Happily Ever After (Team Angst)
Title: Anthem of the Angles
Word Count: 967
Challenge: This fic was written for the Angst vs Schmoop Challenge at shelter_diner. After you’ve read the fic, please rate it by voting in the poll located here. (Your vote will be anonymous.) Rate the fic on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the best) using the following criteria: how well the fic fit the prompt, how angsty the fic was, and how well you enjoyed the fic. When you’re done, please check out the other challenge fic at shelter_diner. Thank you!
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Gabe, Zach/Shaun
Summary: Sometimes there is no happily ever after.
Warnings: Death, Suicide. Blood
Author's Notes: The name came from the Breaking Benjamin song of the same name. I may have listened to it a few time as I wrote this.
I’m sorry…I-I just….miss them so much
Later Gabe wouldn’t be able to say how he knew it, he just did. Some part of him just knew what Zach wasn’t saying. What he meant.
It was that part of him that bolted for the door letting his drink fall from his grasp. He never even heard the glass shatter on the bar floor for he was already scrabbling to get into his car, to get to Zach before it was too late.
***
*Zach look out* lights, metal twisting, pain in his legs, Shaun’s eyes
He could only just hear the thud of the cell phone falling behind him over the rush of his blood, the echo of his own breathing. Every time he closed his eyes it was all he could see, Cody, Shaun, the pain and fear…
He forced himself to turn around one last time. Trying to face himself in the mirror. But even after turning to couldn’t look up. He just stared at his hands, white knuckling as he gripped the cool porcelain. Watching the drops of water slowly travel down to the shiny drain. Dripping away. Lost forever down the shiny drain…just like Shaun and Cody.
Steeling himself he slowly looked up. And then he couldn’t look away. The butterfly stitching above his left eye, the dark marks along his jaw, still soft and painful to the touch, even to the breeze. He was too pale, he couldn’t be this pale after just a week and a half but…it was just another sign he shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have left them.
It was the ring of the phone that finally forced him to look away. He heard it from the plastic trashcan as he slowly walked over to the tub that had been slowly filling with hot water and now was almost full.
***
“Pick up the fucking phone Zach. Don’t do this…fuck!” Gabe yelled one last time before throwing the phone at the passenger side window not turning to see if the crack that follows is from the phone or the window as he makes a left through a red light. Slamming on his horn in response to the others. He just pushed the pedal down a little bit more, grinding it into the mats while cursing his brother, god and Zach.
***
It’s warm. The first time he really feels warm since that night. That night was anything but warm. It was cold and wet and…he just closes his eyes as he let himself sink into the water. Remembering the last time that he and Shaun had been in here. The way his lover had held him…the way he’d never hold him again.
The metal was warm in his fingers as he picks it up to looks at it. So short, so simple, so easy. He lays it next to his wrist and presses. He can feel it biting into his skin then he sees pink as the water starts to change. Growing darker as he pulls the blade toward him as he forces down the pain.
***
“ZACH,” Gabe is yelling and he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care if he wakes the hold building.
He ignores the old women that sticks her head out to glare at him as he fumbling with his keys trying to open the door.
At last he’s in and he’s yelling as loud as he can as he runs from room to room trying to find him. But it’s the bathroom door that he can’t open that scares Gabe as he pounds on it. Kicking and screaming until he slams it with his shoulder, breaking it, sending slivers of wood across the room.
Not that Gabe cares, nothing matters other than pulling Zach’s sickly pale white body from the dark crimson water.
***
He’s just so tried. So easy to just sleep
So where do you want to go now, huh buddy?” Shaun asks Cody as he turned to look at the kid in the back seat.
“Ice cream, Ice cream,” Cody cheers.
“Well you heard him babe,” Shaun smiles as he looked over at Zach. “I know this place on 28th that has the best cones.”
“Why is it you always know the best places,” Zach asked with a smile as Shaun just grinned.
“Well ZACH
He blinks as he hears his name and banging, but just wanting to get back to that moment, back to Shaun and Cody.
You’ve got some mint on your cheek.”
“With all this rain I’m lucky I haven’t dropped the cone,” Zach just smiles back, “Want to clean it for me?” he adds with a grin.”
“I think I could do that,” Shaun answers as he leans over his tongue just touching Zach’s face
“Zach, God please don’t be, Zach.”
He hears yelling, his name but he’s just so tired he just wants to sleep.
***
It’s raining.
It’s raining the day that Gabe has to watch his best friend join his brother and their son in all but name in the ground.
He made it through the service without crying. He made it all the way to the grave. He even made it until almost everyone had left. It was just him and Tori left and he just couldn’t take it any more.
He dropped to his knees before the grey stone and slammed his fist into the ground yelling that it wasn’t fair, wasn’t right. He shouldn’t have to bury them. It just wasn’t right he yelled at the world.
Then he felt Tori kneeling beside him pulling him into a hug and he grabbed into her while he felt the water run down his face.
The End
Word Count: 967
Challenge: This fic was written for the Angst vs Schmoop Challenge at shelter_diner. After you’ve read the fic, please rate it by voting in the poll located here. (Your vote will be anonymous.) Rate the fic on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the best) using the following criteria: how well the fic fit the prompt, how angsty the fic was, and how well you enjoyed the fic. When you’re done, please check out the other challenge fic at shelter_diner. Thank you!
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Gabe, Zach/Shaun
Summary: Sometimes there is no happily ever after.
Warnings: Death, Suicide. Blood
Author's Notes: The name came from the Breaking Benjamin song of the same name. I may have listened to it a few time as I wrote this.
I’m sorry…I-I just….miss them so much
Later Gabe wouldn’t be able to say how he knew it, he just did. Some part of him just knew what Zach wasn’t saying. What he meant.
It was that part of him that bolted for the door letting his drink fall from his grasp. He never even heard the glass shatter on the bar floor for he was already scrabbling to get into his car, to get to Zach before it was too late.
***
*Zach look out* lights, metal twisting, pain in his legs, Shaun’s eyes
He could only just hear the thud of the cell phone falling behind him over the rush of his blood, the echo of his own breathing. Every time he closed his eyes it was all he could see, Cody, Shaun, the pain and fear…
He forced himself to turn around one last time. Trying to face himself in the mirror. But even after turning to couldn’t look up. He just stared at his hands, white knuckling as he gripped the cool porcelain. Watching the drops of water slowly travel down to the shiny drain. Dripping away. Lost forever down the shiny drain…just like Shaun and Cody.
Steeling himself he slowly looked up. And then he couldn’t look away. The butterfly stitching above his left eye, the dark marks along his jaw, still soft and painful to the touch, even to the breeze. He was too pale, he couldn’t be this pale after just a week and a half but…it was just another sign he shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have left them.
It was the ring of the phone that finally forced him to look away. He heard it from the plastic trashcan as he slowly walked over to the tub that had been slowly filling with hot water and now was almost full.
***
“Pick up the fucking phone Zach. Don’t do this…fuck!” Gabe yelled one last time before throwing the phone at the passenger side window not turning to see if the crack that follows is from the phone or the window as he makes a left through a red light. Slamming on his horn in response to the others. He just pushed the pedal down a little bit more, grinding it into the mats while cursing his brother, god and Zach.
***
It’s warm. The first time he really feels warm since that night. That night was anything but warm. It was cold and wet and…he just closes his eyes as he let himself sink into the water. Remembering the last time that he and Shaun had been in here. The way his lover had held him…the way he’d never hold him again.
The metal was warm in his fingers as he picks it up to looks at it. So short, so simple, so easy. He lays it next to his wrist and presses. He can feel it biting into his skin then he sees pink as the water starts to change. Growing darker as he pulls the blade toward him as he forces down the pain.
***
“ZACH,” Gabe is yelling and he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care if he wakes the hold building.
He ignores the old women that sticks her head out to glare at him as he fumbling with his keys trying to open the door.
At last he’s in and he’s yelling as loud as he can as he runs from room to room trying to find him. But it’s the bathroom door that he can’t open that scares Gabe as he pounds on it. Kicking and screaming until he slams it with his shoulder, breaking it, sending slivers of wood across the room.
Not that Gabe cares, nothing matters other than pulling Zach’s sickly pale white body from the dark crimson water.
***
He’s just so tried. So easy to just sleep
So where do you want to go now, huh buddy?” Shaun asks Cody as he turned to look at the kid in the back seat.
“Ice cream, Ice cream,” Cody cheers.
“Well you heard him babe,” Shaun smiles as he looked over at Zach. “I know this place on 28th that has the best cones.”
“Why is it you always know the best places,” Zach asked with a smile as Shaun just grinned.
“Well ZACH
He blinks as he hears his name and banging, but just wanting to get back to that moment, back to Shaun and Cody.
You’ve got some mint on your cheek.”
“With all this rain I’m lucky I haven’t dropped the cone,” Zach just smiles back, “Want to clean it for me?” he adds with a grin.”
“I think I could do that,” Shaun answers as he leans over his tongue just touching Zach’s face
“Zach, God please don’t be, Zach.”
He hears yelling, his name but he’s just so tired he just wants to sleep.
***
It’s raining.
It’s raining the day that Gabe has to watch his best friend join his brother and their son in all but name in the ground.
He made it through the service without crying. He made it all the way to the grave. He even made it until almost everyone had left. It was just him and Tori left and he just couldn’t take it any more.
He dropped to his knees before the grey stone and slammed his fist into the ground yelling that it wasn’t fair, wasn’t right. He shouldn’t have to bury them. It just wasn’t right he yelled at the world.
Then he felt Tori kneeling beside him pulling him into a hug and he grabbed into her while he felt the water run down his face.
The End
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