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themsource · 5 years

Text

Not The Baby Bones

Sans X Frisk

Rating: T

Word Count: 1390

Said you needed more Frans? @shayromi Here’s an attempt at funny ^^; based off my favorite Addams family scene from the series and your Frans family! (sorry if it’s not accurate) XD

It was a typical day in the skeleton house; Sans and Frisk both lazing together on the couch with their gathered friends and family watching the latest episode of an anime Alphys had discovered, their son Arno tucked into Undyne’s lap as they both cheered and clapped together at the way the protagonist summoned her sword.

It was all in anticipation for their daughter Elys’s arrival from school, the plan to go to the water park that afternoon in celebration of her actually having studied for her math test last week. The pair of parents didn’t expect when she came home to have a very interesting story to tell.

They were both surprised to hear it was about one of the parent teacher members; Linda.

Apparently it was irresponsible of them to send their daughter to school with bottled ketchup in her lunch, the condiment far too sweet and full of unhealthy calories that it called their parenting methods into question.

Not only did she not stop there but Linda had gone on to say it was insulting they were teaching Elys that eating ketchup by itself was acceptable and that they were also bringing harm to the other children by permitting their daughter to indulge in the habit around them.

Permitting her to be a bad influence.

Frisk could only frown as she embraced her frustrated little girl while Sans’s sockets had gone black as midnight as he silently seethed. Linda had it out for them ever since the PTA luncheon two months ago when he’d mentioned how dry her lemon squares were. She’d asked for an honest opinion and Sans had given her just that.

She had no right to take out her silent grudge on his little fart princess.

“Well what are ya gonna do about it just stand there and take it?” Undyne asked at the pairs prolonged silence. Papyrus was quick to respond, his usually jovial smile a tight frown at hearing how harshly his niece had been treated.

“CERTAINLY NOT, I THINK WE SHOULD SEND LINDA AN INSULTING LETTER!” Frisk raised a brow as she looked up from Elys, Sans’s eyelights coming back as he looked at his sibling with a smile. It lightened his mood to see what Papyrus’s idea of a rebuttal was.

“I don’t think we should put our names on it.” Gaster supplied as he pressed the tips of his phalanges together in thought.

“He could sign it a f-friend.” Alphys piped up.

“An insulting letter signed a friend, that would be humerious.” Sans snickered. Papyrus shot him a halfhearted glare at the pun but let it drop, the taller monster was far too upset at the rude human they were discussing to have any heat behind it.

“I think we should turn the other cheek.” Frisk responded as she sent Elys and Arno off to get packed for their trip. She certainly didn’t need them getting any ideas from what everyone was saying. It was bad enough she was certain her daughter already had a plan for getting back at the snarky woman. Elys was too much like her father and Uncle when it came to wit.

“Nooo! When people insulted me I always used to turn the other cheek!” Undyne droned with a pout. That was so unexpected to hear from the rambunctious and passionate fish monster that Frisk simply had to ask about it.

“And?”

“I ran out of cheeks.” Undyne said with an obvious tone as she shrugged. Now that was not surprising to hear coming from the redhead. Sans sighed and smiled lazily; while he was enjoying the back and forth between everyone their idea wasn’t quite hitting the mark for him. Normally he would’ve just let such a thing work itself out. But this was his babybones.

“welp there’s only one way to settle this.” The sound of Sans’s blaster materializing beside him made everyone stop what they’d been saying to stare at him in surprise. His smile still lazy even as his tone dropped. “linda’s gonna have a bad time.”

“Sans! Please not that!” Frisk pleaded with a sweat drop running down the side of her face. Even more surprising than the unexpected blaster’s presence was Papyrus who turned to look at her with a passionate cry.

“BUT FRISK THE FAMILY HONOR!” Oh dear, Papyrus was supporting Sans antics. Frisk felt her skin prickle as her nerves rose. The world had just been turned upside down on its head.

“He’s right Frisk the family honor!” Gaster exclaimed in agreement with Papyrus before he shot a smirk at his oldest son. “You’ll have to challenge Linda to a duel.”

“nah, i’d rather shoot her in the back.” Sans waved dismissively as his blaster hovered over to sniff at the flower bouquet on their coffee table.

“Blasting people isn’t the solution to this and that is not honorable.” Frisk remarked as she crossed her arms at Gaster.

“but it’s effective, and safe.” Sans rebutted as he rocked on his heels.

“SANS, SAFE? WHILE I RESPECT YOUR WISE DECISION TO FOLLOW SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, A SKELETON DOES NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD FEAR!” Papyrus cried incredulously. Sans didn’t consider himself as cool as his brother was so he was completely shameless and unfazed as he replied.

“i do, i’ll shoot’er in the back.”

“Remember the Serif name!” Papyrus shouted as he stomped his foot. Gaster waggled his finger as he shook his head, his tone only the slightest bit stern.

“It’ll have to be a duel.” Frisk didn’t like how out of hand this was getting.

“with bones?” Sans asked curiously. A duel usually meant swords and he was too lazy for that, really a good shot of magical energy should be more than enough to deal with the situation. He honestly didn’t see why his family was trying to persuade him from it.

“WITH VICTORY GOING TO THE CUNNINGEST, THE SWIFTEST, THE DEADLIEST!” Papyrus exclaimed, his eyes sparkling like they tended to do when he was excited about something as Gaster nodded his head in agreement.

Even Undyne and Alphys were giving signs of approval with a shout and half stuttered gush on how anime the concept was. Sans paused to look at Papyrus. Those were verbs that he felt didn’t fit him in the slightest.

“...yep shooting her in the back.” Sans drawled slowly.

Frisk at this point had already given up and simply sat on the couch observing as she drank some orange juice and stroked the blaster’s head. An idea for how to sabotage the whole situation trying to piece itself together in her mind if Sans actually decided to go through with his plan.

“Wait how about spears!” Undyne half asked half shouted as she snapped her fingers. Spears? Sans could get behind that; for one it was magic so he wouldn’t need his hands to use it nor the energy a physical sword would require. And two Undyne’s spears were just as fast as his blasters so it wouldn’t take long to deal with Linda. Get in, launch spear, get out.

“well that’s different than--wait...does she get on too?” Sans asked suspiciously as the thought occurred to him his family wouldn’t give him such an obvious advantage so easily.

“Naturally!” Gaster smiled as he answered him. To Sans’s dismay everyone nodded along to his father’s declaration. He should’ve known there was a catch. Heh he could still work with that, after all he wouldn’t need to use effort like Linda would in welding the spear. Sans might simply have less aim coordination as they’d be Undyne’s constructs and not his bones but if he missed he could just ask--

The whole honor thing resounded in his head and made him squint his sockets at the former guard captain.

“...how many?” Sans asked wearily.

“One each.” Undyne folded her arms with finality. Sans sockets went black as his eyelights went out. Were they all serious right now? Just one? Nope his solution was better.

“...in the back.” He deadpanned as he blinked his eyelights back into existence. Sans turned to call his blaster over. They still had time before needing to head out and he wasn’t as angry as he’d initially been, maybe he’d just intimidate the woman not to speak to his kid like that again, he could simply shortcut on over to the school real quick and--

Frisk and his blaster were missing.

...He just couldn’t catch a break.

#themsource #frans #sansxfrisk #parody #drabble #undertale #My writing #frans family #adult frans #addams family

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rhapsody-under-pressure · 7 years

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Losing What We’ve Learned

Don’t do that. Speak when you’re told. No, you have to do this. From the day you enter the world kicking and screaming, your mind a blank slate, you’re beaten and molded into the form that everyone else wants you to be. Parents are the puppeteers, threading the needle and sticking it into your body, lacing it around the base and controlling you until they suddenly snip the strings and leave you to fend for yourself, wondering why you’re so lost and scared.

It was a lesson he was close to finishing. With the morning sun just barely breaking through his shut curtains, Brian was buttoning up his shirt and tucking the loose ends into his jeans that he had freshly ironed the night before. He finished tying the knot to his tie, pulling it down and flattening it against his chest. A nagging exhaustion lingered at the back of his mind, the primal instinct to go lay down and fall back asleep until he naturally woke up again. Jolts ran through him, keeping him robotically working across his outfit and making sure he was as neat as possible as to not provoke any reprimanding from his parents. He fixed his hair, grabbing the still hot straightener, crushing out the last tight curl from his hair to make it as straight as he could. Yet there was one last thing to fix and he dreaded the day his parents would finally notice it. But for now, he rubbed his eyes, trying to hide the blatant exhaustion and hoping that a cup of tea would shove it away for another few hours.

As if on cue, the gentle knocking came out from the other side of his door, his mother’s soft voice coming through the wood.

“Brian dear, you up yet?”

“Yes! Just finishing getting dressed!”

Her gentle footsteps followed, growing softer and softer until he could hear them no longer. Before heading out, he pulled open his curtains. Pink and orange hues began blending into the sky that was still dark from the night before. The faint moon hung in the sky, barely visible with the rising sun starting to take its place above them. He tried to take in the happy sight so it would mix with his own mood and bring him back into higher spirits. Alas, the fresh sight did nothing to pick him back up. He hesitantly reached out, his fingers hitting the cold glass window as he continued to stare at the warm sight from his cold room.

To avoid any worry, Brian pulled himself away from the window, unplugging the straightener and rushing out of his room, instantly slowing down and poising himself into his regular, respectable manner. Shoulders straight, head and chin up, chest pushed out ever so slightly, and a calm, equal footed stride. A hearty laugh filled the room, Brian looking towards his beaming father who was sipping his coffee while a piece of sausage hung on the edge of his fork.

“Look at our boy Ruth! God he’s gonna be a great man someday. With a look like that, everyone’ll be begging for his picture to go on a magazine!”

“He cleans up so well. Even manages to keep his hair neat. Girls adore a clean boy, Brian.”

“T-thanks…I try!” He said in a forced happy tone.

“Sit down and eat dear, your plate is almost ready.”

His stomach turned as he took a seat across from his father, unfolding his napkin and laying it across his lap, watching as his mother brought over his still steaming plate of potatoes, eggs, sausage, and bread slathered with butter. She placed the bottle of ketchup in front of him, Brian looking down at the meal in front of him and dreading the idea of needing to eat half of what she had given him.

“Aren’t you going to eat? Your mother worked hard to give a good breakfast for us.” His father asked, a slight accusing tone hiding beneath his words.

“Y-yeah! J-just a bit nervous about school.”

“Oh don’t be nervous about that! You’ve high marks in all your classes! And the teachers adore you! Why would you be nervous about going?”

You wouldn’t get it…He thought solemnly. “It’s still fairly new into the year and teachers always love to pile work onto your lap.”

“Bah! You can handle it. You always do. You can’t let those slip though. Universities won’t take anything less than the best, especially if you’re going into a science field.”

“I know…” He said softly, picking up his fork and focusing on eating his potatoes instead of any meat on his plate. His mother brought him a glass of orange juice, laying it in front of him, Brian quickly swallowing what he had in his mouth in order to vocally thank her. Only once the potatoes, bread, and juice were gone did his stomach start to shrink. Just the mere scent of the remaining food on his plate sickened him. He paused, hoping the clock would speed up so he could rush out the door and someone else would have to deal with the meal he left behind. He’d barely made a dent in his meal and his stomach was still begging for food and yet he couldn’t bring himself to eat anything on his plate. Brian gave a cautious glance towards the clock, seeing five minutes remaining before it was seven.

“Go on and eat Brian. She worked hard, least you can do is eat your eggs before you go.” He told him, the glare from his father hitting him like a truck and forcing him to pick up his fork once more and plunge it into the eggs on his plate. Yellow slime poured out of the egg, the punctured yolk spreading farther and farther across the plate until it had completely spread around the entire thing, coating it in a repulsive yellow that was instantly being picked up by the few crumbs on his plate. He swallowed back the rising disgust, scoffing down the eggs as fast as possible as to not taste any part of them.

“Don’t wolf down your food. It’s uncivilized.”

A wave of nausea passed over him as he reached out for a napkin, quickly wiping away the muck from the eggs that clung to the edges of his mouth. He apologized softly, earning a scoff from his father. His stomach felt even smaller, the vulgar taste still attached to his tongue and pushing away the rest of his appetite.

“I think I’m good ma…I should get going. Don’t wanna be late!”

“Right, right. Best you get going.” She told him, leaning forward and giving him a quick peck on his cheek. He waved goodbye to his father, grabbing his bag and dashing out down the steps and collapsing against the rail. Please…C’mon it’s not even seven…He tried catching his breath, snatching the water from his bag and guzzling half of it down so his mouth wouldn’t reek of those blasted eggs.

The temperature jumped a sudden twenty degrees, every part of his outfit slowly starting to cling more to his body. His heart raced and he could almost feel his pupils dilate. He quickly wiped his hands across his trousers and walked forward, trying not to count every step in case he took too many or too little.

“Good lord you work like clockwork! Every morning, here right at seven.”

“I try. Besides, you’re like that too…”

“Touché.” He answered with a laugh, his bright eyes glowing as they began their walk to school.

Brian wanted to bite down onto the strap of his bag to calm himself down. Every single nerve jumped in place as he continued to stare at his friend. He looked perfect but he looked like that every day. Hair combed through probably once in order to leave it organized yet still messy. Shirt untucked and tie barely put together. He didn’t know how he did it, but whatever it was, Brian couldn’t help but adore it.

“Hey you heard about that dance next Friday? It’s one of those ‘girls ask the guys’ dance. I’ve had four barking up my tree to go with them.”

“Forgot about it…Heh, makes sense anyway.”

“Why’s that?”

“Ah…uh…well I’m not, oh c’mon Roger you know I’m not the most popular guy there. Most girls avoid me like I’m the plague.”

“Well if you didn’t dress like some old, right bloke you’d do better. You’re so damn quiet too! What you think they’re gonna know you if you never speak? Or keep up that teacher’s pet gimmick?”

“I don’t even think I wanna go…”

“Oh now fuck that! You’re going, date or no date. You think Fred and I are gonna let you get away with you not going? Hell Fred’ll probably find you someone, or he’ll go with you.”

“I’ll pay him to go with someone else.” He grumbled, dreading the idea of having to dance with their overly flamboyant friend.

“Like any bloke would go with him. He’s isolated enough as it is. Why not just go with him for fun? No one’s going to think you’re actually with him! Girls do it all the time anyway!”

“I dunno Rog…I might just not go.” Ask me and I’ll go…He thought, the image of having him slowly dancing up next to him, their bodies inseparable and the calm music surrounding him, a few pink lights shining from the rafters above with Freddie in the background, cheering them on.

“You are going!” Roger insisted.

Brian gave up on his arguing, deciding to just accept the fact that he was going even though he’d just be uncomfortable the entire time. Once he did accept, Roger gave his arm a hard punch with a playful ‘Er ya go!’, his face beaming with pride the rest of the walk to school. He kept his face down, watching his feet hit the pavement while the sound of Roger mindlessly tapping on one of his books became the only steady sound in the background. An icy breeze rustled their jackets and the trees, pushing even more of the leaves off their branches and letting them fall to the pavement on top of the dozens of rotting, dry leaves.

“There you two are! C’mon dears I gotta show you something!” A loud voice shouted as soon as they walked into the courtyard of the school.

Speaking of the devil himself, Freddie was clad in a dark red tie that stuck out against his usual uniform as to match that mischievous demeanor, those sharp eyes shimmering with excitement as he grabbed one of each of their wrists and tugged them across the way.

“Fred! We’re old enough-” Roger started.

“Hush you!” Freddie interjected, letting both of them go and nearly making Brian fall over onto the muddy ground. Freddie held his hand out behind them to keep them from walking around the corner of the building.

“Found out where Deacon’s been heading during lunch.” Freddie whispered, motioning around the corner, Roger immediately rushing ahead to catch a glimpse. Brian couldn’t help but follow, his own curiosity rising. He peered around the corner and, sure enough, that shy, nearly invisible fellow to the entire school minus them three was standing against the gate, his arms wrapped around a young girl’s waist and her own thrown up around his neck, their mouths pressed right up against the other’s.

When both parted, they rushed back behind the building, Freddie and Roger both muffling their laughter with their hands clasped over their mouths. Both of their faces were flushed a dark red and holding their sides. Brian ventured a glance back, the girl tracing her finger along his chest before moving her delicate hand up to move a loose strand of hair out of his face. She whispered something that Deacon probably didn’t hear too well, but whatever it had been, it made his face grow even darker.

“I know!” Freddie managed once he got his breath back. “I couldn’t believe it either! Hey!”

He felt something yank at the back of his shirt, seeing Freddie’s dismissive glare stare up at him, his arms now crossed over his chest.

“Don’t keep eavesdropping! Let them have some privacy!” He berated.

“You’re the one who dragged us over!”

“Yes and? You two should see, not keep on gawking at him like he’s an animal in a cage!”

“Oh come off it Fred!” Roger interjected. “You’re just as nosey as the rest of us.”

“Ab-soo-lutely not!” Freddie shot back, Brian’s eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head at the statement.

Amongst all the arguing, none of them had been able to see or hear the couple’s approach, John standing against the wall and watching forlornly as his presumed girlfriend wandered back off into the crowd. Only when Roger took notice of him did he snap back into reality, adding a fierce glare towards each of them before directing his attention towards the ground.

“Deacon’s got a girlfriend! Deacon’s got a girlfriend!” Roger chanted with a broad smile on his face.

“Why didn’t you bother telling us?” Brian asked in a much softer voice.

“Because of that.” He admitted, pointing directly at Roger, who was still chanting his little tune.

“Now that’s not that bad.”

“The entire bloody school knowing it is!” Deacon argued, shooting a deadly glare at the other two, this time gaining Freddie’s attention.

“Hey, it’s alright Deaks…” Freddie said softly as he walked over. “We’re happy for you. Thought we’d have to hook you up with some broad eventually so you’d have a girl of your own. But! You beat us to it!” Freddie told him, adding a harsh, quick laugh afterwards.

Deacon’s eyes softened instantly as he looked towards the direction the girl had walked in. A small smile formed across his face. Freddie watched him intently, almost replicating the look upon his face before he tore himself away and looked at the rest of them. Roger had now recovered from his laughing fit and stopped his singing, now looking down at Deacon who was still lost in his own thoughts.

“Hello! Earth to Deacon! Get out of la la land, will you?”

“She’s so beautiful though…You ever seen anyone like that?”

Brian’s eyes instantly rushed over to Roger before looking back down at Deacon and shrugging. He didn’t seem to care, he was still just rambling on about her.

“She’s got these beautiful eyes and the sweetest laugh and she’s so smart and kind and just…God…”

“Ask her out then! We got that dance coming up and lord knows you two would be just adorable together! Who cares if the girls should ask, you’re girly enough to count.”

Deacon couldn’t even find words for a response. He just stared dumbly up at Freddie who could only wait a few seconds before bursting out with more ideas.

“Ooh! You two could go out to dinner beforehand at one of those absolutely lovely Italian places around the corner or you could buy her some flowers or after the dance you can head out to the cinema if it’s still open or-hey, you listening?”

“I-I am it’s-”

“Oh now if you’re gonna be all shy again!” Freddie started, giving a disapproving look towards him. “Bri, come on now, you think he should pass up an opportunity like this?”

“Ah-uh-well I mean I d-don’t think so but I guess…” He paused, nearly freezing under all three of their stares, his mind racing to find out what else to say. Yet any words he could’ve managed to get out instantly vanished once that sly little grin snuck up onto Freddie’s face.

“I mean…I could definitely help you out. Sneak a little note into her bag later and see what she says then!”

The look of pure fear upon the young boy’s face transmitted the feeling right to Brian as he seemed to grow smaller and smaller with each passing second. Freddie stood proudly, his eyebrow cocked upwards as he now waited for a proper response from Deacon, who was still trembling in his spot.

“C’mon now Deacon.” Roger finally said. “She knows you like her. Hell you two were just snogging in the corner over there! Lord knows she’s probably dying for you to ask her.”

“Probably dying for something else too.” Freddie commented, Brian giving his arm a hard hit while Deacon groaned loudly.

“I-I know…” He replied, turning his gaze towards Roger. “I-it’s just hard, okay? I don’t like the extra attention cause everyone’s gotta shove their noses into my business just because I got a girlfriend or whatever.”

“Bah! Fuck that nonsense!” Freddie shouted, “You two are hardly noticeable as it is. People might just look at it because they can’t ignore it. Like a car crash.”

Each of them shot Freddie a deadly glare, Deacon only giving another loud groan afterwards and resting his head atop his knees. Before Freddie could get another word out, the bell rung, Deacon taking his chance and dashing off to not have to endure any more of Freddie’s shenanigans or ideas. Freddie looked down at the ground, giving a small shrug and rearranging his things before putting on his happy mask and looking back at them.

“I’ll get him that date. He’ll thank me in the end.” He told them before heading off.

Brian’s own heart had begun racing with every passing second, his mind racing to add up the time it would take for him to get from the courtyard over to his first class. Three minutes, if there wasn’t any terrible traffic, which he knew there would be since it was first, so he would have to allot another minute to give him ample time to get there or take the backway which always took longer but-

“Hey, I know a shortcut to first. Let’s get going.” Roger said to him, grabbing his sleeve and tugging him off in said direction.

He didn’t even have time to think about what he had just said and just nodded, his body still bristling with tension at the touch on his arm. Even when Roger released his sleeve, his body was still jumping a few degrees for the next few moments. He instantly clasped both hands around his books, trailing ever so slightly behind Roger as they made their way through the crowd of students and headed to the quieter shortcut for their first class.

…

When study hall finally rolled around, Brian couldn’t have been more relieved. A quiz for first and a completely hellish third class made him wish he could just collapse onto his bed and listen to music without any other distractions. Yet the mound of work sat in front of him, demonically laughing at him and making him wish he could just skip ahead a few hours to where he was all done with every bit of it. But that time wasn’t now and what other choice did he have but to get started with it.

Turned out, Freddie was ready to give him a second option. A knock on the door garnered the attention of the students who weren’t sleeping with the teacher waving her hand for him to come in, not even giving a glance his way as he entered.

“Alright, get up!” Freddie said as soon as he got over to him. “You can deal with this shit later on.”

“No I can’t. I gotta help dad out with some work and then I got even more stuff to study and-” Brian began.

“Brian! Come on! You’re one of the smartest blokes in the school. Take a bloody break for a second. I swear you could miss half the semester and you’d still get perfect marks!”

“That doesn’t mean-” He started.

“Don’t argue love. C’mon, least go study somewhere that doesn’t feel like a prison cell. God I swear I feel like I’m turning grey just from sitting in this room!”

“Do I really have a choice?”

“Not unless you want me to sit here the whole time.”

Brian huffed, but eventually agreed, folding his book closed and shoving it back inside of his bag, wishing he had just waited for Freddie’s arrival instead of hoping he would’ve given him some time to study. Yet Freddie had practically made this a routine between the two of them, seeing as they both had study halls at the same time, and always came over to drag him out of his own designated room so that he would have something more fun to do. Freddie beamed instantly, helping him with his things and tugging him out of his seat.

“He’ll be back before the period’s over.” Freddie told the teacher, though she didn’t even seem to realize he had even entered the room.

As expected, Freddie was heading towards their usual spot. Since the cafeteria and courtyard were out of the question to go sit in, they always took to this little place near the stairs by the gymnasium. Freddie almost always went there anyway when he didn’t have to be in class, claiming it was one of the quieter areas of the school, to which Brian couldn’t help but agree and appreciate the silence in a less bleak area. It was odd that a classroom full of living teens felt less alive than a completely desolate stairwell and yet…

“So? You gonna ask him or what?” Freddie said as he took his seat under the stairs.

“Pssh, sure. And tomorrow I’ll just go and grow wings and fly to the moon!”

“Hey, just a question. Don’t get all bitchy. That dance would be the perfect thing for you to say something!”

“Yeah, yeah I know but it just won’t work. He’s not into me anyway and he’d probably prefer some broad here to go there with.”

Freddie gave a loud laugh, smacking his arm. “Then why the hell hasn’t he asked any! Lord knows he would’ve! He’s got the most confidence out of the four of us anyway and God knows it wouldn’t be hard for him to get some hot girl to go with him to the dance.” Freddie paused for a second. “Course he could just ask a girl a question and they’d throw him their shirt and bra.”

“Maybe he just doesn’t want-” Brian started.

“Maybe this, maybe that, maybe he-Oh shut it already May! Good lord you’re never gonna know unless you just fucking go for it! You have no idea with him, just try it. You don’t even need to get all romantic with Rog and make it sappy and all that. Just go there with him so he’ll have someone besides me and Deacon to talk to.”

“Aren’t you still trying to hook him up with that girl?” Brian asked.

“Yes but that is not the point!” He barked, furrowing his brow and staring at the wall in front of him. “I’ll focus on that when I see him again but for now I still think you should at least go there and hang out.” He softened his voice and finally looked back at him. “Bri dear I really think you should go. Even if it’s not to hang out with Rog and me you just need to get out of the house. Every day you go back home and just lock yourself up in your room and study endlessly or do whatever the hell your parents want you to do. That’s not a way for anyone to live!”

“C’mon Fred…I got a lot to study for. I gotta get into that university so I can actually study what I want!”

“Yeah and most of what you want to study requires actually being outside! How can you want to study the stars and not go outside to actually fucking see them!?”

“It’s just hard…You know my parents, they want me to study as much as possible. If I ever let them down because…”

“Brain. You listen to me and you listen to me now. Stop doing what they want you to do. My parents want me to be some fucking business dude and God knows I’d rather jump off a bridge than dress up in a suit every day and talk about mortgages or royalties or whatever. If your parents give any damns about you then they’d fucking let you do what you want.”

“What if I don’t know what I want?”

“Then you take your time. You’re seventeen Bri…That’s young. We’ve all got so much time for stuff to change or enter our lives.”

His mind howled back at him. No no you’re meant to be prepared. Having a plan and following through so that you’re safe. That’s what they always told him and he knew they wouldn’t lie to him about the true route to success.

“Freddie…” He began, giving a long sigh afterwards and staring up at the stairwell floor that hovered above them, wondering how the hell there was so much gum and writing on it. “Don’t you think it’s better to have something planned out.”

“Plans are helpful but damn it all if you shouldn’t at least bend a bit to see what might come your way. Did you really think you’d go and fall for Roger? Probably not and yet look where you are now. Wishing that he’d come to you without a shirt on after a quick swim and kissing you beneath the sunset so that you won’t have to go and say ‘I’ll be at the dance’.”

“I don’t fantasize about that!” Brian shouted.

“Yeah and I’m straight.” He said back, slouching even more so against the wall. Freddie gave a quick hum and looked his way. “You should spend more time in the locker room during gym. You get a lot of nice views while you’re in there.”

“Freddie!”

“What? I mean it. While those rugby players are so loud and obnoxious, they do look quite nice without any shirts on. Or trousers for that matter…You ever really get a look at that guy? What’s his name…James or some shit. Now that there is someone I wouldn’t mind to have in gym.” Freddie rambled, his mouth curling up into a devilish smirk.

“The bloke looks like he rolled in dog fur.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

The usual sly grin crept up onto his face, Brian feeling quite thankful that he couldn’t see into Freddie’s mind at the moment. He sighed and leaned back against the wall. As much as he wanted to follow Freddie’s advice, both of them knew just how slim the chances were of that working out were. Besides, if it did work, neither could continue with it. The invisible stares and sneers of those around them because they were just a bit closer together already began to burn his skin and twist his stomach around. If Deacon having a girlfriend caused this much buzz between the four of them, he could only imagine what would happen if he even admitted to having a crush on Roger.

“Hey, I know you’re not gonna take my advice but I’m still sticking to what I said.” Freddie told him once more. “If you wanna know, all you gotta do is try.”

Brian just shrugged, still not sure if he should even begin to contemplate the idea with Freddie around. The guy could read your thoughts with the slightest change in your expression. But there was one thing Freddie was good at and that was secrecy.

“It’s just…I dunno. How would everyone else act?”

It was then that Freddie’s own expression darkened. For once it was something that he couldn’t just brush off with another smirk or witty comment. Freddie just scoffed, now trying to find a proper response to what he had just said.

“I mean…It’s not like we could just go ahead and do it.” Brian continued, his insides now starting to churn. “Even just a rumor…I don’t want anyone to know…If my parents ever found out, I’d be a goner.”

“Hmph…Hell I don’t even know…I’d be a dead man too.” Freddie mumbled, a dark confusion now spreading across his face as he tried to finish what he wanted to say. “It’s…Tsk…I don’t even know what I’d do if I found some bloke who liked me…I’d probably run and hide from him…” A hard longing and sadness filled his face before he continued. “Be so much easier if I could find a girl so that everyone here would just shut up. ‘Oh you should find someone! Always bragging about what a good lay you are!’ or ‘Bucky over there couldn’t find a broad even if she had the same teeth.’ Fucking bastards. Don’t know how to keep their traps shut.”

“Tell me about it. People barking at you every now and then and calling you ‘teacher’s pet’ gets annoying. So does ‘goody-two-shoes’.”

“Hey, it’ll be them who repeat their final year three times because they can’t multiply past ten times ten.”

Both fell silent. Who wanted to talk about something like that in school? The risk of someone else hearing them was so immensely high; Brian didn’t even want to consider what would happen if someone did overhear them: blackmail, revelation, taunting...Anything petrified him. To think it’d been so easy for Freddie to tell them about it and yet it seemed like he didn’t want to tell himself. He’d go off all the time about what he’d love to do with a guy if anyone ever wanted him. Yet Freddie himself always seemed so hesitant to truly accept where he was. It wasn’t like he wasn’t somewhere similar…He didn’t want to admit it either. Who would?

The time slowly ticked by, Freddie occupying himself with toying around with his outfit or hair while he just stared at the opposing wall. Why did he always have to bring it up? He knew he didn’t like talking about this and yet that’s all Freddie did when it was just the two of them. Maybe it was because Freddie knew he could relate to him. Maybe it was just to start drama so he could ‘get a kick out of it’. Whatever the actual reason was, it’d fit Freddie to a tee. He wished he could see into the bizarre mind of his, just so that he could understand why he felt that need.

“You ever wonder what it’d be like to be off on your own?” Freddie finally asked.

“You know I do.” Brian told him. “It’ll be great.” He lied, the old fear starting to settle in his stomach.

“But to just be free!” Freddie exclaimed. “To just be…you. No one badgering you for who you were and to just let everyone, including you, be happy. You think that’ll every happen?”

“No.” Brian replied in a blunt tone. “No one’s ever gonna change that much. Let alone society.”

“Now don’t be so pessimistic! C’mon Bri…You gotta think that there’s some good out there.”

“I didn’t say there was no good. I’m saying that old traditions and ways don’t die easily. The way we’re raised will affect the future and I doubt all the children right now are not being taught the same exact stuff over and over again.”

“But those who don’t like what they’re taught can change it. There’s gotta be a future out there where people can just be happy.” Freddie retorted. “Isn’t there?” He asked solemnly, his eyes growing dark with desperation.

“I dunno Fred. I just don’t know.” Brian told him, trying to leave his own doubt out of this.

“You know what then.” Freddie told him in a much stronger voice. “If the world’s gonna be a bitch, I’ll be one right back. Try me. I’m not letting anyone tell me otherwise.”

Good luck with that. Brian thought as he sunk lower towards the ground. He wished he could share Freddie’s current optimism. It seemed so easy to just ignore everything. Maybe he should just stop everything he was putting himself through. The thought was sincere but the accompanying feelings were anything but. In an instant, the thoughts were dashed away, leaving him wondering what would’ve happened if he let them stay for just a bit longer.

He glanced towards his watch, groaning and pushing himself up from the uncomfortable position. Freddie got the message and heaved himself up as well.

“Look. I know what you’re thinking.” Freddie told him in a hard voice. “But you gotta at least try. Ignore your bloody parents and the other kids. Just be you.”

Freddie headed up the staircase without another word, leaving him to continue to wonder why on earth he was dwelling on Roger so much. He heaved a heavy sigh and grabbed the few things he had, already starting to toss away the bustling thoughts. Only when the bell rung did he succeed, his mind clicking back into its robotic state and walking him off to his next class.

…

The lock clicked as he twisted the key within. As expected, the house was empty. Not a soul was moving around nor were there any signs that someone had been home recently. It was normal, and it was something Brian truly relished. Those few moments of solitude in his own abode were truly something he wished he could have more of. Alas, he knew already that he had about an hour before his mother would return home, meaning the gratuitous time was slipping right through his fingers with every second he spent staring at nothing.

Brian instantly took to his usual routine. He hurried to his room, laying his bag on the neatly made bed and took out his work. Something once again began gnawing at the back of his mind, Brian shooing it away in an instant.

His work took hours, yet it would take others usually days to finish it all. The usual headache began to grow about three hours in and made him wish he could just be done with all of this already. It wasn’t hard. It was just tedious. Every damn sentence he had to write out in that perfect format so the teacher wouldn’t bark at him that it was properly written. Each formula that was etched in his brain. Couldn’t it have been so much shorter? He understood it. So why make him do it thirty times when ten was just plenty. Because without practice, you can’t be successful. Those words echoed through his mind, Brian wishing his father wouldn’t keep repeating it whenever he came home with a load of homework.

When it was actually finished, Brian neatly put it away in the designated folders and gently placed them each in his bag. His brain was pounding and each part of him just wanted sleep. But the bustling down the hall kept him from laying there. In a matter of minutes, someone would come over to remind him to come and eat. As he tried to head out, his eyes landed on the guitar sitting in his closet. The beautiful crimson wood almost hid among the darkness of the closet, but the light reflected off a few bits so he could finally see it.

Just a moment…He thought as he let go of the doorknob. He walked over to his closet and grabbed the guitar by its neck. A flash ran through his arm and up through his body when he came in contact. It grabbed him and took over for a second, allowing him to bring it out and hold it in his hands. It was just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. How he wished he could properly play it. An amplifier of any kind would be a blessing in disguise. He allowed his fingers to dance across a few of the strings, the soft, but warm, sound following, its full potential lurking beneath the surface.

A knock from the other side of the door scared the daylights right out of him, the guitar leaving his hands for a second as he fumbled around to keep it from falling. The door opened behind him, his father standing on the other side, an imposing glare hiding in his eyes while he put that fake smile up on his face.

“Oh you and your music.” His father told him, reaching out and taking the guitar from his hand and immediately placing it back in the closet. “You know better than to keep us waiting when it’s time for dinner.”

“Y-yes…Of course. Sorry about that, I just finished with my work and-”

“Ah thatta boy! Remember, without practice, you won’t be successful.” He told him, the invisible needle stitching the words onto his brain again.

He smiled sheepishly and followed his father out of the room, looking behind him for just a second and seeing the neck of the guitar inside of his closet, Brian once again shutting out his mind and trudged down the hall.

A sickening scent hit his nose, making his stomach violently twist. His eyes landed upon the dinner table. It was a classic scene, one someone could’ve seen in any picture book. A small basket of bread with butter ready to be spread, a freshly made salad with bright tomatoes, dark leaves of lettuce, and purple curves of onions while the dressing was reflected off the light hanging above their table. Glasses filled with ice, a bottle of beer next to what he knew was his father’s plate, more roasted greens sitting inside of a neat little bowl, all of it looked tantalizing, minus the cut pieces of chicken lined across a white plate, a boat of gravy sitting next to it.

His nerves shot around as he took his assigned seat, his mother to his left and father to his right. He made it through the routine of saying grace and allowed the others to grab their food first. Each went right for the still steaming chicken before moving onto the other food around it, Brian taking his chance and diving for what he actually wanted to eat. He lined his plate with as much salad, roasted asparagus, and bread to completely cover his plate so his parents wouldn’t force any of the dead bird down his throat. The idea revolted him, the memory of this morning’s incident only making it harder for him to eat what he actually wanted to enjoy.

In those few seconds of silence while everyone took their first bites of dinner, Brian tried to formulate a kind of story that they might actually want to hear. What was there? All he’d gotten to deal with was the usual routine that had been crafted since his birth. So, nothing new ever happened. He couldn’t dare mention his conversation with Freddie. They both already disapproved of him and his flamboyancy. Anything that had happened earlier would only anger them more.

“So, anything happen in school?” His father finally asked.

“Ah! W-well…” Brian began, laying his bread down on his plate. “Not really…Just the usual go to class and do what I can. Came home, did my work, and now we’re here!” He told him, seeing him give that pleased smile.

“That’s good. It’ll help you in the future if you keep the hard work up.”

“Brian hon, surely you’ve heard of the dance coming up!” His mother piped, giving her soft smile. “I heard it from Williams next door. Her son is ecstatic to go.”

“Bah! Ruth dear you know Brian doesn’t bother himself with any frivolous things such as dances. He’s got so much work to do.”

“Harold, don’t you think it’d be fitting for him to enjoy a night out. Perhaps he could hang out with Roger.”

“Yeah and that means that Frederick too. He doesn’t need much more of him, let alone at an event like that.”

“I-I mean he’s not that-” Brian began.

“Don’t interrupt!” His father snapped. “He’s got no reason to go. It’d be a waste of time and any more time with that Frederick is gonna turn him into some bum flashing himself at a party, neck deep in alcohol and I will not accept that!”

“Harold.” His mother said sternly. “He’s just a boy-”

“A boy who’s got so much going on that any behavior like that would throw him off. I’d bet every pound I got that something’s off with that Frederick and I’m not having him rub off on Brian.”

Nervous stares were directed towards his father, whose anger could be felt for miles. All fell silent and returned to their meal. He silently apologized to his mother, knowing that his father’s temper was on him from having his guitar out, not her bringing up the dance. He scoffed down his meal as fast as he could without reprimand. The chicken sat in front of him, half of it missing and sitting either on his parents’ plates or in their stomachs.

Dinner was quiet. No more talk of school, work, or any other miscellaneous babble. When they’d all had their fill, Brian took to clearing the table, his father moving off to the couch and reading the paper. While he washed the dishes he’d gathered, his mother began wrapping up the remainder of the food from dinner, neatly putting it in containers and then in the fridge. He looked down at her, seeing a dejected shadow inside of her eyes while she quietly worked. His eyes moved off to his father who, as expected, was sat with his nose buried in the paper.

“I’ll go pack my bag.” Brian finally said, hoping his father wouldn’t say anything else.

Thankfully, no one did. He hurried back to his room and shut the door as fast as possible. The checklist was already forming in his mind even though he already had everything ready for the next day. Well, everything but any encounter with the others. He could already see a conversation with Freddie and Deacon spoke as much as a piece of yarn. But Roger…Lord how he wished that he could predict how any conversation with him would go. It’d make it all so much easier. No more nerves bouncing about or butterflies dashing around in his stomach.

But he just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Why he felt that way towards him. Of all people he could’ve fallen for, he fell for him. There were obvious issues with liking him, but something was so alluring about him. That cheekiness, the confidence that just radiated off of him. The guy paraded around like a tiger. It was amazing to watch. How he wished he could share it.

Time ticked by slowly, Brian pretending to be occupied with his work whenever someone came by as to avoid any conversation. His shower was done as quick as he could and well before midnight, he had his pajamas on and a book in his hand. Light now came from his desk lamp instead of the sunlight outside or the bigger lamp at the corner of his room. A few cars rumbled from outside, but besides the occasional turn of a page, all was silent. Brian found it both soothing and unnerving. He just wished for his eyes to finally grow heavy so he could mark his page and get under the covers so this day could just end.

Yet, his mind kept up the thoughts. He tried to focus on the words in front of him, but he found it nearly impossible to care or focus on them. Fitzgerald’s words seemed to form a blur of black and white. He shook his head, closed his eyes for a second, and tried to refocus before his turning and heavy thoughts resurfaced.

He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes.…The dance…it was just a few days away. Roger would be there…Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real. Maybe he should just go…It’d shut Freddie up…whereupon Gatsby sat down and shaded his eyes and began to laugh. “It’s the funniest thing, old sport,” he said hilariously. “I can’t — When I try to-”

Brian tossed the book away, the pages fluttering and the book landing on the ground with a quiet thud. How could he focus on anything else but the impending Friday night? Freddie was right, though admitting it would have him boasting about it for ages. But lord was he right. It’d be better to know what would happen then to keep living in this state of confusion and wondering. Surely it was…Was it not better to try something and fail or just never attempt it in the first place?

The question had plagued his thoughts since he first met Roger. That first time their eyes met a truck had slammed into his chest. He couldn’t speak for a few seconds and had to be whacked out of it by a slap on the back of his head by Freddie. Over the two years he’d battled the idea that just saying something, something that simple, could solve everything or make everything worse. Even if he did like him, how could he even find a way to be with him when everyone around you thinks your mere existence is a creation of the Devil himself?

He glanced over to his bedside table, the small drawer calling out to him. The lamp cast a now angelic glow upon the wood, Brian now following it and opening up the drawer. A few papers sat inside of it, his handwriting scrawled out in various pens. Old song ideas began to swarm around in his mind again, the lyrics reminding him of the few short moments that his parents had seemed to encourage his desire for music. But his father had slammed the songs away into the drawer the instant he seemed to be moving away from what he wanted him to do. The old thought hurt just as much as it did when it was the moment itself.

An urge arose once again, one he hadn’t felt since the last time he held those papers. To be perfect, to make everything as good as it could be. He reached out and grabbed a pen from his bag, placing the tip of it against the paper, a small blue dot forming and slowly growing. Brian took a deep breath and scratched out a few words, writing in what he felt fit better. His pen moved over the words, hovering just a centimeter above it until he scratched out more words and replaced them once again. This process continued as he scoured through all he had written, tossing the papers aside, making notes in the margins about what could be a guitar rift or solo in the future.

For once it felt natural to do this. Like no one was going to barge in on him and tear it out of his hands, telling him he’d be wasting his time with anything trivial. Once he did put the pen down, he stared down at his work, pride swelling up in his chest. It was his. Something he made. No matter what, someone couldn’t take away that satisfaction of making something better, something he had made himself nonetheless. The song was his own. Not perfect, but for now it seemed to be. Every stroke of the pen had been made by him: whether it be a note, rift, lyric question, or random doodles he made when trying to think. His pride seemed to start to relax him, his eyes now starting to grow heavy.

Brian now folded up the papers, laying them gently inside of the drawer and putting the pen back inside of his bag. His hand slightly ached, but it was that good kind of ache, like the type an athlete got after exercising. Again, his eyes fell upon the guitar that sat inside of his closet. The desire to test out the notes he’d written down arose again as he continued to stare longingly at it. But it was unfair to play it without letting it reach its full potential. He laid down beneath his covers, letting out a heavy yawn before finally shutting his eyes, now ending he final part of his routine and, within minutes, drifting off into a blissful slumber, that pride never once vanishing.

#I needed a new fic ngl #Losing What We've Learned #Maylor #Fanfiction

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