Marshmallow 13, Prune 20
Author: Marina
Story: The Dragon World
Challenge: Marshmallow 13 (a good deed), Prune 20 (if you love someone, set them free)
Toppings/Extras: Caramel, Milkshake
Word Count: 394
Rating: PG
Summary: Chase gives Dean a carefully prepared and surprisingly unthreatening speech about his relationship with Carrie.
Notes: This takes place two or three days after this, and counts for a Milkshake and the daily prompt for today’s Olympics.
As Chase walked into the woodshop, he saw Dean glance up from their bench and then hastily down again. He swallowed. For a moment, he felt tempted to pretend he hadn’t seen Dean’s silent unease and go yet another day without saying anything. As he approached, though, he knew he shouldn’t. The two of them could not go on like this. He took a deep breath and stepped up to Dean. “Hey.”
The other boy looked up. “Hi,” he said tentatively.
“Look,” said Chase, and then hesitated. Laura had helped him figure out what to say over the phone the previous night, but momentary panic drove the words from his head, and he floundered for a few seconds. “I, um…I’m really sorry.”
Dean’s eyes rounded in surprise. “You don’t have to-"
“Yeah, I do.” He hastened on before Dean could get a word in edgewise, because this whole mess was his fault, no getting around it, even if it wasn’t his fault that he was so messed up in the first place. “I just wanted you to know that I don’t like Carrie that way and I never did, but she’s my best friend except for my sister and I’m really protective of her even though she doesn’t really need it and if you hurt her, I’m gonna kill you. Not that I think you will. I’m just saying.” He could feel that his cheeks were on fire, and lowered his gaze to the ground.
The brief silence that followed was agonizing. Chase wondered what Dean was thinking, but could not bring himself to look up and find out. Maybe he had no right to say that. It was the kind of thing he would’ve left to Carrie’s dad, if she had one, but she didn’t. It was how he felt, but maybe Carrie wouldn’t want him saying it and maybe Dean was offended. He bit his lip, hard, to try to fend off his rising anxiety.
“So…you’re okay with it?” Dean asked slowly.
Chase shook his head. “No, but…I want to be.”
There was another short pause. “All right, I’ll take that,” the other boy said then, “as long as we’re still friends, too.”
He looked up, saw the earnestness in Dean’s eyes, and relaxed. “Of course we are!”
“Then we’re good,” said Dean, with a sincere smile that Chase couldn’t help returning.
Story: The Dragon World
Challenge: Marshmallow 13 (a good deed), Prune 20 (if you love someone, set them free)
Toppings/Extras: Caramel, Milkshake
Word Count: 394
Rating: PG
Summary: Chase gives Dean a carefully prepared and surprisingly unthreatening speech about his relationship with Carrie.
Notes: This takes place two or three days after this, and counts for a Milkshake and the daily prompt for today’s Olympics.
As Chase walked into the woodshop, he saw Dean glance up from their bench and then hastily down again. He swallowed. For a moment, he felt tempted to pretend he hadn’t seen Dean’s silent unease and go yet another day without saying anything. As he approached, though, he knew he shouldn’t. The two of them could not go on like this. He took a deep breath and stepped up to Dean. “Hey.”
The other boy looked up. “Hi,” he said tentatively.
“Look,” said Chase, and then hesitated. Laura had helped him figure out what to say over the phone the previous night, but momentary panic drove the words from his head, and he floundered for a few seconds. “I, um…I’m really sorry.”
Dean’s eyes rounded in surprise. “You don’t have to-"
“Yeah, I do.” He hastened on before Dean could get a word in edgewise, because this whole mess was his fault, no getting around it, even if it wasn’t his fault that he was so messed up in the first place. “I just wanted you to know that I don’t like Carrie that way and I never did, but she’s my best friend except for my sister and I’m really protective of her even though she doesn’t really need it and if you hurt her, I’m gonna kill you. Not that I think you will. I’m just saying.” He could feel that his cheeks were on fire, and lowered his gaze to the ground.
The brief silence that followed was agonizing. Chase wondered what Dean was thinking, but could not bring himself to look up and find out. Maybe he had no right to say that. It was the kind of thing he would’ve left to Carrie’s dad, if she had one, but she didn’t. It was how he felt, but maybe Carrie wouldn’t want him saying it and maybe Dean was offended. He bit his lip, hard, to try to fend off his rising anxiety.
“So…you’re okay with it?” Dean asked slowly.
Chase shook his head. “No, but…I want to be.”
There was another short pause. “All right, I’ll take that,” the other boy said then, “as long as we’re still friends, too.”
He looked up, saw the earnestness in Dean’s eyes, and relaxed. “Of course we are!”
“Then we’re good,” said Dean, with a sincere smile that Chase couldn’t help returning.