Fandom gift for dontgetanyolder
Title: Juice Box
Author: penikitty
Word count: 477
Character: Topher
Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me, they belong to Joss Whedon. No infringement is intended.
Summary: Topher loves his juice boxes, but no one really knows why.
Authors note: This fic was won by usakeh in the helpbrazil2011 fan fiction auction. She asked me if I would mind writing a Dollhouse fic for her friend dontgetanyolder and of course I agreed. I hope you enjoy it :)
“Ivy, we all have to start somewhere. We’re not all blessed with my abilities. I don’t want to call myself a genius but…”
Ivy raised her eyebrows at him and crossed her arms.
“Topher, I wasn’t hired for this. I’ve told you before, I was hired to help you.”
“And this would be helping me! I need my starches and my juice boxes in order to maintain this level of brilliance.”
“Fine, I give up. Grape again?”
“Yes, and maybe throw in some apple, just to mix things up a bit.”
As he watched Ivy stomping down the stairs he went to his fridge and pulled out his last grape juice box, turning it round in his hand gently.
He could never tell Ivy why he really insisted on having juice boxes every day. She just thought it was another one of his - he liked to think - adorable mannerisms, just another quirky habit that made him who he was. And he guessed in a way it was, just not in the way she thought.
He sat down in his sofa and carried on studying the box in his hands. The packaging had changed, but it still tasted the same as the first time he’d had one.
His mind drifted back to that day, so many years ago, and a sad smile crossed his features.
He’d been playing on the park, with his sister, when he’d fallen and scraped his knee. He’d started crying so hard when he saw the cut. It was the first time he remembered seeing blood and it had terrified his young mind.
His mom had come rushing over, pushing his sister out of the way and scooping him up in her arms. She had whispered reassurances into his ear and wiped away his tears.
As they sat down on the park bench she had pulled a grape juice box out of her bag. He remembered how excited he was when he saw it, she’d never let him have juice before, had always told him it would make his teeth rot.
The first drop that had hit his tongue had made him gasp. It was so good, like nothing else he had ever tasted. He gulped the liquid down, sure that it would be taken away from him again but his mom had just smiled and let him drink.
That had been the only time she had let him have a juice box, but as soon as he was able to he had bought his own and drunk them almost every day.
His relationship with his family hadn’t been so good since he’d started working at the House, he’d had to distance himself and they didn’t understand, and he couldn’t tell them the truth. But every time he had a juice box he remembered how things used to be and he smiled.
Author: penikitty
Word count: 477
Character: Topher
Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me, they belong to Joss Whedon. No infringement is intended.
Summary: Topher loves his juice boxes, but no one really knows why.
Authors note: This fic was won by usakeh in the helpbrazil2011 fan fiction auction. She asked me if I would mind writing a Dollhouse fic for her friend dontgetanyolder and of course I agreed. I hope you enjoy it :)
“Ivy, we all have to start somewhere. We’re not all blessed with my abilities. I don’t want to call myself a genius but…”
Ivy raised her eyebrows at him and crossed her arms.
“Topher, I wasn’t hired for this. I’ve told you before, I was hired to help you.”
“And this would be helping me! I need my starches and my juice boxes in order to maintain this level of brilliance.”
“Fine, I give up. Grape again?”
“Yes, and maybe throw in some apple, just to mix things up a bit.”
As he watched Ivy stomping down the stairs he went to his fridge and pulled out his last grape juice box, turning it round in his hand gently.
He could never tell Ivy why he really insisted on having juice boxes every day. She just thought it was another one of his - he liked to think - adorable mannerisms, just another quirky habit that made him who he was. And he guessed in a way it was, just not in the way she thought.
He sat down in his sofa and carried on studying the box in his hands. The packaging had changed, but it still tasted the same as the first time he’d had one.
His mind drifted back to that day, so many years ago, and a sad smile crossed his features.
He’d been playing on the park, with his sister, when he’d fallen and scraped his knee. He’d started crying so hard when he saw the cut. It was the first time he remembered seeing blood and it had terrified his young mind.
His mom had come rushing over, pushing his sister out of the way and scooping him up in her arms. She had whispered reassurances into his ear and wiped away his tears.
As they sat down on the park bench she had pulled a grape juice box out of her bag. He remembered how excited he was when he saw it, she’d never let him have juice before, had always told him it would make his teeth rot.
The first drop that had hit his tongue had made him gasp. It was so good, like nothing else he had ever tasted. He gulped the liquid down, sure that it would be taken away from him again but his mom had just smiled and let him drink.
That had been the only time she had let him have a juice box, but as soon as he was able to he had bought his own and drunk them almost every day.
His relationship with his family hadn’t been so good since he’d started working at the House, he’d had to distance himself and they didn’t understand, and he couldn’t tell them the truth. But every time he had a juice box he remembered how things used to be and he smiled.