Dust, you have been vanquished!
Success! The room is clean and I am seeing Harry Potter in a little over 12 hours!! Now, to reward my hard work, a Mike/Rudy ficlet. It's how the scene when Mike and Rudy are in their beds after their failed escape attempt at Cedar Ridge might have gone. Sadly, it is gen, but could be read as pre-slash. Also contains a few lines from the book, though, clearly, I changed most of the dialogue.
Mike was just starting to drift off to sleep when he felt a sharp kick under his mattress. Rolling over, he stuck his head over the side of his bed and whispered, “Hey! What was that for?”
A black blur leaned out from the bed below him, and it was a few seconds before Mike’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and he recognized Rudy’s face glaring up at him. “That was for coming back when you were home free.”
“But I wasn’t home free! I - I didn’t - I had to come back.”
“The counselors didn’t know where you were - we picked that spot specifically because it was Clone-proof. So why did you come back?”
“Because you weren’t there!” Mike yelled, trying to keep his voice quiet. Rudy opened his mouth to retort, but Mike plunged on, “I waited and waited but you didn’t come. I could hear the counselors running around in the woods, and I knew that if they hadn’t caught you already, there was no way you were gonna get by them now that they were so close, star athlete or no. I came back because I didn’t want to leave you behind, to suffer through more days of work detail and stupid Chip and Harold the Twit by yourself! I came back because I didn’t want to be ‘home free' if I didn’t have you!”
Breathing harshly, Mike waited for Rudy to say something, say anything. When Rudy continued to stare at him, his mouth still slightly open, Mike gave an aggravated sigh and turned back over in his bed, clutching his pillow and closing his eyes tight.
Long, silent moments later, Mike heard Rudy say quietly, “I’m sorry I didn’t come.”
Mike released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and smiled into the dark. “Don’t let it happen again.”
Mike was just starting to drift off to sleep when he felt a sharp kick under his mattress. Rolling over, he stuck his head over the side of his bed and whispered, “Hey! What was that for?”
A black blur leaned out from the bed below him, and it was a few seconds before Mike’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and he recognized Rudy’s face glaring up at him. “That was for coming back when you were home free.”
“But I wasn’t home free! I - I didn’t - I had to come back.”
“The counselors didn’t know where you were - we picked that spot specifically because it was Clone-proof. So why did you come back?”
“Because you weren’t there!” Mike yelled, trying to keep his voice quiet. Rudy opened his mouth to retort, but Mike plunged on, “I waited and waited but you didn’t come. I could hear the counselors running around in the woods, and I knew that if they hadn’t caught you already, there was no way you were gonna get by them now that they were so close, star athlete or no. I came back because I didn’t want to leave you behind, to suffer through more days of work detail and stupid Chip and Harold the Twit by yourself! I came back because I didn’t want to be ‘home free' if I didn’t have you!”
Breathing harshly, Mike waited for Rudy to say something, say anything. When Rudy continued to stare at him, his mouth still slightly open, Mike gave an aggravated sigh and turned back over in his bed, clutching his pillow and closing his eyes tight.
Long, silent moments later, Mike heard Rudy say quietly, “I’m sorry I didn’t come.”
Mike released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and smiled into the dark. “Don’t let it happen again.”