We'll shoot the generals on our own side
Title: We'll shoot the generals on our own side
Author: Telis (theaerosolkid)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Brendon/Audrey
Summary: The universe tends towards disorder.
Word Count: 995
Disclaimer: Fake, fake, fake.
A/N: Thanks to withoutmaps for the beta.
always.
Brendon falls in love with Audrey because she is who she is, but she isn't who she is, either.
She's a paradox wrapped up in a mystery, and Brendon never really liked puzzles, but he's willing to make an exception.
i've come to take you home.
The first time he kissed her she tasted like thick lipstick and fiery rum; it was Halloween.
"Ready for some ultraviolence?" Her eyes were gleaming when she asked him.
"A little of the in-out, in-out," was all he could think to say.
She hadn't said anything, just laughed, and after the awkward silence that followed, "Twigg Violence. Not ultra. Twigg."
"Huh?"
"Twigg Violence, that's me," she said, pointing her thumbs at herself, letting her mostly-empty cup clatter to the floor, ice cubes tumbling like dice.
It's an art form, getting your hair to fall in your eyes just so. Brendon knows this, has watched Ryan learn it, and is still captivated. He supposes that's what makes it an art worth mastering.
once upon a time.
There was this one little heart she always drew, curling and spiking in on itself. She'd draw it over and over and over again, on her knees during the winter. Brendon wondered whether she'd still draw it in the summer. He couldn't find any pictures of hearts on her knees.
"You should get it inked," he told her once, fingertips tracing the gold Sharpie lines.
"I don't want any tattoos," she said.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because that way they can't identify my body when I'm killed in a gang war," she said matter-of-factly.
"Why are gangs going to kill you?" Genuine curiosity.
"There's always a reason," she said airily.
a map and not a timeline.
When Jac breaks up with Ryan (cheater cheater pussy eater, Audrey calls him, that's what she calls Ryan when Jac figures it out, and Brendon is left somewhat speechless in the wake of her, though that's nothing new), Brendon sits with him while Ryan practices drawing gnarled trees over his face.
"You should probably break up with Audrey pretty soon," Ryan says, and Brendon can't choke back his laugh.
"What?"
"Well," Ryan says, "it's going to be awkward. So. You should probably break up with her. Before she can break up with you."
"I'm not breaking up with my girlfriend because you can't keep your dick in your pants," Brendon says angrily.
Ryan tilts his head in a way. It looks like he's arching his brow, but he isn't. He's just. Looking at Brendon in a certain way, and that's what makes Brendon the odd man out in this mess -- he can't summon a whole monologue from a flicker of his eyelashes.
"You're not in love with her," Ryan says.
"Like you'd know," Brendon says. "Talk to me when you're sane again."
here be dragons (and other monstrous beasts).
"I don't want any tattoos, ever," Audrey says quietly one night while he's wrapped up behind her.
"I know," Brendon says.
"I don't want to have to be one thing forever," Audrey says. She's barely even speaking at this point. Her words are more breath than force, and Brendon wonders if that makes them more or less real. "I want to always be able to stand up and leave myself behind."
"How come?" Brendon asks.
Audrey twists in his arms, touches the soft curve of his mouth. "Call it an escape clause."
"But why?" he presses.
Her eyes dip closed, and she breathes in deeply. "I don't know," she says, and Brendon believes her.
The next night he sleeps in the lounge alongside Ryan, instead; waiting for her to follow.
except for me to be with you.
"I want to be the one to glue you back up," Brendon slurs one night when they're both sloppy and sleepy.
"Nothing to fix," Audrey insists.
"You're broke," Brendon says.
"No, I have that shoot next week, they'll pay me," Audrey says, and Brendon knows she's doing it on purpose. Being that way.
"Not what I meant," Brendon says, and Audrey rolls her shoulders, forces her breathing to level out. She's asleep because she says she is.
entropic flux.
In the end, they fall apart because Things Fall Apart. It happens; it is a constant of the universe.
"The universe tends towards chaos," she'd tell him when she mixed drinks. She never stirred, just waited for the combination to happen on its own.
"Physics gets me hot, you know that," he'd say, and she'd let him leave it at that.
"One day I'll fly away," she'd sing, in the middle of the night, quietly.
He'd interrupt, "Why not today?" and wait for her to answer; she never did, because Audrey was and remains the master of selective conversations. You could talk to her about mascara and in her mind it'd be a discussion of mob mentality.
the reverse of alchemy.
He said, "I can't handle you like this."
She heard, "I'm better than you."
She said, "I can try if you can try."
He heard, "There's nothing wrong with me."
Eyewitness accounts are variable in their reliability.
you were the last good thing i ever saw.
"I said you weren't in love with her," Ryan says when they crumble.
"What's love got to do with it, baby?" Brendon asks and lets Ryan tuck him into bed.
eighty years, with luck, or even less.
In the very distant future:
"I wrote a song for you."
"I know." Her hair will be plain and almost-natural, a bit too much red in her auburn, a bit too sharp in its style. Her piercings will be removed but the scars are still visible in certain light.
"Ryan thinks it's about him," Brendon will say.
"Ryan didn't really change, then," Audrey will say. "It's a good lullaby, what you wrote. I like it."
"I'm glad," Brendon will say.
"Nobody knows me here," Audrey will say, flick at the band on her left ring finger.
"You got what you wanted, then," Brendon will say.
"You still found me," and it's not an accusation. He can hear that now.
"Always do."
Author: Telis (theaerosolkid)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Brendon/Audrey
Summary: The universe tends towards disorder.
Word Count: 995
Disclaimer: Fake, fake, fake.
A/N: Thanks to withoutmaps for the beta.
always.
Brendon falls in love with Audrey because she is who she is, but she isn't who she is, either.
She's a paradox wrapped up in a mystery, and Brendon never really liked puzzles, but he's willing to make an exception.
i've come to take you home.
The first time he kissed her she tasted like thick lipstick and fiery rum; it was Halloween.
"Ready for some ultraviolence?" Her eyes were gleaming when she asked him.
"A little of the in-out, in-out," was all he could think to say.
She hadn't said anything, just laughed, and after the awkward silence that followed, "Twigg Violence. Not ultra. Twigg."
"Huh?"
"Twigg Violence, that's me," she said, pointing her thumbs at herself, letting her mostly-empty cup clatter to the floor, ice cubes tumbling like dice.
It's an art form, getting your hair to fall in your eyes just so. Brendon knows this, has watched Ryan learn it, and is still captivated. He supposes that's what makes it an art worth mastering.
once upon a time.
There was this one little heart she always drew, curling and spiking in on itself. She'd draw it over and over and over again, on her knees during the winter. Brendon wondered whether she'd still draw it in the summer. He couldn't find any pictures of hearts on her knees.
"You should get it inked," he told her once, fingertips tracing the gold Sharpie lines.
"I don't want any tattoos," she said.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because that way they can't identify my body when I'm killed in a gang war," she said matter-of-factly.
"Why are gangs going to kill you?" Genuine curiosity.
"There's always a reason," she said airily.
a map and not a timeline.
When Jac breaks up with Ryan (cheater cheater pussy eater, Audrey calls him, that's what she calls Ryan when Jac figures it out, and Brendon is left somewhat speechless in the wake of her, though that's nothing new), Brendon sits with him while Ryan practices drawing gnarled trees over his face.
"You should probably break up with Audrey pretty soon," Ryan says, and Brendon can't choke back his laugh.
"What?"
"Well," Ryan says, "it's going to be awkward. So. You should probably break up with her. Before she can break up with you."
"I'm not breaking up with my girlfriend because you can't keep your dick in your pants," Brendon says angrily.
Ryan tilts his head in a way. It looks like he's arching his brow, but he isn't. He's just. Looking at Brendon in a certain way, and that's what makes Brendon the odd man out in this mess -- he can't summon a whole monologue from a flicker of his eyelashes.
"You're not in love with her," Ryan says.
"Like you'd know," Brendon says. "Talk to me when you're sane again."
here be dragons (and other monstrous beasts).
"I don't want any tattoos, ever," Audrey says quietly one night while he's wrapped up behind her.
"I know," Brendon says.
"I don't want to have to be one thing forever," Audrey says. She's barely even speaking at this point. Her words are more breath than force, and Brendon wonders if that makes them more or less real. "I want to always be able to stand up and leave myself behind."
"How come?" Brendon asks.
Audrey twists in his arms, touches the soft curve of his mouth. "Call it an escape clause."
"But why?" he presses.
Her eyes dip closed, and she breathes in deeply. "I don't know," she says, and Brendon believes her.
The next night he sleeps in the lounge alongside Ryan, instead; waiting for her to follow.
except for me to be with you.
"I want to be the one to glue you back up," Brendon slurs one night when they're both sloppy and sleepy.
"Nothing to fix," Audrey insists.
"You're broke," Brendon says.
"No, I have that shoot next week, they'll pay me," Audrey says, and Brendon knows she's doing it on purpose. Being that way.
"Not what I meant," Brendon says, and Audrey rolls her shoulders, forces her breathing to level out. She's asleep because she says she is.
entropic flux.
In the end, they fall apart because Things Fall Apart. It happens; it is a constant of the universe.
"The universe tends towards chaos," she'd tell him when she mixed drinks. She never stirred, just waited for the combination to happen on its own.
"Physics gets me hot, you know that," he'd say, and she'd let him leave it at that.
"One day I'll fly away," she'd sing, in the middle of the night, quietly.
He'd interrupt, "Why not today?" and wait for her to answer; she never did, because Audrey was and remains the master of selective conversations. You could talk to her about mascara and in her mind it'd be a discussion of mob mentality.
the reverse of alchemy.
He said, "I can't handle you like this."
She heard, "I'm better than you."
She said, "I can try if you can try."
He heard, "There's nothing wrong with me."
Eyewitness accounts are variable in their reliability.
you were the last good thing i ever saw.
"I said you weren't in love with her," Ryan says when they crumble.
"What's love got to do with it, baby?" Brendon asks and lets Ryan tuck him into bed.
eighty years, with luck, or even less.
In the very distant future:
"I wrote a song for you."
"I know." Her hair will be plain and almost-natural, a bit too much red in her auburn, a bit too sharp in its style. Her piercings will be removed but the scars are still visible in certain light.
"Ryan thinks it's about him," Brendon will say.
"Ryan didn't really change, then," Audrey will say. "It's a good lullaby, what you wrote. I like it."
"I'm glad," Brendon will say.
"Nobody knows me here," Audrey will say, flick at the band on her left ring finger.
"You got what you wanted, then," Brendon will say.
"You still found me," and it's not an accusation. He can hear that now.
"Always do."