FIC: Nothing You Can't Fix (Once & Again, PG)
Hey, remember that thing where I haven't posted fic in FOREVER?
Yeah, me too. Crazy!
Nothing You Can't Fix
Once & Again, Jessie/Katie, PG
written for picfor1000 with this image
title from The Big Sleep
thanks to cosmic for the glance-over; all other mistakes mine
formatting note: in an attempt to replicate the style of the show, black and white confessionals are block-quoted and emphasized.
"Have you seen this?" Katie demanded, bounding up to Jessie in the hall before English. She held up a half-crumpled paper.
"I can't even see what this is now," Jessie giggled.
"They're doing this retrospective at the Regal. All these great film noir movies from, like, the thirties, and they're showing them all weekend, and I've never seen them on the big screen and we have to go."
"You like film noir?"
"Are you kidding? I love film noir. All these femme fatales, and these corpses..."
Jessie grinned. "My dad used to watch those all the time."
"So you'll come, right?"
"I guess. I don't know. I haven't been to the movies in a long time," Jessie admitted. She hugged her textbooks tighter, her nails going bloodless white as they dug into her book cover. "I used to go, when I was little, but I haven't been in forever."
"You haven't been to the movies?" Katie asked.
"We never went to the movies," Jessie pointed out. "We always just watch stuff at home."
"Well, yeah," Katie said, "because most movies suck. But you never go, like, with your family or something? My mom takes me and my brothers to the movies all the time. It's our family bonding time. I mean, they're always stupid movies my brothers like, but there's popcorn and Raisinettes, y'know?"
Jessie shrugged. "Eli started going to the movies with girls, and Mom and Dad stopped wanting to go together, and we just... stopped. I haven't been since, like, middle school."
"Oh my god," Katie said. "Then you definitely have to come with me to the movies. It can be the perfect date. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, attempted murders...."
Jessie grinned. "Okay. I'll go with you."
"Great." When Katie was happy, she couldn't even stand still without bouncing. "I've got to go to math, but we'll plan the details later, okay? We're going to have the best time. And we're going to, like, die from the popcorn, it's that good. You're going to love it."
Sometimes, you feel like everything's okay, you know? And then sometimes you realize- you're never going to be all better. There are always going to be moments when things fall through.
"Katie's going to pick me up in like twenty minutes," Jessie said, "so I thought I'd go get ready."
"Already?"
"It's, like, a marathon. There are a ton of movies, all in a row. We have to get there early if we want to see more than one and make the curfew which you gave me."
"You haven't even had dinner."
"We're eating before the movie," Jessie said.
"Really?"
No.
"Yes."
Her mom looked skeptical. "I'll have leftovers in the fridge for you for when you get back, just in case, okay?"
"Thanks." Jessie bit her lip. "Mom? Can I borrow that nail polish you got?"
"Which one?"
"The dark reddish-brown one Judy gave you?"
Her mom frowned, just a little. "Jess? Are you and Katie meeting boys at the movie?"
"No." Jessie did her best to smile. "I can promise you, one thousand percent, we are not going to the movie to meet guys. I just want to look all film noir-y."
"Okay." Her mom smiled. "Fine. The nail polish is in my bathroom."
"Thanks." Jessie smiled. "And my curfew-"
"Nice try."
It's weird, because the things you used to love turn into these things you don't even recognize. And then you have to figure out how you're supposed to react.
The movie theatre smelled like cardboard and stale butter. From the ticket counter, Jessie couldn't ignore the arcade, neon blue and green lightning bolts lighting up at uneven intervals while middle school kids made laser noises. She carefully averted her eyes from the snack counter, which had never seemed quite that big when she was there with her parents and Eli.
They paid; they went in. The noir retrospective was on the smallest of the screens, the opposite direction from where everyone else their age was gossiping.
"Jess? You there?" Katie said. "You seem kind of out of it."
"No," Jessie said. "I'm fine."
Katie didn't really look like she believed her. "Why don't you wait here?" she said. "I'll go get us some snacks, and then we can go in."
"Sure," Jessie said. Maybe Katie was right, and she just wasn't all there.
She kept her eyes focused on her nails. She'd done two fast coats before Katie got to her mom's house. It wasn't enough. Some places, the red was so transparent that you could see the pale pink of her nail. She picked at some of the paint, peeling a strip of polish off of her thumbnail and flicking it off into the carpet.
She watched Katie the entire time, but looked down as soon as she started coming back.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Katie asked. "Because we can totally skip the movies." She shifted the large cardboard box in her arms, full of snack foods and sodas. Jessie felt sick.
"I'm okay," Jessie said again. "It's just- it's kind of overwhelming, you know?"
Katie nodded.
"I got us both popcorns," she said. "Don't mix them up. Yours is that one." She gestured with her chin at one of the two.
Jessie looked. One was one of the giant ones, a movie ad on the side of the container, covered in butter and salt and cheese. And the other was small. No butter, not even any salt.
She smiled at Katie, and Katie smiled back. Jessie popped a few kernels into her mouth. It was maybe the best popcorn she'd ever had in her life.
And sometimes, it's, like, okay.
As they settled into their seats, Katie's arm bumped up against Jessie's on the armrest. They giggled as their hands snaked around each other's, trying to find a grip that would be comfortable for both of them for the entire film.
Katie's hands felt greasy from the popcorn, and Jessie found she didn't really mind.
Yeah, me too. Crazy!
Nothing You Can't Fix
Once & Again, Jessie/Katie, PG
written for picfor1000 with this image
title from The Big Sleep
thanks to cosmic for the glance-over; all other mistakes mine
formatting note: in an attempt to replicate the style of the show, black and white confessionals are block-quoted and emphasized.
"Have you seen this?" Katie demanded, bounding up to Jessie in the hall before English. She held up a half-crumpled paper.
"I can't even see what this is now," Jessie giggled.
"They're doing this retrospective at the Regal. All these great film noir movies from, like, the thirties, and they're showing them all weekend, and I've never seen them on the big screen and we have to go."
"You like film noir?"
"Are you kidding? I love film noir. All these femme fatales, and these corpses..."
Jessie grinned. "My dad used to watch those all the time."
"So you'll come, right?"
"I guess. I don't know. I haven't been to the movies in a long time," Jessie admitted. She hugged her textbooks tighter, her nails going bloodless white as they dug into her book cover. "I used to go, when I was little, but I haven't been in forever."
"You haven't been to the movies?" Katie asked.
"We never went to the movies," Jessie pointed out. "We always just watch stuff at home."
"Well, yeah," Katie said, "because most movies suck. But you never go, like, with your family or something? My mom takes me and my brothers to the movies all the time. It's our family bonding time. I mean, they're always stupid movies my brothers like, but there's popcorn and Raisinettes, y'know?"
Jessie shrugged. "Eli started going to the movies with girls, and Mom and Dad stopped wanting to go together, and we just... stopped. I haven't been since, like, middle school."
"Oh my god," Katie said. "Then you definitely have to come with me to the movies. It can be the perfect date. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, attempted murders...."
Jessie grinned. "Okay. I'll go with you."
"Great." When Katie was happy, she couldn't even stand still without bouncing. "I've got to go to math, but we'll plan the details later, okay? We're going to have the best time. And we're going to, like, die from the popcorn, it's that good. You're going to love it."
Sometimes, you feel like everything's okay, you know? And then sometimes you realize- you're never going to be all better. There are always going to be moments when things fall through.
"Katie's going to pick me up in like twenty minutes," Jessie said, "so I thought I'd go get ready."
"Already?"
"It's, like, a marathon. There are a ton of movies, all in a row. We have to get there early if we want to see more than one and make the curfew which you gave me."
"You haven't even had dinner."
"We're eating before the movie," Jessie said.
"Really?"
No.
"Yes."
Her mom looked skeptical. "I'll have leftovers in the fridge for you for when you get back, just in case, okay?"
"Thanks." Jessie bit her lip. "Mom? Can I borrow that nail polish you got?"
"Which one?"
"The dark reddish-brown one Judy gave you?"
Her mom frowned, just a little. "Jess? Are you and Katie meeting boys at the movie?"
"No." Jessie did her best to smile. "I can promise you, one thousand percent, we are not going to the movie to meet guys. I just want to look all film noir-y."
"Okay." Her mom smiled. "Fine. The nail polish is in my bathroom."
"Thanks." Jessie smiled. "And my curfew-"
"Nice try."
It's weird, because the things you used to love turn into these things you don't even recognize. And then you have to figure out how you're supposed to react.
The movie theatre smelled like cardboard and stale butter. From the ticket counter, Jessie couldn't ignore the arcade, neon blue and green lightning bolts lighting up at uneven intervals while middle school kids made laser noises. She carefully averted her eyes from the snack counter, which had never seemed quite that big when she was there with her parents and Eli.
They paid; they went in. The noir retrospective was on the smallest of the screens, the opposite direction from where everyone else their age was gossiping.
"Jess? You there?" Katie said. "You seem kind of out of it."
"No," Jessie said. "I'm fine."
Katie didn't really look like she believed her. "Why don't you wait here?" she said. "I'll go get us some snacks, and then we can go in."
"Sure," Jessie said. Maybe Katie was right, and she just wasn't all there.
She kept her eyes focused on her nails. She'd done two fast coats before Katie got to her mom's house. It wasn't enough. Some places, the red was so transparent that you could see the pale pink of her nail. She picked at some of the paint, peeling a strip of polish off of her thumbnail and flicking it off into the carpet.
She watched Katie the entire time, but looked down as soon as she started coming back.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Katie asked. "Because we can totally skip the movies." She shifted the large cardboard box in her arms, full of snack foods and sodas. Jessie felt sick.
"I'm okay," Jessie said again. "It's just- it's kind of overwhelming, you know?"
Katie nodded.
"I got us both popcorns," she said. "Don't mix them up. Yours is that one." She gestured with her chin at one of the two.
Jessie looked. One was one of the giant ones, a movie ad on the side of the container, covered in butter and salt and cheese. And the other was small. No butter, not even any salt.
She smiled at Katie, and Katie smiled back. Jessie popped a few kernels into her mouth. It was maybe the best popcorn she'd ever had in her life.
And sometimes, it's, like, okay.
As they settled into their seats, Katie's arm bumped up against Jessie's on the armrest. They giggled as their hands snaked around each other's, trying to find a grip that would be comfortable for both of them for the entire film.
Katie's hands felt greasy from the popcorn, and Jessie found she didn't really mind.