BEST BELOVED
CHAPTER TWO — THE OCEAN SWIRL
⚠️ TW: DO NOT READ IF THIS MIGHT TRIGGER YOU
Scarlett Johansson x fem!OC fic | Masterlist
Summary : Unsure how to help Carter, Scarlett comes to Elle's rescue.
Content Warning : Isolation | allusion to drowning, anxiety |tears | a kiss | mention of abandonment | feeling lonely
Navigation :
Chapter One
Chapter Three
Don’t miss any more chapters or info by being tagged
[Not my pic]
LOS ANGELES — CALIFORNIA
NOVEMBER 29, 2016
The numerous gifts Elle had bought didn’t quite work out as she’d hoped. Despite how much Carter seemed to love his new sweatshirt – a welcome replacement for the one with the holes in it, he remained as silent as a tomb. He would sometimes appear, like a ghost haunting their halls, headphones on, finally emerging from the nest he’d built himself in the spare bedroom. But the household felt even more oppressively silent than when the actress lived out her loneliest moments.
It had taken almost 24 hours before Carter agreed to eat something, 12 more before he finally looked into his sister’s eyes, and 72 hours for him to whisper a simple word. Elle was watching him drown with a heavy heart, finding herself grappling under the weight of her helplessness. She knew they had to talk. Only, she couldn’t even imagine herself reaching out to the young man, her words stuck in her throat as she desperately sought a way to communicate with him.
From the foot of the stairs, Elle experienced a truly different perspective. She’d lived here for several years but had never looked at her stairwell from this particular angle. From down there, she was almost dizzy. The distance between her and the floor — and therefore from Carter, seemed immense. The longer she stared, the more her heart swayed. She felt like she was on the upper deck of one of those huge ships. Skin still dotted with droplets of sweat and baby hairs sticking to the nape of her neck from her training session didn’t help with the floating sensation.
As she danced on her heels, leaning on the first step of the staircase, a set of words lost in the depths of her throat, a soft knock at the front door startled her. However wrong it may sound, she was grateful to anyone who might interrupt her contemplation. Another second and Elle was convinced she’d drown in the ocean swirl.
From the few colorful stained-glass windows on either side of the door, the brunette could make out a silhouette she would easily recognize even in complete darkness. The sun was drawing beautifully on their curves. In much the same way as Elle had done so many times before.
Stepping into the doorway, the actress spotted her own reflection in the wood-edged mirror by the staircase. The way the sun brought out the black ink on her arms, her brown locks pulled up into a messy bun, the very clothes she’d sweated in for hours still clinging to her slender body. Alarmed by her own scent, Elle buried her nose under her own armpit, relieved to detect the scent of the deodorant she had — perhaps abusively — applied to her skin that very morning.
The doorbell rang and Elle finally opened the wood-paneled door. Her tense, drawn features relaxed almost immediately into a smile. Now, she could breathe again.
— Hey, pretty girl, grinned Scarlett, book in hand. You left this back there.
The brunette clung desperately to her door, eyes locked on the familiar face in front of her. Light eyes, blond hair, full lips, and that sweet perfume that floated up to her.
Lord, how she missed that face.
— What?
— I never understood the point of taking a book to the gym but... I thought you might like to read the final pages tonight.
Scarlett arched an eyebrow at her friend. She had noticed how forgetful Elle had seemed today. It started with an oversight in the locker room, then a lack of concentration in training, and now the book. And God knows Elle never forgets her books anywhere.
— You were there? wondered the brunette, replaying her memories over and over again. I– I didn’t even see you. When did you land in LA?
— This morning. I texted you.
Elle seemed to realize, her mouth taking on the shape of an O as she rested her forehead against the door. She'd been so overwhelmed by Carter's arrival and the resumption of training that she'd forgotten everything else.
— You did. I’m so sorry, these last few days have been… tricky.
— Let me in? prompted Scarlett gently.
The owner nodded softly, a thin smile on her lips. Despite everything, she was happy to welcome the New Yorker into her home. Time tended to pass strangely slowly away from her. It was as if their last trip to the other side of the Earth had taken place years ago.
— Are you okay?
Elle's face broke into a smile. She patted the blonde gently on the shoulder before moving into the living room.
— I’m always okay, replied Elle without so much as a twitch in her voice. Can I get you anything? Water, tea... a soda?
Scarlett followed into the kitchen, leaning against the counter with an air of disbelief.
— Since when do you drink soda?
— I don’t. Carter does.
Elle dipped her hand in search of one of those cans. She’d bought them the day after the young man’s arrival and they hadn’t left the fridge since. The icy metal almost burned her fingers. The very way all her attempts were reduced to ashes.
— Soda, then?
The brunette got her head out of the cold just in time before Scarlett swung the door shut. The can between her trembling fingers was quickly placed on the kitchen counter as her friend lifted her chin with two of her manicured fingers.
— I’ve tried everything, Elle confessed without further ado. I bought all the stuff a kid his age eats, I also bought clothes from those skate brands and tried to introduce him to the dudes so they could hang out, but…
— Have you tried talking to him?
Elle shook her head so quickly that it made Scarlett giggle. She had unconsciously tried to solve the problem by buying her brother’s love and passing it on to others. While Carter probably needed attention and love, Elle had given him nothing but isolation and constant push-back.
— Honey, he doesn't need all those material things or for Seb to show him his pecs. He needs you – his sister.
Elle couldn’t help but sigh heavily. She had spent so many years apart from her own brother, now she felt like she was living with a stranger. She had left behind a little boy who loved Spiderman figurines, who loved to play tag with her, and who was very fond of her. But it was also the very same boy who had pushed her over the edge without even realizing it.
— He won’t talk to me.
Behind Elle's smile was a misty look. She could feel the tears burning her eyes, the way emotion stung her nose and tightened her throat. The weight on her shoulders seemed to grow heavier by the minute, getting a bonus every time Carter decided to ignore her a little more.
Sure, she’d abandoned him. But she had a good reason, right?
The lone tear on her cheek found refuge on Scarlett’s thumb. Once again, Elle found herself taken aback by her friend's gentleness. From the way Scarlett slid her hand up her neck, to the way she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear – to the way she tenderly kissed her lips.
Elle wanted to try and resist her but she instantly melted into the older woman. Her lips parted slightly to welcome the gentle gesture. Just for a fleeting instant, she forgot all about her brother on the upper floor.
As Scarlett broke the link between them, Elle couldn’t help but follow along, craving another taste of the simple act that so warmed her lower belly. She was met with nothing but emptiness and the warm breath of her beloved.
— Why don’t you try to relax while I have a chat with Carter?
— I’m perfectly relaxed, insisted Elle. Look, if even Seb couldn't get him to talk, I…
— Sebastian’s not a mom.
With that, the New Yorker slipped out of the kitchen, soda can in hand. Elle could hear her shoes on the stairs, her hand sliding against the railing, and her fingers knocking at the young man’s door. She hoped Scarlett was right. Sebastian wasn't a dad, she herself wasn't a mom - but Scarlett was. For such a short time, but she nevertheless was. It must have meant something.
It had to mean something.
•••
Taglist : @micaluvssoccer @rain-mikaelson @starbucks-06 @taylucky13 @aqiia24 @natalia-quinzel @youdontknowwhotfiamm @mmmmokdok @electricboost @angeliqueh5331 @emskisworld @sami1642 @waltermis @imjai02 @enjoytheentireworld @marvelandotheruniversesloveradhd @jatrovyknedl @madamevirgo @canvasscoloredin @red1culous @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @butwhynothavesomwmore @lyak12 @hi-1-1 @anku1901 @ssaaggwwaa @g1u2y @iheartmilfies @unexpected-character @greyslover3004