EVERWOOD FIC: "Here This Is" - Bright/Laynie, B/E, Laynie/Amy, Laynie/f, mentions Bright/Hannah
x-posted to bus_riders
TITLE: Here This Is
SERIES: Everwood
AUTHOR: amelia_kay
SERIES: 4/4 - The final installment of my crack!fic Surrogates series, in which Bright's in love with Ephram and Laynie's in love with Amy and it leads to some seriously twisted Bright/Laynie. That's all you really need to know for this one to make sense, but if you want to read the other 3 parts, they're here and you'll understand what's going on much better. This is the fourth and final installment of that series.
SUMMARY: After Ephram takes off at the end of S3, Laynie comes back to town, looks up Bright, and takes stock of the aftermath.
SPOILERS: All the way through S3 and one teensy spoiler for S4, but if you don't know what it is, you won't notice.
FEEDBACK: Is very very much appreciated. =) Please do comment and let me know what you thought.
The first thing he notices is that Laynie's wearing far too much makeup. The click of her heels echos through Bright's mostly-empty new apartment. He hangs back as she explores the place in the span of exactly three seconds, head snapping around in a disinterested survey, then she sighs and turns to him.
"You got two bedrooms, huh?" Her face is the very picture of innocence as she coos her next words. "Planning on having someone move in?"
"I can't afford a place like this by myself," Bright offers with a nonchalant shrug. He drops his gaze when she smirks.
+
Laynie lights up a cigarette and inhales before asking, "Mind if I smoke?"
Bright does mind, but he doesn't answer. Instead he asks, "So what are you gonna do with yourself now?"
"Mmm, I dunno," she exhales, cocking her head to one side. She ashes in the sink and gives him a long once-over, watching his expression soften. "I was thinking, dick around here 'til the fall, then maybe head out to Hollywood and become a starlet... waitress... porn star... crack whore.... who the hell knows?"
Bright nods. "Believe it or not? My plans sound a lot like that."
+
She pulls another dish from a box, unwraps it and asks, "I heard your boyfriend took off for Europe. Tragic ending much?"
His posture tenses for the briefest moment. "I guess."
"Were you heartbroken, Brighton?" She sounds detached, almost bored. "Did you cry? I would've cried."
"He, uh," Bright ducks his head to avoid her eyes. "He actually asked me to go with him."
She chuffs laughter at that. "You're so full of shit!"
"I -" triumphantly snatches the dish still in her hand - "am so not."
She suspects they're both thinking her next words: "You dumbass. You should've gone."
+
"So, tell me," she says, pulling her legs up under herself on his couch. "I've been out of commission all year. How did things with the Golden Pair go?"
"How do you think?" He plops next to her, exhaustion making him sink into the cushions. "It was a freaking trainwreck. Drama-rama twenty-four-seven. And it was, like, ridiculous because they both got so boring."
"What about you?" She pokes him in the ribs, snuggles closer. "Were you celibate and pining all year, holding out hope that he'd finally come to his senses?"
He laughs so hard that he loses his breath.
+
"I met a girl," he offers, through a mouthful of Chinese delivery. "Like. I kinda like her, and I think we're... a thing now."
"Amazing coincidence. Me too!" Laynie smiles beatifically. "You first. Name?"
"Hannah."
"She hot?"
"She's... got her own style."
Laynie snorts "And a great personality?"
"She's pretty. In her own way. She's really smart, and-"
"Let me guess. She reminds you... of Ephram."
He gives a weight-of-the-world sigh. "So not like that." He frowns, stabs at his beef lo mein.
"She any good in the sack?"
"Um... we haven't... like..."
"I rest my case. God, you're hopeless."
+
"Are you gonna get a roommate?" She glances askance at the empty spare bedroom.
He doesn't meet her eyes. "Yeah, eventually."
She takes a step back at that. "Shit! What, you're waiting for him to come back?"
"No! Sheesh! I'm just... taking my time. I'm, like, particular about my personal space."
"Very particular."
"Besides..."
"Ha! I totally knew it."
"Just. He's gonna need a place to stay when he comes back. Okay?"
"When? You mean if, right?"
"I mean when."
"Have you heard from him these last two months? At all?"
But when he falls silent, she doesn't press the matter.
+
She traces patterns with her fingers on the bare skin of his belly. "Bright."
"Mmm?" he mumbles contentedly, wrapping his arm tighter around her shoulders. She huddles closer, pulling the covers up over them further.
"I don't think anybody missed me."
"What?" He laughs uncertainly, but she knows he understands. "Don't be retarded, Laynie. Of course people missed you."
"My parents hardly noticed I was gone." She's glad it's too dark for anyone to see that she's blinking back wetness. Stupid. "Then again, my parents hardly notice anything."
"I missed you. Amy missed you."
She scoffs. "Yeah, I can tell."
+
"I met this girl this year," Laynie says tonelessly, her back to him as he dresses. "She was amazing. Smart. Funny. So hot. And really... understanding. Like. She really got me, you know?"
Bright pauses, sits by her to listen. "Yeah."
"And - like. She was crazy about me, Bright. I mean. Ass over heels crazy."
He waits for her to say more, then - "What happened?"
Laynie shakes her head. Shrugs. "I thought she could make me forget she wasn't the one I wanted."
"Laynie," he breathes. "You just gotta try to let it go. You know?"
"Right. Like you did?"
+
They say their good-byes and she pockets his number, promising to call. She's halfway out his door when he says, "You just never got that I'm not like you." She thinks maybe it should sound like an accusation, but instead he sounds tired. Resigned.
"That was Colin, not me." That comes out surprisingly harmless too.
"No. Like. You leave. And you come back and you always leave again because you've got some place else to go. I... don't."
She nods, because he's wrong - she does get it. But he doesn't get he's the stronger one, for being able to stay.
+++
NOTES: Thanks to the wonderful fox1013 for her quick read through and feedback. It's been a while since I played in this universe, but I always felt like these guys had some unresolved issues toward each other and always wanted to revisit them. Thanks for reading. =)
TITLE: Here This Is
SERIES: Everwood
AUTHOR: amelia_kay
SERIES: 4/4 - The final installment of my crack!fic Surrogates series, in which Bright's in love with Ephram and Laynie's in love with Amy and it leads to some seriously twisted Bright/Laynie. That's all you really need to know for this one to make sense, but if you want to read the other 3 parts, they're here and you'll understand what's going on much better. This is the fourth and final installment of that series.
SUMMARY: After Ephram takes off at the end of S3, Laynie comes back to town, looks up Bright, and takes stock of the aftermath.
SPOILERS: All the way through S3 and one teensy spoiler for S4, but if you don't know what it is, you won't notice.
FEEDBACK: Is very very much appreciated. =) Please do comment and let me know what you thought.
The first thing he notices is that Laynie's wearing far too much makeup. The click of her heels echos through Bright's mostly-empty new apartment. He hangs back as she explores the place in the span of exactly three seconds, head snapping around in a disinterested survey, then she sighs and turns to him.
"You got two bedrooms, huh?" Her face is the very picture of innocence as she coos her next words. "Planning on having someone move in?"
"I can't afford a place like this by myself," Bright offers with a nonchalant shrug. He drops his gaze when she smirks.
+
Laynie lights up a cigarette and inhales before asking, "Mind if I smoke?"
Bright does mind, but he doesn't answer. Instead he asks, "So what are you gonna do with yourself now?"
"Mmm, I dunno," she exhales, cocking her head to one side. She ashes in the sink and gives him a long once-over, watching his expression soften. "I was thinking, dick around here 'til the fall, then maybe head out to Hollywood and become a starlet... waitress... porn star... crack whore.... who the hell knows?"
Bright nods. "Believe it or not? My plans sound a lot like that."
+
She pulls another dish from a box, unwraps it and asks, "I heard your boyfriend took off for Europe. Tragic ending much?"
His posture tenses for the briefest moment. "I guess."
"Were you heartbroken, Brighton?" She sounds detached, almost bored. "Did you cry? I would've cried."
"He, uh," Bright ducks his head to avoid her eyes. "He actually asked me to go with him."
She chuffs laughter at that. "You're so full of shit!"
"I -" triumphantly snatches the dish still in her hand - "am so not."
She suspects they're both thinking her next words: "You dumbass. You should've gone."
+
"So, tell me," she says, pulling her legs up under herself on his couch. "I've been out of commission all year. How did things with the Golden Pair go?"
"How do you think?" He plops next to her, exhaustion making him sink into the cushions. "It was a freaking trainwreck. Drama-rama twenty-four-seven. And it was, like, ridiculous because they both got so boring."
"What about you?" She pokes him in the ribs, snuggles closer. "Were you celibate and pining all year, holding out hope that he'd finally come to his senses?"
He laughs so hard that he loses his breath.
+
"I met a girl," he offers, through a mouthful of Chinese delivery. "Like. I kinda like her, and I think we're... a thing now."
"Amazing coincidence. Me too!" Laynie smiles beatifically. "You first. Name?"
"Hannah."
"She hot?"
"She's... got her own style."
Laynie snorts "And a great personality?"
"She's pretty. In her own way. She's really smart, and-"
"Let me guess. She reminds you... of Ephram."
He gives a weight-of-the-world sigh. "So not like that." He frowns, stabs at his beef lo mein.
"She any good in the sack?"
"Um... we haven't... like..."
"I rest my case. God, you're hopeless."
+
"Are you gonna get a roommate?" She glances askance at the empty spare bedroom.
He doesn't meet her eyes. "Yeah, eventually."
She takes a step back at that. "Shit! What, you're waiting for him to come back?"
"No! Sheesh! I'm just... taking my time. I'm, like, particular about my personal space."
"Very particular."
"Besides..."
"Ha! I totally knew it."
"Just. He's gonna need a place to stay when he comes back. Okay?"
"When? You mean if, right?"
"I mean when."
"Have you heard from him these last two months? At all?"
But when he falls silent, she doesn't press the matter.
+
She traces patterns with her fingers on the bare skin of his belly. "Bright."
"Mmm?" he mumbles contentedly, wrapping his arm tighter around her shoulders. She huddles closer, pulling the covers up over them further.
"I don't think anybody missed me."
"What?" He laughs uncertainly, but she knows he understands. "Don't be retarded, Laynie. Of course people missed you."
"My parents hardly noticed I was gone." She's glad it's too dark for anyone to see that she's blinking back wetness. Stupid. "Then again, my parents hardly notice anything."
"I missed you. Amy missed you."
She scoffs. "Yeah, I can tell."
+
"I met this girl this year," Laynie says tonelessly, her back to him as he dresses. "She was amazing. Smart. Funny. So hot. And really... understanding. Like. She really got me, you know?"
Bright pauses, sits by her to listen. "Yeah."
"And - like. She was crazy about me, Bright. I mean. Ass over heels crazy."
He waits for her to say more, then - "What happened?"
Laynie shakes her head. Shrugs. "I thought she could make me forget she wasn't the one I wanted."
"Laynie," he breathes. "You just gotta try to let it go. You know?"
"Right. Like you did?"
+
They say their good-byes and she pockets his number, promising to call. She's halfway out his door when he says, "You just never got that I'm not like you." She thinks maybe it should sound like an accusation, but instead he sounds tired. Resigned.
"That was Colin, not me." That comes out surprisingly harmless too.
"No. Like. You leave. And you come back and you always leave again because you've got some place else to go. I... don't."
She nods, because he's wrong - she does get it. But he doesn't get he's the stronger one, for being able to stay.
+++
NOTES: Thanks to the wonderful fox1013 for her quick read through and feedback. It's been a while since I played in this universe, but I always felt like these guys had some unresolved issues toward each other and always wanted to revisit them. Thanks for reading. =)