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ooc: sally is loveswhiteshoes ...i just...i can't believe i spent two hours writing peanuts fanfic.. wow... ove 1600 words of goodness...enjoy!
He doesn't know when things have changed. If he really has to think about it, he could probably pinpoint the day, which worries him. She's rubbed off on him more than he thought.
Their baseball team has lost yet again, but instead of the usual "Let's pick on Charlie" attitude everyone likes to indulge in, it's friendly. Patty smacks Charlie on the back, harder than anyone else would, but hey, that's Patty for you.
"You did good, Charlie," she states cheerily, slinging her bag on her shoulder. "No one's been able to beat that team you know. Kinda silly of us to think we would." She doesn't mention all the other games they've lost this season or the fact that they're the biggest joke.
The years may have gone by, but that doesn't mean any of them learned how the play the damn game.
"That's right," pipes up Sally, happy as ever. "And I didn't break a nail at all during this game, so really, we're all winners!" She throws her mitt up in the air, laughing, and ducks to avoid getting hit with it. Her smile is large, dimples peeking out and there's no doubt that she's happy. She's always happy. "What do you think, Babboo?"
And that's it. He freezes, mumbles some sort of an answer back and excuses himself from the group. Hops on his bike and rides furiously to his house, and it isn't until he's safe in his room that he finally tries to calm down.
He's 16 by this point, Sally's 14. He's seen her almost every single day of his life and yet today, it's like the first time he's really seen her. For the rest of the day, he stays on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Was it the light? The day?
Linus tries and tries but he just can't figure it out. He doesn't go out of his house for two days, and only leaves because Lucy literally drags him by the end of his blanket. He may be older, but it doesn't mean he has no need for comfort anymore.
She deposits his blanket out by Snoopy's doghouse and he sighs as he walks towards it. Snoopy's out on top of the doghouse, and one day, Linus will figure out how the dog can defy gravity and stay up there as long as he does. The blanket is covering the dog, and he gently tugs at it, coaxing it out of Snoopy's grip.
"Want help?" The voice comes from behind him and he jumps, slips back in some mud and falls on the ground. He hears her giggle and sees a hand outstretched. "And now you're all dirty, so you better not ask to come in, Linus, because I'd have to hose you down first and who wants that?"
It takes him longer to grab onto her hand than he wants to but when he does, he knows he'll never let go.
Of course, it's easier said than done. When you've spent your entire existance ignoring someone, it's hard to finally start paying attention to them -- or at least, get that attention you want.
School's just started, and this year, Charlie's away at university but like always, he walks past the Brown household. Without Charlie, he hadn't seen the need to stop but the door is open, Sally's yelling at her mother and he figures this is as good an opportunity as any. He waits by the gate and eventually, Sally rolls her eyes and walks away from the door, smug look on her face.
She doesn't even blink to see him there, it's like she was expecting him to show up, knowin full well that Charlie isn't there. "I won," she states happily as they start to walk.
"Won what," he asks, looking at her curiously. Her blue eyes are wide and a generous splash of freckles shows how often she was out in the sun that summer.
She sticks out her foot, encased in a white heel. "I got to wear my new heels to school. Mom says they'd hurt my feet if I walked in them, and I told her to stuff it."
"You look good in white anyways," he offers lamely.
She beams and hooks her arm into his, happy in her own little world. "Of course I do, silly! I look amazing in anything I wear."
They don't go to the same school, but without even organizing it, she's waiting for him right where they separated in the morning for the walk back home.
A pattern develops soon after. Every day, they walk to and from school, and sometimes he helps her with her homework but he never tries anything more and she seems to have resigned herself to the fact that her brother's best friend will never see her as more than anything else.
And he says nothing.
Hallowe'en comes and as always he's in the pumpkin patch. He doesn't really believe in the Great Pumpkin anymore but it's always been his way of escaping the monotony of Hallowe'en. He's never had a sweet tooth, doesn't really like dressing up, and besides, it drives Lucy nuts, this idea of his. Any idea that bothers his sister is one he embraces. He even became a vegetarian to drive her up the wall.
This year though, he's in the pumpkin patch because there's a new member to their gang. Mike. Sally's boyfriend. Doesn't matter that she's too young to date (anyone that's not him) or that Mike doesn't understand her (he actually says her giggles are annoying). Nope. Doesn't bother him a bit.
He stays outside all night, as usual, basking in the moonlight. His blanket is his pillow as he lays against a pumpkin, counting stars, anything to keep his mind off of the thoughts that have been intruding all day.
"Your blanket is dirty," she says, plopping her face in front of his. The stars are blocked but that's okay -- he can count the freckles instead.
"Point?"
She shrugs, and lays down next to him, moving him aside so that her head can be on the blanket as wel. They lay there in silence until she finally asks, "So are you ever going to kiss me?"
"W-what?" He has no answers, just his widened expression as he tries to move away from her.
Sally turns on her side, propped up on her hand. "You heard me. Mike's a dork. He tried to cop a feel. I kicked him, gave him my candy and came here. Don't disappoint me, Linus."
And still he doesn't know what to do so she sighs and leans in. It's a quick kiss, nothing amazing and it's over before it's begun. All he knows is that she's snuggled up on his shoulder, and things seem to be okay.
The next day, when he picks her up for school, she slips her hand easily into his and he never says anything about it. In fact, no one comments. He expects Charlie to call him, give him a talk, something but all he says when he finds out is "I'm glad it's you," and leaves it at that.
He manages to get her to stop calling him "My Sweet Babboo," but she refuses to drop the "Babboo". He calls her Doll or Dollface and it works for them.
Their first fight is over their lack of fighting. She thinks it's important to have conflict in a relationship. He thinks she's crazy. They don't talk for a week but when they do, it's with the promise that that'll never happen again. Everyone teases them that they're an old married couple, but he ignores them. They've known each other their whole lives -- what did anyone else expect? Sally, on the other hand, likes to remind everyone that she's been in love with him since she was a baby so of course it works out beautifully.
His parents go all out for his high school graduation, renting him a car and a hotel room. His dad gives him a wink, his mother looks like she's going to cry and he just wants to die of the embarassment. It doesn't help that his dad hands him a condom and reminds him that the Browns are a long time family friend so don't fuck it up, son.
Sally looks fantastic at the prom. Her curls accentuate her playful spirit, her pink dress brings out the flush in her face and naturally, a pair of white heels round off the entire picture. It's been two years since they started dating, and they both know what the hotel room means.
It's awkward and he feels bad hurting her even though she says it's okay, Lucy told her to accept the pain because that makes it better (and he'll have to kill her for that one). There's fumbling, and a few tears, but when it's over, neither of them regrets it and he knows that they'll be together forever.
He doesn't go away to university, choosing to remain close, although he does move out. He's proud of his apartment and the furnishings but when she finishes high school, she moves in. And changes everything. Now he has a pink couch, and blue plates, and yellow walls, but whatever Sally wants, Sally gets.
It takes her two years to decide what to do after graduation and 8 years to finish her nursing degree. Taking two classes a semester is not a fast way but he has his degree in psychology (take THAT, Lucy) and his job so it's fine.
Anythings fine as far as he's concerned...as long as she accepts the blanket.