Room 234/236: Wednesday evening
Parker was relaxing in her room after visiting Jarod at Caritas, music spiraling out into the hallway as she lay on her bed, reading her Spy Tech homework.
Weiss poked his head in the door. He hadn't been this terrified of what Parker would do since he kissed her at her birthday party.
Parker looked up from her book, and grinned at him. "Hey, you. Surprise visit? I'm honored." She patted the bed next to her, and said, "Make yourself comfortable."
"Uh, that's okay," Weiss said. "Look I don't know how to tell you this, so here we go. I've gotta leave Fandom. Kinda nowish."
Parker stared at him, then sat up, eyes widening in shock. "What? Why?" Most of the scenarios in her head were too ludicrous to apply to Weiss, but she did briefly wonder if she had to track down Principal Bristow and tell him he couldn't have Weiss for the CIA yet, damnit.
"It's kind of complicated. My folks can't afford Fandom anymore. They were going to pull me after the semester was over anyway, but things... Mom's in the hospital. So it's now instead of later."
"Is she going to be okay?" Parker asked, jolted out of denials and demands by concern. "And I thought something was up, but I didn't think it was this serious."
Weiss looked down. "My brother won't give me any details over the phone. Grandpa Weiss has paid for the plane ticket back. I'm leaving tomorrow." He frowned. "God, Parker, I'm really sorry about this."
"You're not coming back at all, are you?" Damnit, she'd just started being able to admit how much she was going to miss him in May. Getting sandbagged with no warning like this hurt, like getting the breath knocked out of her. But Weiss's problems outweighed any wishes she might make. "It's not your fault. I'm not mad. It's family, I get that."
"You're not going to kill me, dismember the body, and hide all the pieces in creative locations? Ohthankgod," Weiss said.
Parker laughed, but it was a unhappy chuckle that verged on tears. "No. No evisceration, defenestration, or decapitation. Although I should," she tried to joke. "You're leaving me dateless for Senior Prom, you jerk."
"Yeah... If I had to choose only one regret out of this, that would be the big one," Weiss said. "I feel like a douche."
"No, God, Weiss, I was kidding, don't even think about that. Okay, just--" She reached out toward him, and put one arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry about me. I will be fine. I always am." Parker swallowed hard. "Kind of have you to thank for how fine I've been the last few months. So please, just go, be with your mom."
"Any chance I could crash here tonight? My room's all packed up and it's kind of creepy." Weiss looked at her hopefully.
"Chance? I insist." Parker fought back tears, gritted her teeth a second, then found a smile somewhere. "We can talk until dawn, watch movies until we fall asleep." And with an effort she hoped he didn't notice, she pushed the smile into a grin. "Or do whatever else you might miss about Fandom."
Weiss leaned over and kissed her. "Look, I know we have this thing where we don't say the thing and all, but you know... you know, right?"
Parker nodded, her throat closing up for a few seconds. Tears were starting to leak out, and she knuckled them away, fast. "Yeah," she whispered. "I know." Which made this a better good-bye than any other one she'd ever gotten. Taking a breath, she managed, "You know too, right? Because, this isn't... we've got all night, I don't want to cry before you're walking out the door."
Weiss didn't cry. His eyes just got wet from... onions. Which were hiding in the room somewhere. That was it.
"We've got all night, Parker. Wasting it would suck. So let's not do that."
"Yeah. No wasted time."
So Parker kissed him, as soft and warm as she could, trying to let skin and pressure say what she didn't have breath for yet. Then she got up from the bed, and opened her favorite music file, and turned to hold out her hand to him.
"Dance with me? Since you won't be here this weekend?"
"I promise no dorky head-bobbing," Weiss said, taking her hand and pulling her close.
"Too bad. I got kind of attached to it." Parker let herself be pulled into Weiss's hug, and cataloged the feel of his arms, the smell of his skin, the warmth and safety he'd given her, and everything she'd grown to count on over the length of the year. "Just like everything else about you," she whispered.
There was no sleeping. And when Weiss finally left in the morning, there were promises of phone calls, and e-mails, that would be kept on both sides.
Parker didn't cry until he was out of sight of her window.
Weiss would never admit to when he did.
[Totally okay for broadcast. Coding courtesy of needsaparrot. Pre-played with the always marvelous weissguy_. Eric Weiss has now left Fandom. *hugs and best wishes to future CIA go-to guy* OOC comments are love.]
Weiss poked his head in the door. He hadn't been this terrified of what Parker would do since he kissed her at her birthday party.
Parker looked up from her book, and grinned at him. "Hey, you. Surprise visit? I'm honored." She patted the bed next to her, and said, "Make yourself comfortable."
"Uh, that's okay," Weiss said. "Look I don't know how to tell you this, so here we go. I've gotta leave Fandom. Kinda nowish."
Parker stared at him, then sat up, eyes widening in shock. "What? Why?" Most of the scenarios in her head were too ludicrous to apply to Weiss, but she did briefly wonder if she had to track down Principal Bristow and tell him he couldn't have Weiss for the CIA yet, damnit.
"It's kind of complicated. My folks can't afford Fandom anymore. They were going to pull me after the semester was over anyway, but things... Mom's in the hospital. So it's now instead of later."
"Is she going to be okay?" Parker asked, jolted out of denials and demands by concern. "And I thought something was up, but I didn't think it was this serious."
Weiss looked down. "My brother won't give me any details over the phone. Grandpa Weiss has paid for the plane ticket back. I'm leaving tomorrow." He frowned. "God, Parker, I'm really sorry about this."
"You're not coming back at all, are you?" Damnit, she'd just started being able to admit how much she was going to miss him in May. Getting sandbagged with no warning like this hurt, like getting the breath knocked out of her. But Weiss's problems outweighed any wishes she might make. "It's not your fault. I'm not mad. It's family, I get that."
"You're not going to kill me, dismember the body, and hide all the pieces in creative locations? Ohthankgod," Weiss said.
Parker laughed, but it was a unhappy chuckle that verged on tears. "No. No evisceration, defenestration, or decapitation. Although I should," she tried to joke. "You're leaving me dateless for Senior Prom, you jerk."
"Yeah... If I had to choose only one regret out of this, that would be the big one," Weiss said. "I feel like a douche."
"No, God, Weiss, I was kidding, don't even think about that. Okay, just--" She reached out toward him, and put one arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry about me. I will be fine. I always am." Parker swallowed hard. "Kind of have you to thank for how fine I've been the last few months. So please, just go, be with your mom."
"Any chance I could crash here tonight? My room's all packed up and it's kind of creepy." Weiss looked at her hopefully.
"Chance? I insist." Parker fought back tears, gritted her teeth a second, then found a smile somewhere. "We can talk until dawn, watch movies until we fall asleep." And with an effort she hoped he didn't notice, she pushed the smile into a grin. "Or do whatever else you might miss about Fandom."
Weiss leaned over and kissed her. "Look, I know we have this thing where we don't say the thing and all, but you know... you know, right?"
Parker nodded, her throat closing up for a few seconds. Tears were starting to leak out, and she knuckled them away, fast. "Yeah," she whispered. "I know." Which made this a better good-bye than any other one she'd ever gotten. Taking a breath, she managed, "You know too, right? Because, this isn't... we've got all night, I don't want to cry before you're walking out the door."
Weiss didn't cry. His eyes just got wet from... onions. Which were hiding in the room somewhere. That was it.
"We've got all night, Parker. Wasting it would suck. So let's not do that."
"Yeah. No wasted time."
So Parker kissed him, as soft and warm as she could, trying to let skin and pressure say what she didn't have breath for yet. Then she got up from the bed, and opened her favorite music file, and turned to hold out her hand to him.
"Dance with me? Since you won't be here this weekend?"
"I promise no dorky head-bobbing," Weiss said, taking her hand and pulling her close.
"Too bad. I got kind of attached to it." Parker let herself be pulled into Weiss's hug, and cataloged the feel of his arms, the smell of his skin, the warmth and safety he'd given her, and everything she'd grown to count on over the length of the year. "Just like everything else about you," she whispered.
There was no sleeping. And when Weiss finally left in the morning, there were promises of phone calls, and e-mails, that would be kept on both sides.
Parker didn't cry until he was out of sight of her window.
Weiss would never admit to when he did.
[Totally okay for broadcast. Coding courtesy of needsaparrot. Pre-played with the always marvelous weissguy_. Eric Weiss has now left Fandom. *hugs and best wishes to future CIA go-to guy* OOC comments are love.]