One Shot - Learn To Fly
Title: Learn To Fly
Author: Mara
Fandoms: The OC/OTH
Prompt: #071 - Broken
Rating: R
Warnings: Reference to Character Death.
Summary: Brooke's new in Newport, and Ryan is completely broken.
Notes: The description of the Cohen pool being visible from a balcony of Marissa's old room in the Cooper house is totally made up, since as far as we know that isn't possible. Um... yeah, it's angsty as hell.
Title comes from the song 'Blackbird' by The Beatles. "Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly".
Learn To Fly
Brooke hated her new house as soon as she set foot inside, and hated how her new bedroom somehow felt like it belonged to someone else. Especially since the place had been sold with much of the furniture left inside, including a bed that she hated on sight. The only plus about the house, as far as Brooke was concerned, was that she could see the beach from it and it was an easy walk to get down to the water for a jog or a swim. It also didn't hurt that her dad was always at the office and her mom was always busy with something called the 'Newpsies'.
The first time Brooke saw him, he sitting on the back patio of the her neighbors house in the middle of the night with his eyes closed and his head tilted up towards the sky, and she was intrigued by the handsome and sad looking teenager. Later that day she heard her mom and a few other 'Newpsies', gossiping about the family next door and how the husband had died but the delinquent they'd taken in had lived, and it was just a travesty. Then, one night when she was taking out the garbage as a favor to the housekeeper who she already saw more than her parents, and the sad boy next door was doing the same, she smiled.
"Hi," she said. "I moved in a couple days ago but we haven't exactly had the chance to come say hello." She paused, waiting for a response other than a small nod of acknowledgement. "Okay, truthfully, by parents only care about work and being seen with the right people, and I guess your family doesn't qualify for either as far as their concerned, so they figure, why bother." She paused again, and when he only nodded again, she pressed on. "You know, I've seen you at night, by the pool. I mean, I wasn't spying or anything, but my room has a balcony and I can see your pool from my balcony..." She trailed off when he looked away, something flickering in his eyes. "Well... good night, neighbor boy," she said awkwardly.
"Ryan," He replied softly.
Brooke smiled, seeing that one word as a triumph. "I think I prefer neighbor boy," she said, offering a cheerful wave before turning to go back up her driveway.
<><><><><><><><>
"Who are you looking for?" the girl who'd been assigned to show Brooke around, Summer, said as she came upon Brooke scanning the crowd. "Don't tell me you've made friends before the first day has even officially begun."
"There's this guy I live next door to," Brooke said. "He's kinda cute, the strong silent type..." She glanced over and saw how Summer had gone pale. "What's wrong?"
Summer opened her purse and pulled out her wallet, opening it to a couple of pictures and pointing to one. "Is that him?" she said, her voice cracking.
Brooke immediately recognized Ryan, though he wore a wide, happy, smile in the picture. "Yeah, how do you know him?"
Summer sniffled. "His brother's my boyfriend," Summer replied. "Or was. Seth took off last summer because of their dad getting killed. Ryan was with Mr. Cohen when it happened and it messed him up really bad."
"Oh my God..." Brooke said. "No wonder he seems so sad."
"Ryan doesn't come to school," Summer said. "He'd have to talk to come to school."
"He talked to me last night," Brooke said.
"That's impossible, he doesn't talk to anyone," Summer said firmly, snapping the wallet shut and shoving it back into her purse.
"He told me his name," Brooke insisted. "I mean, mostly I talked and he just nodded, but when I said goodbye, he told me his name."
"That's not funny," Summer said. "Ryan hasn't said a word since Mr. Cohen died. Since he had Mr. Cohen blood and brains splattered all over him. So just... stop. It's not funny."
"I'm not..." Brooke protested, only to have Summer walk away in disgust.
<><><><><><><><>
That afternoon, Brooke spotted Ryan sitting by the pool again, and when he looked up, she smiled. He lifted a hand in acknowledgement, then hesitated and gestured an invitation for her to come over, which she happily complied with, walking around the side of the Cohen house to meet him by the pool and sink down to sit beside him. "Hi," she said.,
"Hi," Ryan replied, so soft she barely heard him.
"Someone told me today that you don't talk. You never talk," Brooke said. "So I figure either I'm hallucinating, or they're wrong."
"It's easier not to talk," Ryan whispered. "No one asks you questions that you can't answer, if you can't answer. And no one around here even cares anymore."
"Summer Roberts just about hit me when I said you spoke to me, she thought I was trying to take advantage of things, take advantage of you, by saying it."
"Sandy's dead, Seth took off because I wouldn't talk to him, Kirsten's drunk all the time."
"I can care if you want," Brooke said, dipping her legs in the water. "I mean, it's not like I know anyone involved besides you, and since Summer thinks I'm a total bitch now, she's not gonna decide to be my friend."
"You really wanna be friends with a guy who hasn't talked to anyone except you since last March?"
"Why not? You're the hottest person I've met so far. Almost as hot as me."
Ryan laughed softly. "Almost, huh?"
"Pretty close," Brooke confirmed, nodding.
The End
I figured Ryan needed a break from the physical injury and instead I'd just make him emotionally traumatized...
Author: Mara
Fandoms: The OC/OTH
Prompt: #071 - Broken
Rating: R
Warnings: Reference to Character Death.
Summary: Brooke's new in Newport, and Ryan is completely broken.
Notes: The description of the Cohen pool being visible from a balcony of Marissa's old room in the Cooper house is totally made up, since as far as we know that isn't possible. Um... yeah, it's angsty as hell.
Title comes from the song 'Blackbird' by The Beatles. "Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly".
Learn To Fly
Brooke hated her new house as soon as she set foot inside, and hated how her new bedroom somehow felt like it belonged to someone else. Especially since the place had been sold with much of the furniture left inside, including a bed that she hated on sight. The only plus about the house, as far as Brooke was concerned, was that she could see the beach from it and it was an easy walk to get down to the water for a jog or a swim. It also didn't hurt that her dad was always at the office and her mom was always busy with something called the 'Newpsies'.
The first time Brooke saw him, he sitting on the back patio of the her neighbors house in the middle of the night with his eyes closed and his head tilted up towards the sky, and she was intrigued by the handsome and sad looking teenager. Later that day she heard her mom and a few other 'Newpsies', gossiping about the family next door and how the husband had died but the delinquent they'd taken in had lived, and it was just a travesty. Then, one night when she was taking out the garbage as a favor to the housekeeper who she already saw more than her parents, and the sad boy next door was doing the same, she smiled.
"Hi," she said. "I moved in a couple days ago but we haven't exactly had the chance to come say hello." She paused, waiting for a response other than a small nod of acknowledgement. "Okay, truthfully, by parents only care about work and being seen with the right people, and I guess your family doesn't qualify for either as far as their concerned, so they figure, why bother." She paused again, and when he only nodded again, she pressed on. "You know, I've seen you at night, by the pool. I mean, I wasn't spying or anything, but my room has a balcony and I can see your pool from my balcony..." She trailed off when he looked away, something flickering in his eyes. "Well... good night, neighbor boy," she said awkwardly.
"Ryan," He replied softly.
Brooke smiled, seeing that one word as a triumph. "I think I prefer neighbor boy," she said, offering a cheerful wave before turning to go back up her driveway.
<><><><><><><><>
"Who are you looking for?" the girl who'd been assigned to show Brooke around, Summer, said as she came upon Brooke scanning the crowd. "Don't tell me you've made friends before the first day has even officially begun."
"There's this guy I live next door to," Brooke said. "He's kinda cute, the strong silent type..." She glanced over and saw how Summer had gone pale. "What's wrong?"
Summer opened her purse and pulled out her wallet, opening it to a couple of pictures and pointing to one. "Is that him?" she said, her voice cracking.
Brooke immediately recognized Ryan, though he wore a wide, happy, smile in the picture. "Yeah, how do you know him?"
Summer sniffled. "His brother's my boyfriend," Summer replied. "Or was. Seth took off last summer because of their dad getting killed. Ryan was with Mr. Cohen when it happened and it messed him up really bad."
"Oh my God..." Brooke said. "No wonder he seems so sad."
"Ryan doesn't come to school," Summer said. "He'd have to talk to come to school."
"He talked to me last night," Brooke said.
"That's impossible, he doesn't talk to anyone," Summer said firmly, snapping the wallet shut and shoving it back into her purse.
"He told me his name," Brooke insisted. "I mean, mostly I talked and he just nodded, but when I said goodbye, he told me his name."
"That's not funny," Summer said. "Ryan hasn't said a word since Mr. Cohen died. Since he had Mr. Cohen blood and brains splattered all over him. So just... stop. It's not funny."
"I'm not..." Brooke protested, only to have Summer walk away in disgust.
<><><><><><><><>
That afternoon, Brooke spotted Ryan sitting by the pool again, and when he looked up, she smiled. He lifted a hand in acknowledgement, then hesitated and gestured an invitation for her to come over, which she happily complied with, walking around the side of the Cohen house to meet him by the pool and sink down to sit beside him. "Hi," she said.,
"Hi," Ryan replied, so soft she barely heard him.
"Someone told me today that you don't talk. You never talk," Brooke said. "So I figure either I'm hallucinating, or they're wrong."
"It's easier not to talk," Ryan whispered. "No one asks you questions that you can't answer, if you can't answer. And no one around here even cares anymore."
"Summer Roberts just about hit me when I said you spoke to me, she thought I was trying to take advantage of things, take advantage of you, by saying it."
"Sandy's dead, Seth took off because I wouldn't talk to him, Kirsten's drunk all the time."
"I can care if you want," Brooke said, dipping her legs in the water. "I mean, it's not like I know anyone involved besides you, and since Summer thinks I'm a total bitch now, she's not gonna decide to be my friend."
"You really wanna be friends with a guy who hasn't talked to anyone except you since last March?"
"Why not? You're the hottest person I've met so far. Almost as hot as me."
Ryan laughed softly. "Almost, huh?"
"Pretty close," Brooke confirmed, nodding.
The End
I figured Ryan needed a break from the physical injury and instead I'd just make him emotionally traumatized...