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Jun. 19th, 2007 01:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stalkerbunnyTitle: untitled saiyuki AU fic, chapter 3
Author/Artist: me
Website: http://keraaminenkettu.deviantart.com/
Warnings: AU, very very AU, beware. Names (and in some cases, gender) have been changed to protect the innocent.
Pairing(s): Um. maybe later there might be a smidgen of 85, I hope. in a rather innocent way, because I'm shy about writing pairings at all. I might be promising too much.
Notes: Posting far too late again, so let's hope there aren't any stupid mistakes. Also, this is the part where the writing becomes more difficult, apparently. It seems the more I like a character the more difficult they are to write *sigh*. Keep wondering if I should be attempting child Gojyo, or the adult one, so something in between is probably best. To attempt :P
The ending also seems too abrupt, but can't think/decide on anything, so it'll have to keep.
"Don't tell me she's going to be late from the bus home too..." Sarah mumbled, looking at her watch.
"Should I ask the driver to wait?" Hale asked.
"Nah, if she's late it's her own fault."
Luckily, at that moment they saw Gabby run through the gate, alongside her classmate and usual accomplice, Jamie. It seemed their discussion wasn't finished, since Jamie lived near the school and didn't take the bus. Gabrielle narrowly avoided running into a lamppost, as immersed into the conversation as she was. She stepped into the bus, just before it left, and waved to Jamie through the window. Then she turned and looked around for Hale and Sarah.
"Jamie just asked me to the dance next weekend." Gabrielle explained.
"Oh, so he's your boyfriend now, is he?." Sarah asked sarcastically.
Gabrielle huffed a bit "No! But it'll be fun."
"Really? Maybe I should warn the people arranging the thing."
Because it was the day Hale always tutored Gabrielle, he followed the two girls to the other house. In the staircase they met Mr. Douglas, who gave them a cheerful wave as he walked by, smirking as usual. If, as the old saying goes, looks could kill, Mr Douglas would have never reached the end of the stairs alive.
As it was, he started whistling out of tune. Sarah fumed.
Gabrielle looked thoughtful.
"I don't understand why you hate Mr. Douglas so much. Sure he is a bit creepy, but your mom is his friend, right?"
Sarah gave her almost as a bad a glare as the one she'd leveled at Douglas, and then seemed to decide Gabby was plain hopeless, and just stomped up the stairs. Her mom peered around the open door.
"Oh, Hale and Gabrielle. I just baked some cookies, would you..."
Before Gabrielle could jump forward to claim the promised food, Sarah claimed the door and snapped: "No, they have work to do. Bye." And slammed the door.
"She usually burns them anyway, remember." Hale tried to console Gabrielle.
"I know, but they're still cookies!" Gabby lamented. "What subject are we studying today anyway?"
"Math."
Gabrielle groaned.
The apartment where he lived was empty when Hale opened the door. Apparently both his parents were working late today. The clouds had been blocking the sunlight all day, and now shadows crowded in the corners. Hale opened lights on the way to his room listening to the sounds from upstairs. Sounded like they were fighting as usual. The apartment was so quiet the the muffled voices seemed louder than usual. Screams, thumps and finally a crash, then nothing. Hale stopped in the middle of the room, and listened with his face raised toward the ceiling, but there was no sound.
He went to the window, and looked outside, waiting for the running figure with red hair to appear. It didn't.
He wasn't really worried about someone he'd never even talked with, was he? He noticed things, that was all.
To hell with all that. Hale went back to the front door, and to the cold stairwell beyond it.
The lamp between their story and the next one had burned out, and not yet replaced, so he didn't notice the boy sitting there at first. Might have never noticed, if he hadn't sneezed right when Hale was about to turn around. Hale turned to look at the boy, sitting hunched up on the concrete stair. The boy was holding a hand to his nose, and when Hale looked closer, he realized there was a dark trail winding along the boy's arm as well. He also had a cut on his forehead, and other scrapes and bruises.
"You're bleeding." Hale said.
"Wow. You're must be really smart." The boy replied, in a way that tried to be derisive, and ended up mostly defensive.
Hale smiled. "So I've heard. You want to come in? I live..."
"Right below our apartment, I know. But I don't need any help, thanks."
"It'll be a bother if you bleed out and die here. Come on." Hale wondered why he insisted, it wasn't really like him.
The boy blinked at him, clearly as surprised as Hale, but eventually followed him. Hale asked him to wait at the door, and fetched a pile of papertowels, to spare the rugs from bloodstains.
"Shouldn't have asked me in if you were so worried about bloodstains." The boy huffed. Hale just shook his head.
The boy had looked around curiously as Hale lead him to the kitchen.
"It's weird...how this is like where we live, only not." he said awkwardly, sitting on a chair while Hale searched for plasters and disinfectant.
"Yes, I guess it is." Hale replied noncommittally. "Is your nose still bleeding?"
"Not really." the boy replied. He fidgeted a bit while Hale cleaned the little cuts on his face and arms, and after a while started talking about random things, which seemed to calm him down. He even smilesd a bit at something that had happened at school, a strangely carefree smile.
After he'd put on the last plaster, Hale stepped back, an turned towards the counter.
"Would you like a sandwich." Maybe Hale was a more emotional person than he'd known himself, because the idea of pushing this person out into the cold and dark seemed...unpleasant. And he was probably hungry.
The boy just shrugged, and turned his chair towards the table.
"Fine. What do you have?"
"So, what happened?" Hale asked finally.
"I fell. The stairs." The clipped reply was very different from the boy's usual speech. Hale didn't say anything about the hand shaped bruises on his arms. After looking a bit awkward for a while, the boy grinned, only slightly forced, and continued.
"Hey, you've just pieced me together and all, so high time for introductions, eh? Name's Greg, friends say Goyo."
Hale smiled a bit "Am I then? A friend."
Greg shrugged and grinned "If you like. You're Hale, right?"
Hale raised an eyebrow "You know that? I mean, I didn't really expect..."
Greg laughed "You're only one of the best students in the school! The teachers are always going on about you."
"Oh, I hadn't realized that."
"Well, they do. And you're always hanging with that pretty blond girl too...she your girlfriend? If you don't mind me asking."
Hale shook his head, amused. "No, Sarah's just an old friend. But I hope you didn't ask because you're interested, since she doesn't really care for stuff like that."
"Tell me about it, I know some people who tried. And saw them afterwards too, not a pretty sight, that."
"Yes, Sarah is much better as a friend than as an enemy."
"Is she really?"
"Relatively."
Eventually it became late, and Hale's parents came home. His stepmother, who was first, looked at Greg in a way that wasn't really disapproving, but gave the feeling she was wondering if it was a good idea for Hale to associate with him. Clearly Greg found the pity in her eyes much more uncomfortable. Pretty soon he mumbled something about having to go.
They talked for a while outside the door, the kind of awkward talk of people who are trying to say farewells.
Hale wanted to ask where he was going to go, but that would have sounded stupid, so he didn't.
"Can you play cards?" He blurted out instead.
Greg smiled, the row of teeth shone in the dark. "Can I? A bit. How so?"
"We always do that on Friday, me and Sarah and Gabrielle, at Sarah's place. You could come too, if you'd like."
Greg frowned a bit. "Won't she mind? Or her folks?"
"I can persuade Sarah, I think, and her mom won't mind."
"Fine, whatever. See you on Friday then."
Author/Artist: me
Website: http://keraaminenkettu.deviantart.com/
Warnings: AU, very very AU, beware. Names (and in some cases, gender) have been changed to protect the innocent.
Pairing(s): Um. maybe later there might be a smidgen of 85, I hope. in a rather innocent way, because I'm shy about writing pairings at all. I might be promising too much.
Notes: Posting far too late again, so let's hope there aren't any stupid mistakes. Also, this is the part where the writing becomes more difficult, apparently. It seems the more I like a character the more difficult they are to write *sigh*. Keep wondering if I should be attempting child Gojyo, or the adult one, so something in between is probably best. To attempt :P
The ending also seems too abrupt, but can't think/decide on anything, so it'll have to keep.
"Don't tell me she's going to be late from the bus home too..." Sarah mumbled, looking at her watch.
"Should I ask the driver to wait?" Hale asked.
"Nah, if she's late it's her own fault."
Luckily, at that moment they saw Gabby run through the gate, alongside her classmate and usual accomplice, Jamie. It seemed their discussion wasn't finished, since Jamie lived near the school and didn't take the bus. Gabrielle narrowly avoided running into a lamppost, as immersed into the conversation as she was. She stepped into the bus, just before it left, and waved to Jamie through the window. Then she turned and looked around for Hale and Sarah.
"Jamie just asked me to the dance next weekend." Gabrielle explained.
"Oh, so he's your boyfriend now, is he?." Sarah asked sarcastically.
Gabrielle huffed a bit "No! But it'll be fun."
"Really? Maybe I should warn the people arranging the thing."
Because it was the day Hale always tutored Gabrielle, he followed the two girls to the other house. In the staircase they met Mr. Douglas, who gave them a cheerful wave as he walked by, smirking as usual. If, as the old saying goes, looks could kill, Mr Douglas would have never reached the end of the stairs alive.
As it was, he started whistling out of tune. Sarah fumed.
Gabrielle looked thoughtful.
"I don't understand why you hate Mr. Douglas so much. Sure he is a bit creepy, but your mom is his friend, right?"
Sarah gave her almost as a bad a glare as the one she'd leveled at Douglas, and then seemed to decide Gabby was plain hopeless, and just stomped up the stairs. Her mom peered around the open door.
"Oh, Hale and Gabrielle. I just baked some cookies, would you..."
Before Gabrielle could jump forward to claim the promised food, Sarah claimed the door and snapped: "No, they have work to do. Bye." And slammed the door.
"She usually burns them anyway, remember." Hale tried to console Gabrielle.
"I know, but they're still cookies!" Gabby lamented. "What subject are we studying today anyway?"
"Math."
Gabrielle groaned.
The apartment where he lived was empty when Hale opened the door. Apparently both his parents were working late today. The clouds had been blocking the sunlight all day, and now shadows crowded in the corners. Hale opened lights on the way to his room listening to the sounds from upstairs. Sounded like they were fighting as usual. The apartment was so quiet the the muffled voices seemed louder than usual. Screams, thumps and finally a crash, then nothing. Hale stopped in the middle of the room, and listened with his face raised toward the ceiling, but there was no sound.
He went to the window, and looked outside, waiting for the running figure with red hair to appear. It didn't.
He wasn't really worried about someone he'd never even talked with, was he? He noticed things, that was all.
To hell with all that. Hale went back to the front door, and to the cold stairwell beyond it.
The lamp between their story and the next one had burned out, and not yet replaced, so he didn't notice the boy sitting there at first. Might have never noticed, if he hadn't sneezed right when Hale was about to turn around. Hale turned to look at the boy, sitting hunched up on the concrete stair. The boy was holding a hand to his nose, and when Hale looked closer, he realized there was a dark trail winding along the boy's arm as well. He also had a cut on his forehead, and other scrapes and bruises.
"You're bleeding." Hale said.
"Wow. You're must be really smart." The boy replied, in a way that tried to be derisive, and ended up mostly defensive.
Hale smiled. "So I've heard. You want to come in? I live..."
"Right below our apartment, I know. But I don't need any help, thanks."
"It'll be a bother if you bleed out and die here. Come on." Hale wondered why he insisted, it wasn't really like him.
The boy blinked at him, clearly as surprised as Hale, but eventually followed him. Hale asked him to wait at the door, and fetched a pile of papertowels, to spare the rugs from bloodstains.
"Shouldn't have asked me in if you were so worried about bloodstains." The boy huffed. Hale just shook his head.
The boy had looked around curiously as Hale lead him to the kitchen.
"It's weird...how this is like where we live, only not." he said awkwardly, sitting on a chair while Hale searched for plasters and disinfectant.
"Yes, I guess it is." Hale replied noncommittally. "Is your nose still bleeding?"
"Not really." the boy replied. He fidgeted a bit while Hale cleaned the little cuts on his face and arms, and after a while started talking about random things, which seemed to calm him down. He even smilesd a bit at something that had happened at school, a strangely carefree smile.
After he'd put on the last plaster, Hale stepped back, an turned towards the counter.
"Would you like a sandwich." Maybe Hale was a more emotional person than he'd known himself, because the idea of pushing this person out into the cold and dark seemed...unpleasant. And he was probably hungry.
The boy just shrugged, and turned his chair towards the table.
"Fine. What do you have?"
"So, what happened?" Hale asked finally.
"I fell. The stairs." The clipped reply was very different from the boy's usual speech. Hale didn't say anything about the hand shaped bruises on his arms. After looking a bit awkward for a while, the boy grinned, only slightly forced, and continued.
"Hey, you've just pieced me together and all, so high time for introductions, eh? Name's Greg, friends say Goyo."
Hale smiled a bit "Am I then? A friend."
Greg shrugged and grinned "If you like. You're Hale, right?"
Hale raised an eyebrow "You know that? I mean, I didn't really expect..."
Greg laughed "You're only one of the best students in the school! The teachers are always going on about you."
"Oh, I hadn't realized that."
"Well, they do. And you're always hanging with that pretty blond girl too...she your girlfriend? If you don't mind me asking."
Hale shook his head, amused. "No, Sarah's just an old friend. But I hope you didn't ask because you're interested, since she doesn't really care for stuff like that."
"Tell me about it, I know some people who tried. And saw them afterwards too, not a pretty sight, that."
"Yes, Sarah is much better as a friend than as an enemy."
"Is she really?"
"Relatively."
Eventually it became late, and Hale's parents came home. His stepmother, who was first, looked at Greg in a way that wasn't really disapproving, but gave the feeling she was wondering if it was a good idea for Hale to associate with him. Clearly Greg found the pity in her eyes much more uncomfortable. Pretty soon he mumbled something about having to go.
They talked for a while outside the door, the kind of awkward talk of people who are trying to say farewells.
Hale wanted to ask where he was going to go, but that would have sounded stupid, so he didn't.
"Can you play cards?" He blurted out instead.
Greg smiled, the row of teeth shone in the dark. "Can I? A bit. How so?"
"We always do that on Friday, me and Sarah and Gabrielle, at Sarah's place. You could come too, if you'd like."
Greg frowned a bit. "Won't she mind? Or her folks?"
"I can persuade Sarah, I think, and her mom won't mind."
"Fine, whatever. See you on Friday then."
