At Least We're In this Together (1a/?)
anonymous
January 2 2011, 23:57:08 UTC
Thanks for all the awesome comments :D To answer questions: I hope no one is disappointed, but US will not be Canada's age in this fill. He will, however, show up as male (and a possible love interest?). Sorry for the looong wait for an update! Anon had no internet over her holidays :( But she DID whip up as long chapter in that time. Keep in mind that anon is a shiptease and that pairings are still largely undecided~
Elizaveta woke up on the couch, stiff in the clothes she was wearing last night, the sun from the downstairs window slamming into her eyes. Groaning softly, she sat up and stretched, loving the tingles of pleasure up and down her spine at the action. Dammit, she hated falling asleep over work.
As she padded barefoot to the kitchen to make some coffee, Elizaveta jumped a little at the feeling of feeling sudden softness around her ankles. “Maria…” She cooed, bending down to retrieve the finicky Persian. Today, the cat allowed herself to be carried, sniffing haughtily as Elizaveta pet her and murmured nonsense syllables into her fur.
The coffee pot dripped agonizingly slowly for a Monday morning.
Elizaveta looked at the clock and contemplated her morning. 7:00, too late for a run. She’d have to be at the school in an hour, so she’d better get the lesson plan together, pack a lunch and-
RIIIIING~
Probably Kiku. She had told him “call before school” and he was always punctual like that. Dropping Maria, Elizaveta picked up the phone and nestled it under her ear while she poured her coffee. “Hey Honda, if you have news about the-“
“Eliza?”
Elizaveta almost dropped her coffee cup. “G-Gilbert? Gilbert Billschmidt?”
“The one and only,” A nervous laugh. “Man, do you not ever answer your cell or something? I’ve been trying to call you for the past day, thought you blocked me or something.”
Elizaveta looked for her blackberry wearily, well, she very well may have blocked his number... But, no, it seemed that her cell had just ran out of battery. Putting down her cup, Elizaveta took her cordless phone with her as she went to plug in her blackberry into its charging station.
“…I even called your mom for this number…”
“You called my mom?” She asked incredulously. “She hates you! I can’t believe she would-“
“She didn’t, yeah, I … actually got this through a friend of a friend of … a friend.”
Elizaveta narrowed her eyes. “So what made you turn to stalking, Gil?”
“Look, I’m in a bit of a … situation.”
“We haven’t talked in three years.”
“You’re the only one I know that would care.”
Elizaveta swallowed. Oh, she had hated him for so long that the feeling in her chest just felt like a stale ache. But he didn’t even know, did he? Senior year of college, it was widely recognized that any time Elizaveta and Gilbert were even in a room together, violence would result. This from when they were practically attached at the hip- “I don’t owe you anything.” She ground out, hating the rare sincerity in Gilbert’s voice that always, always made her give in. “But I…I’ll hear you out if you’re snappy.”
“Oh thank god, I knew I could count on you, ‘Liza!” She could practically picture him grinning on the other line. “So here’s the thing … I kinda got a kid now.”
She hung up on him.
Seconds later her phone rang again, and Elizaveta seriously considered letting it ring. But that idiot would probably just call again and again and she needed the lines open for Honda. Right.
“What do you want?”
“Fuck! Why’d you hang up on me? I thought you said you’d hear me out?!”
“I did. You have a kid. Congrats.” Elizaveta made her voice as steady as she could. “Never thought you’d take a joke this far-“
“It’s not a joke, Eliza!”
Eliza flinched, surprised at his outrage.
“I … sorry.” A sigh. “He’s real. My kid. His name is Ludwig and he’s almost a year old and fuck. His mother’s gone. I’m on my own.”
Elizaveta felt like the ground had crumbled beneath her feet. “And you called me…”
At Least We're In this Together (1b/?)
anonymous
January 3 2011, 00:12:55 UTC
“Because I need help. I know you must … hate me for everything, but please, please. I can’t take care of a baby! I can barely take care of myself.” His voice slid to a low whisper. “I ... I've asked around, and ... you're still working with kids, right? I'm begging you, Eliza."
Gilbert Billschmidt didn’t beg. Gilbert Billschmidt was the most arrogant, selfish, son of a bitch she had ever known. Gilbert Billschmidt had slept with her best friend, called her a lesbian in front of all of their friends, kissed her under the bleachers in the rain after a football game and then backed off, laughing that it was just a joke.
Gilbert Billschmidt had dragged her out of parties when she had gotten dangerously drunk and would have done something she regretted deeply the next morning, had held her awkwardly and whispered things in her hair after her father had died and part of her had wanted to die with him, had told her that she was beautiful that one time when he was way too drunk to be trusted, but like an idiot she had carried that one statement in her heart all of these years.
“I’m … I-I work in this school. The magnet school for international students … Circle Earth. It’s an elementary school right now but we are adding a day care component for … kids older than six months. Bring him by and I’ll see what I can do.” She added the last words in a whispered rush. He hadn’t even told her he was in town, but she knew, and she knew because she heard through a friend that he was moving back here, not because she was nosy. Or anything.
There was a brief silence on the other end, then, “… thank you, Eliza.”
“I-I also teach a fatherhood class at the school after hours!” She stammered, just remembering. “You’ve been feeding him correctly, right? His diapers and …”
The laugh on the other end sounded like the Gilbert she remembered. Well, perhaps a little different. “I know how to mix formula, Eliza. And the diaper thing was a snap, just googled it. Feel free to tell me I’m awesome any time now.”
Elizaveta sighed. “Gilbert, if … Ludwig is a year old, he’s going to need more nutrition than formula…” She began to lecture, warming up to her topic, until Gilbert’s droll voice cut her off.
“Eliza, don’t you have work or something soon?”
She looked at the clock. “Oh … oh shit! Okay, I’ll call you with directions later, uh … is five okay with you?”
“I’m free anytime,” Gilbert said. She imagined him smiling on the line. “Thanks again, you … you’re such a lifesaver.”
Elizaveta put the phone down with a note of finality, only realizing afterward that her heart was beating hard. Where had that come from?
The phone rang again. She stared at it a moment, completely dreading what was on the other end.
“Elizaveta?”
“Oh god, Honda …” She felt a bit dizzy.
“Sorry? I tried calling earlier … “
“No, no! I’m sorry!” Elizaveta glanced at the clock and winced. “Look, I’m gonna be a little late, stall the teachers for me, willya?”
Kiku’s voice held a note of irony. “I’ll try my best but they’re beginning to mutiny.”
“Oh,” She sighed, grabbing her car keys, and then, thinking better, her often-neglected makeup bag on the way. “OkaybyeHondayI’lltalktoyoulater-“
Damn that Gilbert Billschmidt. Every time he came into her life it was to mess it up one way or another.
Elizaveta woke up on the couch, stiff in the clothes she was wearing last night, the sun from the downstairs window slamming into her eyes. Groaning softly, she sat up and stretched, loving the tingles of pleasure up and down her spine at the action. Dammit, she hated falling asleep over work.
As she padded barefoot to the kitchen to make some coffee, Elizaveta jumped a little at the feeling of feeling sudden softness around her ankles. “Maria…” She cooed, bending down to retrieve the finicky Persian. Today, the cat allowed herself to be carried, sniffing haughtily as Elizaveta pet her and murmured nonsense syllables into her fur.
The coffee pot dripped agonizingly slowly for a Monday morning.
Elizaveta looked at the clock and contemplated her morning. 7:00, too late for a run. She’d have to be at the school in an hour, so she’d better get the lesson plan together, pack a lunch and-
RIIIIING~
Probably Kiku. She had told him “call before school” and he was always punctual like that. Dropping Maria, Elizaveta picked up the phone and nestled it under her ear while she poured her coffee. “Hey Honda, if you have news about the-“
“Eliza?”
Elizaveta almost dropped her coffee cup. “G-Gilbert? Gilbert Billschmidt?”
“The one and only,” A nervous laugh. “Man, do you not ever answer your cell or something? I’ve been trying to call you for the past day, thought you blocked me or something.”
Elizaveta looked for her blackberry wearily, well, she very well may have blocked his number... But, no, it seemed that her cell had just ran out of battery. Putting down her cup, Elizaveta took her cordless phone with her as she went to plug in her blackberry into its charging station.
“…I even called your mom for this number…”
“You called my mom?” She asked incredulously. “She hates you! I can’t believe she would-“
“She didn’t, yeah, I … actually got this through a friend of a friend of … a friend.”
Elizaveta narrowed her eyes. “So what made you turn to stalking, Gil?”
“Look, I’m in a bit of a … situation.”
“We haven’t talked in three years.”
“You’re the only one I know that would care.”
Elizaveta swallowed. Oh, she had hated him for so long that the feeling in her chest just felt like a stale ache. But he didn’t even know, did he? Senior year of college, it was widely recognized that any time Elizaveta and Gilbert were even in a room together, violence would result. This from when they were practically attached at the hip- “I don’t owe you anything.” She ground out, hating the rare sincerity in Gilbert’s voice that always, always made her give in. “But I…I’ll hear you out if you’re snappy.”
“Oh thank god, I knew I could count on you, ‘Liza!” She could practically picture him grinning on the other line. “So here’s the thing … I kinda got a kid now.”
She hung up on him.
Seconds later her phone rang again, and Elizaveta seriously considered letting it ring. But that idiot would probably just call again and again and she needed the lines open for Honda. Right.
“What do you want?”
“Fuck! Why’d you hang up on me? I thought you said you’d hear me out?!”
“I did. You have a kid. Congrats.” Elizaveta made her voice as steady as she could. “Never thought you’d take a joke this far-“
“It’s not a joke, Eliza!”
Eliza flinched, surprised at his outrage.
“I … sorry.” A sigh. “He’s real. My kid. His name is Ludwig and he’s almost a year old and fuck. His mother’s gone. I’m on my own.”
Elizaveta felt like the ground had crumbled beneath her feet. “And you called me…”
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“Because I need help. I know you must … hate me for everything, but please, please. I can’t take care of a baby! I can barely take care of myself.” His voice slid to a low whisper. “I ... I've asked around, and ... you're still working with kids, right? I'm begging you, Eliza."
Gilbert Billschmidt didn’t beg. Gilbert Billschmidt was the most arrogant, selfish, son of a bitch she had ever known. Gilbert Billschmidt had slept with her best friend, called her a lesbian in front of all of their friends, kissed her under the bleachers in the rain after a football game and then backed off, laughing that it was just a joke.
Gilbert Billschmidt had dragged her out of parties when she had gotten dangerously drunk and would have done something she regretted deeply the next morning, had held her awkwardly and whispered things in her hair after her father had died and part of her had wanted to die with him, had told her that she was beautiful that one time when he was way too drunk to be trusted, but like an idiot she had carried that one statement in her heart all of these years.
“I’m … I-I work in this school. The magnet school for international students … Circle Earth. It’s an elementary school right now but we are adding a day care component for … kids older than six months. Bring him by and I’ll see what I can do.” She added the last words in a whispered rush. He hadn’t even told her he was in town, but she knew, and she knew because she heard through a friend that he was moving back here, not because she was nosy. Or anything.
There was a brief silence on the other end, then, “… thank you, Eliza.”
“I-I also teach a fatherhood class at the school after hours!” She stammered, just remembering. “You’ve been feeding him correctly, right? His diapers and …”
The laugh on the other end sounded like the Gilbert she remembered. Well, perhaps a little different. “I know how to mix formula, Eliza. And the diaper thing was a snap, just googled it. Feel free to tell me I’m awesome any time now.”
Elizaveta sighed. “Gilbert, if … Ludwig is a year old, he’s going to need more nutrition than formula…” She began to lecture, warming up to her topic, until Gilbert’s droll voice cut her off.
“Eliza, don’t you have work or something soon?”
She looked at the clock. “Oh … oh shit! Okay, I’ll call you with directions later, uh … is five okay with you?”
“I’m free anytime,” Gilbert said. She imagined him smiling on the line. “Thanks again, you … you’re such a lifesaver.”
Elizaveta put the phone down with a note of finality, only realizing afterward that her heart was beating hard. Where had that come from?
The phone rang again. She stared at it a moment, completely dreading what was on the other end.
“Elizaveta?”
“Oh god, Honda …” She felt a bit dizzy.
“Sorry? I tried calling earlier … “
“No, no! I’m sorry!” Elizaveta glanced at the clock and winced. “Look, I’m gonna be a little late, stall the teachers for me, willya?”
Kiku’s voice held a note of irony. “I’ll try my best but they’re beginning to mutiny.”
“Oh,” She sighed, grabbing her car keys, and then, thinking better, her often-neglected makeup bag on the way. “OkaybyeHondayI’lltalktoyoulater-“
Damn that Gilbert Billschmidt. Every time he came into her life it was to mess it up one way or another.
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