and West mops it up with his already destroyed shirt. His stomach growls, a firm reminder that he did not eat this evening because the food was actually awful. Using the sleeve of his shirt as compression, West wanders into the dining area of the warehouse, hoping to find enough to make something. He keeps a small, portable first aid kit tucked under his good arm as he moseys through the empty hallway. Most of the agents have retired to their rooms and West enjoys the quiet.
Not even five minutes later, after multiple failed attempts to open a jar of peanut butter with one hand, West has a classic PB&J on bread hanging from his mouth and a needle poised against his arm when another agent walks in. He looks up, head snapping towards the door as a majority of the sandwich falls to the counter from his bite.
“Uh, hey,” he says with a mouth full of food as his arm drips onto the counter, and thankfully not his sandwich.
It wasn’t as if Jaxx particularly favored the days of the week to begin with, however waiting until next Thursday was truly hell on earth. The days between seemed to drag and drag, especially when she’d see Amelia at school, catching the girl brushing her hair over her shoulder as she chatted to her mini-me’s in the cafeteria, it was only when Jaxx felt her breath actually catch one of the times she caught the action that she knew she needed to come to her senses. She just had to wait a few more days then she could have Amelia all to herself again, to kiss her, touch her, make her blush and hopefully make her moan. Truly it was all that was getting Jaxx through the week were the thoughts of having Amelia in her arms once more.
Groaning as her alarm went off Jaxx dug around her bed, reaching for her phone to quickly shut it off only to instantly grin as she noticed the date. Thursday. Fucking finally.
Bringing up her text conversation with Amelia she quickly ran her fingers against the buttons.
“Sup Sleepin’ Beauty. I’ll see you after school.”
Was it still lame to put an x or an o? It totally was and she wasn’t that lame, no way in hell. Even if she really wanted to.
Rolling off of her mattress and on to the floor Jaxx groaned a little to herself as she stood up, stretching her arms over her head and wincing as her ribs stretched. They were getting better but still not a hundred percent yet. But getting there, another thing she truly credited to Amelia.
Making her way into the kitchen once her teeth were brushed and she’d gotten dressed Jaxx was just about to scrounge around in the cupboards for something to eat when she heard her phone go off, instantly pulling it out of her pocket she smiled a little to herself as she noticed the rose and crown lighting up the screen, meaning Amelia had replied.
“Little early for your Johns dont you think?” Came her fathers voice from the kitchen table.
Rolling her eyes Jaxx went to reply to the text, only getting a few letters typed before her phone was quickly knocked out of her hand and on to the ground.
“What the fu-”
“Focus up when someone’s talking to you.”
Shaking her head and sighing a little Jaxx bent down to grab her phone, just as she went to close her fingers around it her fingers soon found themselves squished under the toe of her father’s boot.
“Fuu...alright I’m listening,” she panted, attempting to pull her hand away only to wince as her father put more pressure on to her hand before he moved his foot. Cradling her hand to her chest Jaxx sighed a little to herself as she glanced at her already red fingers.
“I’m really not in the mood for this, I’m going to school.” she commented, using her own foot to kick her phone away from the table and her father before she bent down to grab it, making sure to stand up quickly this time.
“Who are you talking to?” her father demanded, giving Jaxx a look that made her feel like he could see right through her.
“No one, a friend.”
“Uh huh, you expect me to believe you have those?”
“I don’t expect you to ever believe anything I say,” Jaxx replied with a shrug.
“Give me your phone,”
“No,” Came the instant reply as she went to shove the device into her pocket. The moment her phone was away was the same moment her father forcefully stood up from his chair, swallowing thickly Jaxx went to back up only to end up smacking into the fridge.
“Just a friend huh? What are you hiding.” He demanded, getting closer.
“Nothing, it’s just none of your damn business.”
Clearly this was the wrong thing to say as soon her father was lunging at her, shoving her up against the fridge and trying to snatch her phone back.
“Fuck off! It’s mine,” She exclaimed, attempting to shove him off, which she managed to for a moment and within those split few seconds Jaxx took the opportunity to swing out and connect her fist directly with her father’s face.
Looking wide eyed as it connected what she had done all signs started flashing ‘abort!!” in her head as she went to scramble out the back door, only to have her father grab the back of her jacket and forcefully tug her back into the kitchen. Using his hold on her to his advantage as he shoved her up against the fridge, keeping a strong hand against her back to hold her in place while the other roughly pinned her head against the fridge door.
“Now that wasn’t very smart was it? Considering we’ve both seen you can’t even win a fight, that was pretty damn stupid of you.”
Attempting to struggle against his hold Jaxx groaned as he took the hand holding her head to pull it back and push it against the door once more.
“You come at me again, I’m gonna hurt you bad. You understand me?”
“Y-Yeah...” she mumbled, stumbling into the kitchen chairs as her father shoved her towards them.
Watching as he walked over to the counter Jaxx looked down at her hand, noticing her fingers still bruising and swollen she narrowed her gaze at them. Catching the reflective glint of something in the corner of her eye she let her gaze travel over to the drying rack on the counter, her eyes falling on the meat tenderizer in the rack. Taking a glance between the tool and the back of her father’s head everything seemed to move in an instant as before she knew it she had her fingers curled around the handle, arm raised towards her father as she moved behind him. Only he ended up catching her reflection in the glass of the cupboards before she could land a hit on him, quickly spinning around he grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her closer and landing a harsh punch to the middle of her face, causing her to drop the tenderizer. However the punches kept coming, and coming.
Jaxx found herself falling in and out of consciousness, with every hit, however the last one had her father holding her up by her shirt as her legs gave out underneath her.
“You don’t fucking listen do you? You disrespectful little bitch.” With one last hit to her face he tossed her on to the floor, her head being the first thing that hit against the linoleum tile.
“Told you not to do that.” Her father stated simply, walking out of the kitchen and leaving Jaxx in a bloody heap on the floor.
Barely able to keep her eyes open, tasting nothing but iron on her tongue as her mouth pooled with blood the last thing Jaxx could think of was the fact she didn’t fully text Amelia back before everything went black.
****************
Slowly opening her eyes and realizing she could barely open the right one Jaxx winced as she slowly uncurled her fingers, feeling the cool tile around her she began to gain consciousness once more, the moment her vision focused and she could see the chair and table legs that was when everything came flooding back to her, what had happened, where she was, along with the throbbing pain in her face.
“A-Amelia....” Attempting to look around she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, slumping against the cupboards she pulled her phone out, noticing the time and the fact it was well into the night now. She must have passed out, for the whole damn day.
Fuck.
Shifting a little more to try to situate herself to type a text to Amelia she found she couldn’t focus on the screen, everything was blurry, her head was pounding, this was never going to work. For all she knew Amelia would think she’d blown her off and never want to see her again.
Of all days, why did this have to happen on a damn Thursday.
With a lot of effort Jaxx managed to use the cupboards to pull herself up into a standing position. Trying to push down the instant feeling of nausea she felt. Okay, she could do this. Taking a few minutes to steady herself at least until she could walk.
Once she found her footing Jaxx stumbled her way out the door and into the cool night air. She knew she could go to the bathroom, access the damage, clean herself up. But all she could think of right now was one thing, one person. The only place she wanted to be.
It took a long time to walk the distance and for a big part of it Jaxx had thought she was walking in the complete wrong direction until they came into view. The rose bushes.
Breathing a small sigh of relief she glanced the house over, noticing a light on in one of the upstairs rooms, what she was hoping was a bedroom. Shaking her head a little to try and focus her vision she looked over everything again with more detail this time, trying to plan out her route.
Bingo.
Making her way closer to the house she hooked her fingers into the lattice, instantly wincing as her swollen fingers made their discomfort known. Telling herself to toughen up she sucked in a breath as she hoisted herself up, making sure not to damage any of the rose bushes along the way as she climbed. Pushing herself onto a small side roof she sighed a little in relief, okay half way.
Cradling her head in her hands for a moment as the world started to spin once more she groaned internally. Just a little bit more.
Blinking a few times as she got her gaze to focus she noticed the window she’d been looking at was getting closer, and lucky for her there was a ledge in the siding.
Perfect.
Crawling across the roof she curled her fingers around the ledge, pulling herself up and quickly wedging her foot against the ledge to keep her held up. Managing to get high enough to peek into the room in question. Well it was a bedroom for sure, however an empty one.
Maybe it was Amelia’s, maybe she would come back. It was worth a shot, after all worse comes to worse the St.James parents call the cops on her, hell it would be better than going home.
Raising her hand she lightly knocked on the window, pausing for a moment to make sure neither of Amelia’s parents came into the room before she lightly knocked again.
She knew her biggest concern should have been her appearance. She could only imagine what she looked like, knowing her eye must be bruised and bloodshot, considering she could taste dried blood on her lips she was sure there was some around there still as well, and who the hell knows what else was wrong with her considering the way her head was pounding and her vision kept getting blurry at random times.
Sure she should probably be in a hospital, or a mental institution, but all she wanted right now was the girl she was praying would hear her knocking.
Who: Quinton Fabray & Rachel Berry ft. Judy Fabray, LeRoy Berry, and Hiram Berry
When: 7/26 ; Afternoon
Where: The Hospital
What: Rachel comes to visit Quinn in the hospital
Warnings: Depression, Eating Disorder
Rachel knew deep down that his general attitude had nothing to do with her or anything she had done. But she still feels like maybe she’s not trying hard enough, visiting him long enough, or letting him have peace.
Doing the only thing she knew how in a situation that needed an apology- she got creative.
Rachel enters the hospital with pizza in one hand and her envelopes card in the other. The nurse is happy to open the door for her and Rachel just watches him through the doorway. “May I come in, daddy?”
Quinn is grumpy as hell. He doesn't like not being active. He doesn't like being stuck in the hospital. He can't even curl up the way he wants to because of broken bones. It sucks. And he knows he's taking it out on Rachel, he knows he shouldn't but he is. There's no one else to be short with.
When Rachel comes by with pizza he's curled up as best he can be, as much as the nurses will let him. He's listening to music and trying to block out the world. The volume is kept just low enough that he can hear when someone enters his room but he doesn't turn over to face the door when it does. "Sure."
Rachel bites down on her lip, but walks further into the room. She sets the pizza down and holds the card in both her hands. “I can leave. I just wanted to bring you a card. I made it myself.”
Quinn turned his attention to Rachel, pulling his headphones out of his ears. "No, baby, you don't have to leave. I'm just not myself." He sat up a bit, looking at the card in her hands. "You made me a card?"
“I just don’t mind going if that would make you feel better.” Rachel walls closer to the bed and nods her head. “Yeah. I wanted wanted to try and cheer you up. Here.” She hands it to him. On the front is a bandaid with a face colored on it that says you’re going to feel better soon and on the inside there was a drawn cookie and it said “I know because you’re a tough cookie and I know cookies.” And on the other side was a note. “Daddy, I love you more than Cats, Barbra, and tea.” And other ways of saying I love you. She really needed him to know.
"If anything, you leaving would just make me feel worse, baby." He took the card and opened it. It was cute and sweet and he couldn't help but smile. "More that Barbra, huh?" He teased gently. "C'mere." Quinn moved so there was room in the bed and pulled back the covers.
“I love you the most.” Rachel whispers, happily moving to get on the bed with him. “I’m not doing enough to help you, daddy. I just want to make you happy.”
He smiles,, curling up to her when she joins him in bed. "You're doing what you can, baby. There's not a lot you can do. I just don't like it here. I don't like being alone. I miss my cat. I miss you. I miss having a life, going to the skatepark, going to work."
Rachel is careful with how close she gets to him, not wanting to hurt him. “Maybe I can bring Duck to visit.” She sighs, not liking that she can’t really take control and help him. “I’m sorry you’re hurting daddy. I miss you too.”
Quinn curls further into Rachel, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He's tired and annoyed and grumpy but she is soft and his and so very sweet. He chuckles a bit, placing a kiss to her shoulder. "No, I don't think they'd approve of you bringing Duck." He sighs. "I hate his, baby. I just want to go home. I know this is where I need to be but I don't want t be here."
Rachel shivers just a little at the kiss to her shoulder, sighing. “But I could try. I’d do anything to make you happy.” Rachel turns so that she can kiss him gently. “Just think how great it will feel when you get home. We’re going to throw a giant party!”
He smiles. "No, it's okay. It'd probably just stress her out. I don't want that." He kisses her back, gently and then sighs. "Oh God, your dads would too..."
“ No stressed out duck.” She murmurs against his lips. “They will because they like you and I think my dad misses you.” Her nose scrunches. “I miss you.”
"Yeah, stressed out kitty is no good." He chuckles a bit. "You think he does?" Some part of him isn't entirely surprised, but he is. Maybe he's just not used to having people care if he's around or not. "I know you do, baby."
“You’re the most lovable person I know, of course he misses you. He’s almost obsessed.” Rachel giggles. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this. I want to be with you whenever I want.” She pouts
"Think I just attracted mildly chaotic people." He chuckled. It wasn't a bad thing, of course, but it was odd. He particularly attracted mildly chaotic queer people. Santana. Saul. Rachel. Hiram. They all had two very specific energies in common. They were some sort of queer and more than a little eccentric. "I know."
“Is that a back handed compliment?” She whispers, eyes widening just slightly. “It’s true and do you know how often I want you?”
"What's wrong with being a little chaotic?" He chuckles, kissing her. "As often as I want you?"
“I don’t want to be crazy. Aren’t I suppose to be working on that?” She sits up a little. “I’m sure it is comparable, daddy.”
"Being chaotic and being crazy are not inherently the same. You're so not crazy." He just let himself slip down her body as she sat up. "Yeah?"
“Yes I am.” She smiles sadly. “I’d like to think I want you more but I know you want me quite a lot.” She cups his cheek. “Are you hungry?”
"Don't make me quote Matchbox Twenty at you." He smiles at her. "You're right, I do." Quinn leans into the hand on his cheek. "A little, not really." It was stupid but he'd been holding himself to the same rules Hiram and Leroy had been holding Rachel. Except now she was there and he could cheat. He could avoid it.
“Okay.” She nods her head. She is hungry but eating alone wasn’t something she was great at yet. “Me neither.”
He curls a little further into Rachel. "I don't like it in here baby." He knows he's repeating himself but just being in the hospital is causing him to slip. And he hates it. He hates slipping up. Especially something he fought so hard to keep control of.
“I don’t know how to help you.” She whispers, squeezing his hand. “I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry.”
"It's okay baby. I know. I just feel out of control here. Everything is on a schedule I can't control."
“How can I make you feel like you have more control, daddy?”
"I don't know if you can, baby." Everything he wanted to do he couldn't. Whether because of his physical condition or where they were. Nothing was in his control, except how much he ate and he knew that wasn't good.
She just nods her head. She didn’t like how this felt and she hates how this is clearly taking a toll on him. “I’m sorry.”
He kisses her shoulder again, nuzzling a bit at her neck. He's trying to distract himself. Focusing on her was the easiest way to do that. If he could keep out of his own head, even for a while he could convince himself he was okay.
Rachel just holds him, enjoying his affection, really needing it even. She starts to hum- mostly just to stop the quiet that surrounded them.
"Will you sing to me?" His voice is quiet and even a little worried. He wants to hear her, but he understands if she doesn't want to.
“Okay.” If it will help then she’ll do it. Though she wavers, she does it anyways, singing ‘Keep Holding on’ for both of them. She hadn’t sung since her audition and that keeps a knot in her stomach.
He nuzzles into her as she sings, humming along. He hasn't sung in front of someone in years but he wanted to with her, so bad. He'd always loved her voice and hearing it so close to him, being able to feel it vibrating through her, he wanted to join in, but he didn't. He was too scared to. But he listened and he held her close, whispering his praises across the skin of her neck as she finished.
Rachel takes a deep breath as she finishes and she can’t help but look at him with wide doe eyes. “Did that help daddy? Was I good?”
He uses his good hand to cup her cheek, smiling at her before it slipped behind her neck, pulling her into a deep kiss. "You are amazing, baby."
Rachel can’t help but whimper into the kiss as they pull away. “No daddy, you are.”
Quinn kisses her nose. "Hush, I'm not as amazing as you right now and you can't convince me otherwise." He doesn't leave room for argument, once again kissing Rachel deeply.
Rachel doesn’t object. Instead she tries to get her hands on him enough without hurting him. She’s just letting out the slightest whimpers.
Quinn smiles into the kiss. He loves hearing her whimper and he tugs at her hair a bit. He knows they're liable to be interrupted soon, for about number of medically necessary reason, but he needed this right now. As long as they didn't go too far they'd be fine.
She pulls away, breathing heavy and just staring at him. “We shouldn’t.” But it doesn’t stop her from grabbing the hand in her hair to just below her neck.
Quinn raises his eyebrow with a smirk. "We shouldn't what? Hmm?"
“I can’t stop. I have no control. You know this.” But she’s just inching his hand closer to her neck.
He knows where it's going. Knows they're toeing a line they shouldn't cross, that they can't cross. The fingers of his bad hand tangle in the edge if her shirt, just wanting to do something, not feel so useless.
“Please.” She whispers. Her hands move and she gently runs her fingers over his arms
"I wish I could." He mutters, pulling his hand away from her throat, instead balling it in her shirt. "I want you so bad but I can't have you here." He huffs, pulling away and flopping into his back. Just in time for a nurse to come in. He held out his good arm with a sigh, all too used to the routine, spouting off his name and birthday without being asked.
Rachel is up and off the bed the minute the nurse is walking through the door. Her eyes are on their exchange but Rachel is getting a plate of pizza for herself- fingers picking at the veggies that topped it and plopping them into her mouth. “When can he come home?”
The nurse has eyed Rachel curiously but went about doing what she needed to. "That'll be up to the doctor. Who he should see tomorrow." The nurse replied, looking between the pizza and Quinn. "Do it or I chart the other." Her tone was serious and Quinn huffed as she left. Great, he was caught.
“What is she talking about?” Rachel is still chewing away at vegetables, doing all she can to keep swallowing. “Chart the other one, what?”
Quinn sighs. He wants to lie, say he doesn't know. But he knows it's not believable. Still, he waits a long moment before speaking. "Haven't been eating like I'm supposed to." His voice is low and he instinctively curls in on himself, turning away from Rachel in the process.
“That is not acceptable.” She squeaks out, setting her own food down as she felt nervous all of a sudden. “You not eating means Bones aren’t healing. You’re not healing. You can’t do this. Stop it.”
"I just want something I have fucking control over!" His voice is far more broken than usual. "I don't even get to do my own T shots. I'm fucking useless in here and I hate it! That was the one thing I could control. As long as I ate something I figured I'd be fine. I-"
“You’re not useless. Doing this means they win and they absolutely do not get to have that pleasure. You’re stronger than that. You need to eat, daddy.”
"I don't want to." It's feeble and he knows he needs to. But he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to do anything.
“Neither do I.” Rachel throws back, really feeling it now. The heaviness from eating, the emotions running through her. “You can’t do this.”
He huffs, still turned away from Rachel. Some part of him knows she's right, that he's making a hypocrite of himself. It's just the one thing he knows.
“I should go then. We don’t get to see each other when we don’t eat.” She angrily takes the pizza box and struggles shoving into the trash.
Quinn sighs. "Stop."
“No.” Rachel finally gets it folded down enough so that it fits and she grins. “Don’t tell me to stop. Ever again!”
Quinn crosses his arms across his chest the best he can. "Are you saying you're not my baby girl anymore?"
“I’m saying that I’m leaving and you need to eat.”
"Whatever." His mood has crashed again and he doesn't even care. He curled further into himself, putting his headphones back in.
Rachel can’t leave, so she sits on the floor beside the door. She’s not just watching him but most of her attention stays on the bed. She can’t explain the anger but he needed to eat and it upsets her that he just isn’t.
Quinn just lays there, curled up into himself, listening to music. The way he spent most of his time. There was so little he could do, even with antidepressants, he was deep in his depression. Music was the only thing that even tried to make him feel better. But even now he found it just making him feel slightly worse. Maybe it was because he felt he deserved to feel like that. And soon enough he was crying silently to himself.
Rachel feels helpless, just watching him upset, but she can’t fix it. And she can’t dismiss his own struggles around eating but it feels like a slap in the face that he’s so insistent on making sure she does. Rachel sends an emergency text to her fathers but then she notices Quinn crying. She doesn’t like that and moves so that she can curl up beside him- kissing his face slightly.
Quinn doesn't really react to Rachel coming over to him. He's so wrapped up in his own world, in the music pumping through his headphones, and the thoughts spiraling through his head. Not to mention the crying. He can't remember the last time he really cried but his time in the hospital has led to a lot of it.
She doesn’t need him to acknowledge her. She just needs to be there for him and not leave him alone. She never wants him to feel alone. She runs circles over his hand, keeping herself moving.
A half hour goes by and there’s a knock on the door. It’s the Berry’s and they’re holding food.
At some point, Quinn cries himself to sleep and between exhaustion and the headphones in his ears he doesn't immediately stir when the Berry men show up. It's the smell of food that pulls him from his sleep and he turns just far enough to see them in the doorway before turning back over. He doesn't want to deal with them too.
Rachel sighs, having hoped this would cheer him up. But little did she know the Berry’s had a feeling they wouldn’t completely fix this so they invited Judy who brought cards with her. “I think this was a bad idea.”
Quinn is still curled with his back to everyone and doesn't know what's going on behind him. He doesn't know his mother is also there. He vaguely hears Rachel saying it was a bad idea but he doesn't know what. However, he can't say he doesn't agree with her about it being a bad idea.
Seeing her son so withdrawn hurts Judy. She makes her way over to the bedside, making sure to walk around so he can see her. He tries to ignore her, close his eyes and pretend he hadn't seen her come over. however, when she nudged him to scoot over he did, giving her just enough room to sit on the edge of the bed. She runs a hand along his shoulder and arm, waiting for him to look at her. "Quinn, baby, look at me." After a moment, he does and she wipes a few tears off his face. "Come on, get outta your head. We've got good food and cards, least you can do is stop ignoring us." Quinn huffs but removes his headphones anyway, sitting up enough to collapse into his mother's arms. "You can't take care of your baby girl if you stop taking care of yourself." She whispers just loud enough for Quinn to hear and he groans.
"I know, mama." He whispers back, pulling away a bit, looking at everyone else in the room. "What'd you bring?"
Rachel slips out of the bed when Judy comes around. She hopes that maybe she can talk Quinn into a better mood at least. She doesn’t want to take responsibility for his mood. He’s hurt and hurting and stuck. Rachel can’t imagine how yucky that feels inside for him but she does know she isn’t helping or making it a little easier.
“Indian food because it’s your favorite.” Rachel whispers, before Hiram mentions the games.
Quinn smiles a bit, settling back into bed. "You guys didn't have to." He sighs.
“We wanted to.” LeRoy promises, “Would you like something to eat?”
Quinn sighs and then nods. "Yeah, I guess." He doesn't want to, but he knows there's no point arguing it. Besides, Indian was his favorite. If he was going to eat anything, Indian would be his best bet.
Rachel is quick to jump up, making sure everyone else was up for eating before dishing food out. Quinn gets the first plate and she manages a small smile and once everyone has something she loads some vegetables onto her plate to pick at.
Quinn thanks Rachel and settles in to eat, still partially curled up against his mom. He's slow to start eating, pushing food around his plate for a while before actually taking a few bites. His eyes are on Rachel, watching her.
No one is eyeing him, no pressure to eat, put on either of them. But Rachel feels it and she wonders if Quinn feels it too. She can’t take it anymore and feels herself growing antsy. Rachel sets her food off to the side. “Was there a specific game you were looking to play? Because I have one.”
When he sees Rachel push her plate to the side he is gaze falls to his own plate. He's still mostly just pushing food around it. His favorite food and he still can't seem to eat it. He feels eyes on him and he looks up to see the nurse eyeing him from the doorway before she's gone again. She'd been smiling. It made him feel less bad.
"Not me, no." Quinn shrugged, still picking at his plate, trying to convince himself he needs to do this.
Rachel is just watching him, wishing she knew if he cared she was there. That everyone was there. Why couldn’t she just be there without feeling like everything was her fault.
“I think that I need to go home and lie down.” Rachel says instead of offering her game.
Quinn's eyebrow raises but he just sighs. He's not going to force her to be there, even if he wants her there. He slumps further into his mom's side, setting his plate down. Judy looks down at her son and sighs, kissing him on the top of the head.
"Rachel, can you come with me for a minute?" Judy asks, as she stands from the bed. Placing another kiss to the top of his head she whispers, "I'll bring back chocolate," into Quinn's hair and he smiles a little at that. Judy then moves to the leave the room, hoping Rachel will come with.
“I was planning to leave so I guess you can walk me to the door?” Rachel holds the door open for her before following her out.
Judy sighs as she walks out the door, immediately turning to face Rachel once the door is closed behind them. "Why are you really looking to leave?"
“I’m not needed. And my head hurts and I would rather go home.”
"Please, you're the only one he actually wants here." Even still, Judy starts walking. She promised chocolate and if Rachel is so inclined to leave she might as well walk her out. "He's never been good at vocalizing what he feels. And if I had to bet, his depression makes it even harder."
“I can’t do anything about anything he’s feeling.” Rachel sighs. “Nothing helps.” She’s frustrated because she knows it’s not her but it feels like it is.
"But you can be there anyway." Judy sighs. "Because going away when he's not himself is feeding his depression. Telling him he's as alone and useless as he thinks he is. Telling him that if he's not himself then he's not worthy of your time." Her words are gentle but firm. She turns down the hallway where the vending machines are, pulling her change purse out of her pocket.
“This has nothing to do with him.” Rachel whispers, shrinking into herself. “I can’t. I can’t sit there and be useless. I’m always just useless and he needs better.”
"But that's not how it feels to him." Judy says as she straightens out a five dollar bill on the side of the vending machine. "If you're keeping him out of his head then you're not useless. You're giving him reason to keep going and get better. You can say he deserves better but he chose you. Don't throw away his choice like it doesn't mean something."
“But I’m not.” Rachel whispers. “I’m not helping him with anything. And he’s not getting better and I can’t.” She closes her eyes. “I don’t know what to do. This is too much. He’s not too much but I can’t. I don’t know how to be what he needs.”
Judy sighs as Rachel talks. "Just be his baby girl. Even when it's hard. Believe me, just being there will be enough." Judy had struggled with depression during and after the divorce. It wasn't until she'd gotten out and found friends that would come to her when she couldn't go to them, that she got better. "Chocolate fixes everything." She muttered as she inserted the bill into the machine and keyed in the code for a plain chocolate bar. She then put the required change for another directly into the machine while putting the rest in her change purse. Removing the chocolate bars she looked at Rachel.
“Why doesn’t it feel like it’s enough?” She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to reset, somehow. “I don’t feel that way.” Rachel shrugs, and after a sigh she turns to head back to his room.
Judy puts a hand on Rachel's shoulder and then pulls her into a hug from behind. "Because you want to be able to fix him. You want to be able to take his pain away. He doesn't need that, he needs you to be there to keep him company while he does it." She whispered with a kiss to Rachel's head before letting go and stepping away.
“But he doesn’t deserve to be in pain. This isn’t fair.” Relaxing a little at her embrace, though there is the fleeting thought that the woman may be repulsed by what she feels. “I don’t want to eat in there.”
"No, it's not. But we can't change that." Judy sighs. "Neither does he. But if he can try, so can you. Might make him feel less alone."
Rachel’s fist clench at her words. She didn’t want to try and that is the difference between her and Quinn. “He’s not alone. I don’t want him to think that.”August 4, 2019
"Depression is an evil thing and can make you believe a lot of things that aren't true. Including that you're alone." She actually starts to head back to the room then. "The least the rest of us can do is not give his depression more fuel."
She knows she’s talking about Quinn. But she understands so many of his feelings. “I can’t take care of myself. I don’t know how I can take care of him.”
Judy smiles. "Let the doctors and nurses take care of him. You just be here for him and take care of yourself the best you can. And not be afraid to ask other people for help."
“I don’t need help.” She grumbles, before following the woman back inside. She ignores her fathers slight gaze before they going back to telling Quinn about this YouTube video they’d run into that made even LeRoy chuckle.August 5, 2019
Judy doesn't say anything as she moves over to Quinn handing over the two chocolate bars she'd bought.
Hiram and Leroy had pulled up a YouTube video that Quinn just had to see, because if Leroy laughed it had to be funny. And they hadn't been wrong. He smiled as they discussed it animatedly, though he found himself looking at Rachel. "I thought you were headed home, baby?" He's happy she didn't but he worries she's ignoring her own health.
“I can leave.” Rachel says defensively, trying to breathe through her outward angst. She didn’t need to make this harder.
Quinn is frustrated by her response. All he'd done was ask a simple question and she was being defensive. He didn't like that. He wasn't good at emotions and explaining. "No." His tone is solid dom and he can't help but notice the way both the Berry men and his mother straighten up. Information he doesn't want to acknowledge but cannot actually ignore. "You will stay here, with me until I say otherwise. Do you understand me?"
Rachel straightens up quickly, nodding her head slowly. “Yes sir.” And it comes out easy, like she knows not to call him daddy in front of her actual dads. “I’m sorry.” She adds
Quinn grins at her response. "Good. Now come here." There isn't room for argument in his voice, even with his expression being soft. He pats the bed next to him and holds out his arms to her.
Rachel is quick to climb in beside him, turning her head into his shoulder and just carefully holding him. It’s as if there was no one else in the room.
Quinn holds her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Good girl." He whispers into her hair as he settles back. Easily picking back up in the conversation about YouTube videos as if he'd not just commanded Rachel. He opened one of the chocolate bars and broke off a piece to pop in his mouth.
Rachel just flushes, sighing happily. It’s not some immediate fix but she does feel better and lighter and she clings to him. “Yum?”
"Mmhmm." He loves the way she clings to him, and he breaks another piece off. "You want some?" He offers the piece to her, silently hoping she'll take it.
Rachel tenses for just a moment before taking it and plopping it into her mouth.
He's happy when she takes it. Quinn rubs her back, trying to get her to relax a bit more. He wants her to be comfortable, even if it's just a piece of chocolate. Leaning in, he presses a quick kiss to her lips. Does he feel weird doing this in front of their parents? Yes. But he feels like they both need this and anyone else can be damned.
Rachel can’t bring herself to chew it so instead she lets it melt in her mouth. Swallowing it down slowly with a look of disgust. She can’t help but kiss him back, hand cupping his face.
He doesn't like the face she makes but just kisses her again. "You okay?" He whispers against her lips. Out of the corner of his eye he watches Leroy motion to Judy and Hiram, urging them to leave. Getting the hint, they all file out with a wave, leaving the food and games they'd brought with them, leaving the pair alone. Quinn is thankful that they left the food, knowing he could probably get the nurse to reheat some for him later, if only so he was eating.
“Are you?” She feels bad that they leave but feels s lot less pressure once they are out of the room. “I’m sorry.”
"Just glad you're still here." He whispers, holding her close. "Why?"
“Because I left you. I made you feel like I don’t want to be here.”
"It's okay, baby. You came back." He doesn't know what his mother told her, but he makes a mental note to thank the woman later.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel alone daddy. I can’t say being such a brat was an accident but...” And she snuggles against him.
Quinn just held her for a bit. He's trying to figure out how to say what he's thinking and feeling. "It's not just you." He mutters. "Being stuck here is just hard to deal with and you wanting to leave... I don't know, made me feel like it's my fault."
“Me wanting to leave was me not wanting to deal with all the food and thinking you didn’t want me.” She admits softly
Quinn feels like he's been punched in the gut and he presses a kiss to her head. "I always want you, baby. Don't ever think I don't. I'm just not good with stuff. Like, the depression makes it hard."
“I wish I wasn’t so selfish. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t make everything about me. I just love you. I do. I love you so much.”
LOCATION → Amber, Dani, Rachel, and Stevie’s apartment
DESCRIPTION → Sam makes a surprise trip to find out just why Stevie’s been acting so strange. And gets a bit more than she bargained for.
Mae was surprised that Stevie wanted her to come over. As in—Stevie was okay with Mae being around her apartment. Usually, Stevie insisted that she comes over to Mae’s place only to reduce the risk of getting caught by people they really didn’t want to get caught by, so this was different. And it was stupid of Mae to do so, but she had a little hope that maybe things were changing between them. Maybe there was more. But Mae knew. Mae wasn’t more than just sex to Stevie. A great ass. Hot until she opened her mouth. All that stuff. She’d take what she can get, though. And if sex was all she can get from Stevie, she’d just learn to live with that. But if Mae was being honest? It was starting to get to her. Mae wanted more and felt more than Stevie did, so it killed her that sex to Stevie was meaningless when it meant so much to her.
Regardless, Mae was here. Because she’d take what she can get. So long as it involved that pink-haired grump. As Mae made it up to Stevie’s apartment, she sent a quick text to Stevie to tell her she was reaching Stevie’s door. She knew Stevie wouldn’t want Mae to hang out in the hall for too long and create suspicion. Despite how complicated it all was, there was still something exciting about their situation. The sneaking around. The lustful looks they’d give each other from afar. All of it.
Stevie glanced around her room, doing a mental check of the minimalist space. She'd put away the acrylic paints she'd been working with and the piece she'd been working on was safely tucked away. Given how handsy she and Mae got, she didn't want them to bump into it and ruin all of her work. Patting her hands on her legs mindlessly, she looked over at the clock. Yeah, Mae should be over soon. Stevie made her way out to the living room, scrolling mindlessly through her phone. The texts from Reggie caught her eye and she scowled to herself. That shit at Battle of the Bands, it had lowkey pissed her off. And not in a dumb, jealous way, that wasn't it. She just... didn't like seeing Mae making out with Reggie of all people. Hadn't she and Harper just broken up? What the fuck was that shit? No, she didn't care who Mae slept with. She could fuck Reggie or Lara or anyone, it didn't matter to her. Just, the timing seemed shit on that particular front, that was all.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and, not even bothering to check it, she made her way over to the door. Running a hand through her hair to make sure her hair looked just right, Stevie nodded to herself in the hallway mirror. She looked fucking hot and she knew it. Stevie pulled open the door and shot Mae a lazy, cocky smile, "Hey. C'mon in." She said, gesturing for the other girl to enter.
Mae quickly smiled when she saw Stevie. “Hey!” Mae greeted back as she stepped inside. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here.” Mae tried not to cringe when she remembered the last time she was here was when she got completely drunk off of Stevie’s moonshine. Mae had made a complete fool of herself, and Mae couldn’t lie, she was still upset that moonshine didn’t taste like the moon. “Nothing’s really changed.” Mae mumbled as she looked around, anyway. Mae wasn’t sure why she was stalling. A part of her felt a little weird after the whole Reggie ordeal at Battle of the Bands. It wasn’t something Mae did on purpose. It just happened and it didn’t mean anything. And it didn’t really compare to Stevie. Mae would pick kissing Stevie over anyone. She was in too deep.
“Did you get tired of hanging out at my place? I thought you thought my bed was comfortable. And there’s no cute Duck to play with.” Mae added. Mae would admit that she definitely took advantage of Duck to get Stevie to stick around longer than usual. Or really any reason. Mae even fucked up her kitchen sink, so Stevie could stay an entire hour longer than usual. Mae drooled over Stevie’s arm most of the time.
Stevie shut the door behind Mae, fully ready to just kiss Mae and get things going but... She just kept on talking. What the hell? What, was she trying to make small talk? They didn't do small talk. That wasn't what they were about. Leaning against the door, Stevie folded her arms across her chest while Mae babbled, waiting for the other girl to finish talking. But goddammit, she just kept going. Mae was the fricking Energizer Bunny of nervous talking, Jesus. When Mae finally stopped, Stevie shrugged. "Just felt like switching it up. Besides," Stevie stepped forward, slipping her hand to rest on Mae's hip, "My bed's pretty comfortable too." She leaned in and kissed Mae, hard. She wanted to remind her that whatever that whole talking thing was? It wasn't why she was here. They were just friends with benefits, if she could even call Mae a friend. People with benefits? Whatever, Stevie liked it better this way.
Mae chewed on her lip as Stevie stepped closer to her and placed her hand on her hip. “Is it? Because I thought mine wa—“ Mae was interrupted by a hard kiss from Stevie and Mae groaned as she kissed Stevie back equally as rough, tangling her hands in Stevie’s hair. Mae pulled away. “Wait.” Mae paused, a smirk forming on her face. Stevie had a little control for a moment, but Mae was usually the one in charge when it came to what went down in the bedroom. “Wrong spot.” Mae pushed Stevie against the wall by the doorway. Anyone could walk in, but Mae wasn’t thinking about that right now. “One more thing.” Mae grabbed Stevie’s hand and moved it from her hip to her ass with a smug look. “That’s better.” Mae pressed her body against Stevie’s as she kissed down to Stevie’s neck, making it her mission to leave a mark or two on Stevie’s neck. Stevie could deal with that later. But right now? Mae didn’t care.
Something was going on with Stevie. Sam was sure of it. It'd been weeks since they'd spent any time together outside of soccer, and Sam was tired of waiting around and giving her sister space. This whole waiting and letting Stevie come to her thing wasn't working. For all Sammy knew, Rachel wearing her D.A.R.E. shirt around their apartment wasn't helping either. Stevie could have stopped 'just saying no' to drugs without looking back. Losing her sister to addiction, or maybe just to secrets, wasn't going to happen on Sam's watch. With a determined attitude, Sam made her way to Stevie's apartment and didn't plan on leaving until she got some real answers. "This isn't your fault. We can get you help," Sam practiced under her breath as she approached the door.
Stevie groaned as Mae pushed her against the wall, maneuvering her so that her back was pressed against it. Fuck. "Goddammit." Stevie swore under her breath, her hand squeezing against Mae's ass. God damn. As Mae moved her lips to Stevie's neck, her eyes fluttered shut. She was too focused on the sensation, the way Mae was pressed up against her. Fucking christ. She could feel the way Mae was working her neck and had a sneaking suspicion that there would be a mark left over. "You better not." Stevie warned, as she slid her hand into the pocket of Mae's jeans to palm her ass. Stevie was too focused on the way it felt to worry about the door, or even remember that she hadn't locked it.
"Stevie, you here?" Sam asked as she lightly knocked on the apartment door at the same time as she tried the knob. If Stevie was in trouble, Sammy wanted to be there to help her. No more giving her a chance to run off or avoid her. She was determined to get answers today. Luckily for her and her plan, the door was unlocked and swung open. "We really need to ta-" The words stuck in her throat at the sight that greeted her on the other side of the door. If told to make a list of all the possible things she expected to find, Stevie and Mae going at it wouldn't have been on the list at all. It was too crazy to even imagine. With Mae? Stacey's Mae?? "What the fuck?"
When Sam opened the door, Mae’s lips had made their way back to Stevie’s. Mae heard the door open and quickly pulled away. Mae was expecting Rachel, Dani, or Amber to be on the other side—which would’ve been fine. That could be handled well enough. But when she saw Sam on the other side of the door? Mae’s eyes widened and her face turned red. Well, fuck, Mae didn’t know what to do. And her first instinct? Well— “St-Stevie! Breathe!” Mae exclaimed as she smacked Stevie’s chest a couple times to get her to “breathe” again. “You’re good now.” Mae turned to Sam and laughed awkwardly. “She was—uh—she was ch-choking. Obviously. So…I was giving her mouth to mouth.” Mae nodded. “To save her life.” Mae nodded again. “Yeah. That’s what I was…what I was doing…” Mae trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck. That didn’t come out as well as her head imagined it.
Stevie's eyes snapped open when she heard the door open and she caught a glimpse of blonde out of the corner of her eye. A very familiar blonde-- FUCK. Pushing Mae away from her, Stevie stared at her older sister in shock. What the fuck was Sam of all people doing here? They'd been doing so well with the not talking and avoiding each other. It had honestly been really great. But, now of all fucking times, she was here? God, what the fuck. Before Stevie could say a word, Mae was smacking her chest, making her cough in surprise. What. The. Fuck. Glaring at Mae, Stevie rubbed her sternum as the other girl tried to bluster her way through an excuse. Ignoring Mae, Stevie folded her arms across her chest and stared at Sam. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, venom dripping in her tone to mask her fear. Christ...
Sam wanted more than anything to turn around and unsee everything she'd walked in on, but her feet wouldn't cooperate. Too much of her brain was trying to compute the scene in front of her, and that was before Mae started performing some sort of CPR. "Me? What are you doing here?" Sammy asked as she motioned her hand in the general direction of the two girls in front of her. "The only thing you could have been choking on was Mae's tongue." Looking between her sister and her other sister's ex-girlfriend, Sam could come up with no explanation that made sense. None. Not even close. And the more she tried and failed, the louder her voice got. "Does Stacey know? Is this why you broke up with her?!"
At the speculation from Sam that Mae broke up with Stacey because of Stevie, well, it was a thought in Mae’s head that she did toy with from time to time. It wasn’t that far off, but Mae didn’t like to think about that possibility. “No, that’s not…I didn’t cheat on Stacey. This started after Stacey and I broke up. So it’s not cheating it’s not bad— “ Mae closed her eyes and sighed. She wasn’t making this sound better because there was really nothing Mae could say that would convince Sam that sleeping with Stevie while being Stacey’s ex-girlfriend was a great idea. It wasn’t. Mae knew that, but her feelings for Stevie clouded whatever inner conscience screamed at her that this was a bad idea. “Stacey doesn’t know. And she shouldn’t know. It would…I don’t think that’s a good idea at all. So don’t…you know...” Mae chewed on her lip. "Don't say anything."
Stevie kept her jaw clenched tight as she listened to Mae try to explain the situation. They hadn't been sleeping together when Stacey and Mae were together, that shouldn't even be a question. Was the entire situation... less than ideal? Yeah. But she wasn't the other woman in this. No fucking way. "Besides, we're just fucking. Don't blow this out of proportion, Sam. I swear to God if you try to fucking lecture me about this..." Stevie warned, her hands balling into fists at her sides. What happened had happened, there wasn't anything they could do about it. But, starting now? They needed to fucking keep this on lock. Stacey could never find out about this.
"You'll what, Stevie, go fuck one of my ex-girlfriends?" Sam shook her head as she tried to understand the situation. She was far from innocent when it came to relationship drama herself, but at least she could have honestly say she was following her heart at the time. It'd let her into a mess that she was still trying to mend over a year later, but doing just over sex? It was the crazy cherry on top of the insane sundae she'd stumbled on. No matter which way she looked at it, nothing added up.
"I get it when you're a jerk to me, but this is Stacey. You know this would hurt her," she continued in a calmer tone. "You both do." Sam looked from her sister to Mae, wondering how she'd managed to misjudge someone so badly. "You guys can't keep doing this. Not without talking to her." Just imagining how much it would hurt Stacey left Sam torn. She hated having to keep her sister in the dark, but being the one to break her heart by spilling everything sounded even worse.
It felt like a hard gut punch to Mae when Stevie told Sam they were just having sex. Nothing else. Well, maybe to Stevie that was case. But for Mae? It was so much more. Mae looked over at Stevie with frown before looking away and sighing as she crossed her arms. For the longest, Mae ignored the feeling that what she was doing was wrong, so when Sam threw it to her face that it would hurt Stacey? She couldn’t hold back the guilt starting to grow in her. It’s not like Mae wasn’t facing the consequences, anyway. Stevie couldn’t give a fuck about her or see her as more than just a meaningless hook up, so maybe that was her punishment for what she took part in.
“You’re right.” Mae spoke up, looking at Sam. “We should stop.” Mae looked over at Stevie before looking back to Sam. “I don’t think I can keep doing this, anyway.” Mae hated being in this position. People were seeing her as more than sunshine Mae and it was fine if Stevie saw her as anything but, however Sam seeing her in a not so positive light? Kinda made her want to get the fuck out of here.
Stevie glared at her sister, folding her arms across her chest, chin tilted defiantly. "Maybe I will, don't fucking test me." She said. All of this was bullshit-- the way that Sam looked at her, the way that she acted so much better than her. She hated this. She hated this more than if Stacey had walked in on them. The way that Sam tried to tell her how to live her life, it was being a kid all over again. With Sam trying to boss her around, trying to tell her what was right. "So what? It's not a big deal. You can't tel--" Stevie's words caught in the back of her throat as Mae spoke up. What? She was agreeing with Sam? Swallowing, Stevie stared back and forth from Mae and her sister. Stevie nodded slowly, "You agree with her? You're taking her side on this?" She asked Mae, a pit forming in her stomach. It wasn't because Mae didn't want to see her anymore, that wasn't it. It was the fact that she was following Sam's lead. Just like everyone else did.
Turning back to her sister, Stevie's jaw clenched tight as she tried to contain her anger. "You always do this. Why can't you just leave me the hell alone? I don't give a shit about what you do with Kate or whoever you're fucking, so why do you care about who I'm sleeping with? You don't get to tell me what to do anymore, Sam."
"Why can't you understand that I care about you?" Sam asked with an exasperated sigh. There were quite a few people who had told Sam that she was wasting her time on Stevie. They told her to give up. They'd pointed out how she didn't need to sacrifice things for her sister. Said she shouldn't go out of her way to look out for her when it was clear to everyone that Stevie didn't care about family the same way. For the first time, Sam could see it.
"But if that doesn't matter to you, then know that I care about Stacey. I don't want to see her hurt, and that's exactly what this will do. I think you know that, or you wouldn't be hiding it." Seeing the smoke coming out of Stevie's ears the longer the conversation went on, Sam decided to leave it alone. Maybe it's what she should have done in the first place, but better late than never. She'd gotten her answers, and at least it wasn't drugs? Leaving Mae to deal with Stevie's wrath was perhaps unfair, but Sam knew she owed her nothing. Mae made her bed, or wall in this instance, and now she got to lie in it.
"And you're right, I can't tell you what to do, but that means I don't have to keep your secrets for you either. You're on your own, Stevie. It's what you wanted, and now you have it." Sam shook her head and headed out the door. No matter how much she wanted to stay and try to talk some sense into Stevie, to find a way to get her to see the right thing to do, she was getting nowhere. Closing the door behind her, Sam didn't look back.
When Stevie turned to Mae with a surprised look that Mae was agreeing, Mae opened her mouth to say more when Sam started to talk again and Mae stayed silent, chewing on her lip as Sam left Stevie and Mae to their own devices. Mae felt like she shouldn’t have been here for that. For Sam’s leaving—which felt like it was a matter bigger than her and Stevie being caught. Mae stayed quiet for a few moments before speaking up again.
“Um…I—I’m sorry.” Mae shook her head. “I know you’re angry at her, but she’s right. About us. About this.” Mae paused as she sighed, unsure of how to go about this. But one thing Mae knew for sure? They couldn’t keep doing this. The hooking up. It wasn’t just going to hurt Stacey, but it was going to hurt Mae too. Because Mae wanted more. Mae wanted Stevie to stick around and make her feel like she was wanted by her. And not just in a lustful way. Mae stayed quiet a little longer, debating whether she should say the next words on the tip of her tongue. And then she did.
“But she’s wrong about one thing,” Mae paused. “Stacey wouldn’t be the only one getting hurt.” Mae chewed on her lip. “I’d get hurt too—I am getting hurt.” Mae paused again. “Because I’m just sex to you and you mean more than that to me.” Even though Sam told Stevie that she was on her own now, Mae would stay if Stevie wanted her to. Stevie wouldn’t be alone. Mae would stay. Mae would stay for as long as Stevie wanted her to. All Stevie had to do was say it.
Stevie kept her lips pursed tightly together as Sam spoke, fuming all the while. She hardly paid attention to what her sister was saying, she didn't care. She didn't care what Sam thought, she didn't care what Stacey thought, she didn't give a shit about any of them. She didn't need her family, they were the ones who thought they could just interfere in her life. And they couldn't. But, when Sam turned her back on her, Stevie bit the inside of her cheek, hard. Fuck. This was what she wanted, it was. She wanted Sam out of her life. Then why did it suck so much?
"Yeah, just go." Stevie said, but the door had already shut behind her sister. Staring at the door for a moment, she turned to look at Mae who was already speaking. In a bit of a daze, she listened without really hearing the words. This was Sam's fault, this was her fault for butting in... But as she stared blankly, certain words trickled in, filtering through the haze. getting hurt... mean more than that....
That jolted Stevie out of her train of thought. "What? Hold the fuck up, what?" Fighting against the rush of panic that washed over her, Stevie swallowed hard. "No. No, that wasn't the deal." God, this was all going to shit. First Sam's bullshit and now Mae? She couldn't deal with this. She didn't want feelings, she didn't want "more", she didn't want to deal with Stacey, with Sam, with Mae, with anyone. She just wanted to be alone.
Taking in a deep breath to steady her nerves, Stevie pointed at the door. "Get out. Get out of my apartment." Stevie said, her voice quiet and calm as she stared at the floor in front of Mae. She didn't even want to look at her. How had this happened? How had it all been ruined?
Mae wanted to tell Stevie that it was Stevie’s deal, but Mae always thought about Stevie in a different way. As more. What kind of more? Mae didn’t want to get into the details. But it was more than what they had now. Or whatever was left of it, anyways. But Mae didn’t say anything. Mae didn’t even say anything when Stevie told her to get out. Stevie didn’t want her to stay, and that was fine. Mae had a feeling Stevie wouldn’t want her to, anyway. Mae nodded slowly as she pushed down the knot in her throat and quickly opened the door and left, exhaling as soon as she closed the door.
“Fuck.” Mae whispered as she kept walking. A part of Mae wanted to run back in and tell Stevie she lied. That she didn’t feel anything. That they could still have their arrangement and Mae would just suck it up. Because Mae wanted to pretend a little longer that Stevie wanted her whenever Stevie kissed her or touched or held her for just a second. Mae would pretend for Stevie for as long as she wanted her to. Mae was good at pretending she was something she wasn’t, anyway.
Meeting new friends wasn’t a hard -- he was overall a very positive man and his out-going personality and open mind allowed him to get along with different kinds of people with ease. Finding like-minded people, however, was always the highlight of these kind of new introductions and Matt was exactly that; from the moment the two men met, they bonded over their music taste and similar views on life in general. Therefore, his weekend plans were already settled. While usually he would spend it with his colleagues at the Grump Cave, Arin and Suzy were having a bit of an ‘alone time’ and the rest of the crew was busy with other stuff. Dan remembered an offer for a jam night that he made to his new friend and the next thing he knew, they were hanging out on the couch in his living room, music blasting through the speakers as the last chords of Baba O’Riley echoed through the room. “Shit, man. It’s so weird. I haven’t hear this song in ages and now it’s like all the memories are flooding back in,” Dan laughed light-heartedly and shook his head. “Hey, I was thinking of getting some food delivered, kind of feeling hungry a bit... you like Thai? Or Chinese? I could get Postmates here in a few.” || @royalmatthewbomer
Given the fact that they were next-door neighbours, Angelina an Tony would see each other over the fence or the hedge on clearer days, sharing a few good words with one another and brightening each other’s lives while doing so. The actress couldn’t think of a better person to have as a neighbour, that’s for sure. She has always admired him, way before they got a chance to work with one another -- and when that happened, up to this day, Angie holds Anthony as one of the best things that happened to her because of her career choices.
It was one of those beautiful and clear-skied days, that Angelina decided to cross the street and pay her old friend and neighbour a friendly visit. Her kids were doing their own things, finding themselves some things to do in the meantime, so she didn’t really need to worry about that much; especially since she’s quite literally just across the street, plus James was at home anyway. However just before she left, she changed her mind about coming alone. With a platter filled with home-made biscuits, Knox and Vivienne -- Angelina’s youngest -- were walking side by side to their mother; the actress saw it as a great opportunity to introduce them to Anthony, since he never got a chance to meet her darlings before.
“Be nice and friendly, alright?” she smiled down at the two blond little angels and nodded her head when Vivienne held her hand to reach for the door bell, giving her a ‘go ahead’ to press the button and announce the owner of the house about their arrival. // @rylhopkins
I was a long time coming, their engagement. They had been through so much diversity in their relationship with Joce’s father disagreeing with their relationship and disowning his own daughter, Courtney getting locked for her choices in career path, and the people constantly trying to split them apart. But the couple managed to weather the storms in their path and we days away from getting married. But with everything that has happened, Court never expected to be sitting in her and Joce’s living room across from her future father in law, having a civil conversation. He came over apologizing for the things he has done to harm the young couple. And though a simple apology and approval of the two won’t erase all the harm he has caused, it was a step in the right direction. It was only a matter of time Jocelyn would return home, she knew that the lawyer was waiting for his daughter to arrive to be able to apologize to her as well. She didn’t know how it was going to go, but she had the EMS on speed dial just in case.
The phone call left Charlie curled up on the couch, tears staining her face and her cell falling from her hand to clatter onto the floor. Miles never called her. It was always Jerrod, but she had made the mistake of mentioning to Jerrod how Molly had accidentally brought it up and the next thing Charlie knew, Miles was calling her. He was trying to convince her, not for the first time, that how she remembered things that happened between them was worse than they had been. That while she’d gotten angry with him and they’d physically fought, on more than one occasion, that he was in just as much fault, if not more, than she was. He kept trying to convince her that her trauma had made her react how she did, and was also why she remembered things in such a dark way. Jerrod could be heard agreeing in the background and it had set her off.
She’d yelled and screamed and cried. All she knew was that Dani had to have heard, hell, she was almost convinced Greg and/or Elena had heard her, as she’d also received an “are you okay?” text from them both. She didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to think about it, but it seemed as though everything, and everyone, was determined to get her to talk.
