Starfruit #28 - Five Years / Starfruit #11, Strawberry #14, Soy #12 - Feel Good Drag
Author: askingxalice
Title: Five Years
Summary: The "put your music player on shuffle and write a drabble for each song that comes up" meme as applied to the characters of Phase.
Story: Phase
Timeline: These aren’t at all in chronological order. They span from 1998 to 2017.
Challenge: Starfruit #28 (if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all)
Word Count: 781
Rating: PG-13
I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no reaction
Satisfaction | Britney Spears
January 1998 - Sunset is 16, Damian is 17.
As much as Sunset loved the boy, she had to admit that Damian could be rather dimwitted sometimes. He had a good heart, though, and his laugh instantly made her cheer up. Still... She really would need to work on the recognizing very obvious hints when they were dangled right in front of his face.
“I’m just amazed that you aren’t taken yet.” She drawled, flopping back to land on his bed. Well aware that she was invading his ‘personal bubble’, Sunset burrowed deeper into the covers and lazily threw an arm over her eyes.
Damian shrugged, before he moved to sit on the edge of the bed with a chuckle. “Me either. Because holy gonads, I’m a catch.”
Sunset gave a snort of amusement and peeked out at him. After a moment, she grinned in a lopsided and mischievous way that made Damian very wary. “Well, you could always date me. I mean, I’m already in your bed.” She answered, half purring as she fluttered her eyelashes.
He only gave a nervous, somewhat hysterical laugh before (very quickly!) standing and heading for the bedroom door. “Think I might go see what we’ve got for eats...”
As soon as the door was shut, Sunset’s grin immediately fell and became a grimace. Not for the first time, she considered just stripping down naked and letting it go from there.
Right beyond the cigarette and the devilish smile
You're my crack of sunlight
I’m Not Dead | Pink
July 2008 - Andy is 24, Oz is 22.
Andy could pinpoint the exact moment he knew Oz was more than another boyfriend. He had been at work when Oz had stopped by during a few hours between classes and asked him out to lunch. Usually, Andy would have said no. When he was on shift, his work always came first unless it was some sort of catastrophe that involved injury or imminent death.
But all it took was for Oz to grin in that crooked and wicked way that he did, and Andy suggested a nearby restaurant before he could even process what had happened.
And no where else has ever felt like home.
And I can't fall asleep when I'm lying here alone.
Retrace | Anberlin
December 2017 - Rayne is 29.
Rayne’s thoughts drifted as she stared at the clock and watched the numbers go by. She never quite settled on one train of thought, at most only thinking random phrases that were barely connected and made even less sense. Eventually, the dead of night turned into the break of dawn, and a few hours after that her decision was made.
A year and two months to the day of Angie’s funeral, there house was put on the market. The day after, Rayne reluctantly called Sarah and asked if she knew any good apartment buildings in her neighborhood.
I will not bow, I will not break
I will shut the world away
I Will Not Bow | Breaking Benjamin
August 2004 - Angie is 17.
Lighting her second cigarette with the first, Angie very blatantly ignored her mother as she called for her daughter to come inside. She knew she’d get in trouble for that, which would probably add another ten licks from the belt to whatever punishment Daddy Dearest decided to give her for smoking. It’s not that she even liked smoking. She just knew it would piss them the fuck off.
But they could get hit by a bus that’s on fire, for all she gave a rat’s ass.
Take whatever you can girl
Leave the rest for the crows
One Blue Sky | Sugarland
March 2007 - Sarah is 18.
Sarah violently shoved her last bag into the trunk of the car that she had saved for the past two years to buy. It was a piece of shit, but it drove and had a legal inspection sticker. The damn thing could fall apart under her and she wouldn’t care, as long as it at least got her to the next big city. There, she could worry about finding a job that was better than the grease covered hell that was her old one and finding somewhere to stay, and saving up to make her way to somewhere else.
She didn’t know where ‘there’ and ‘somewhere else’ was, exactly. But where ever they were, it was sure to be better than this hellhole. As she wrenched the driver’s door open, Sarah didn’t bother giving her old house one last look. It and her parents could rot.
Author: askingxalice
Title: Feel Good Drag
Summary: Happy birthday to Angie.
Story: Phase
Timeline: April 2003 - Angie is 16.
Challenge: Starfruit #11 (don’t make me laugh), Strawberry #14 (stairs), Soy #12 (rumor)
Word Count: 615
Rating: PG-13
If there was one thing Angie was certain of, it was that she didn’t want to be here. Parties in this little bumfuck of a town were always the same - a few kegs, some red plastic cups, and a bunch of teenage jackasses like herself. The only reason she was even at the damn thing was because it was better than being at home. Anything was better than being at home, with the mood her father had been in lately, and at least most of the party goers had enough brains to leave her alone.
She gave it another hour before she’d have to get into a fight with some dumbass redneck. They never did remember the fact that she had won the majority of her fights since the seventh grade once they started drinking. Fuckers. But if they wanted to get their asses kicked by a girl - again - they could bring it on. Not only did it give her a good chance to work off some anger, but it gave her reasons for bruises. Nobody even questioned them anymore. That didn’t mean there weren’t rumors, but that just gave her more reasons to fight someone. It was a bit of a cycle that worked out just fine, in her opinion.
Drinking what was left of the now warm beer in her cup, Angie didn’t bother getting up from her spot in the stairwell before she threw the cup in the direction of what she could only assume was the kitchen. It was close enough to the garbage can. Content to stay in her bubble of solitude, the blonde leaned against the stair railing to watch the crowd with a thoroughly bored expression. It was only a few moments later that someone stumbled up the stairs and collapsed next to Angie, looking about as disgusted with the party as she was. “Christ, you’d think these cockmonkeys would have something other than beer, huh?”
Slowly, she turned to incredulously stare at the redhead that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The stranger stared right back, and Angie knew that she was taking in every half healed bruise and scrape along her jaw and cheekbones. The odd part was that it didn’t even make her blink. Eventually, Angie had to speak. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Hannah Schwartz. You must be the infamous Angie everyone’s been talking about. Seems like you got the right look for it at least; bruised up butch.”
“Just cause you’re a chick doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass if you give me the right motivation.” Angie grumbled, anger flashing through blue eyes.
“So, are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Butch. Doubt you look that much like a guy on accident, and I doubt you just happen to have pecs. Let me guess... Originally flat chested, but then you found the gym?”
Angie quickly felt her good mood deteriorating. “Maybe I’m just that naturally fucking pretty.”
“Aw, cheer up, buttercup. From what I hear, it’s your birthday. Shouldn’t you be more... ‘Fuck yeah, birthday.’?”
“What? You think this party is for me, princess? Please. These people would use a successful cow tipping as an excuse to throw a party.” Surprisingly Hannah laughed, and Angie found that she (unfortunately) liked the sound. “What the fuck are you doing talking to me, anyway?”
“Well, I figured if you were, maybe I could give you a birthday present or something.”
“...If I was what?”
“Butch.”
The lapsed into silence, with Hannah looking out at the party and Angie looking her over. Eventually, she shrugged and stood, reaching down to take Hannah’s hand in hers to lead her upstairs. “Bedrooms are this way.”
Title: Five Years
Summary: The "put your music player on shuffle and write a drabble for each song that comes up" meme as applied to the characters of Phase.
Story: Phase
Timeline: These aren’t at all in chronological order. They span from 1998 to 2017.
Challenge: Starfruit #28 (if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all)
Word Count: 781
Rating: PG-13
I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no reaction
Satisfaction | Britney Spears
January 1998 - Sunset is 16, Damian is 17.
As much as Sunset loved the boy, she had to admit that Damian could be rather dimwitted sometimes. He had a good heart, though, and his laugh instantly made her cheer up. Still... She really would need to work on the recognizing very obvious hints when they were dangled right in front of his face.
“I’m just amazed that you aren’t taken yet.” She drawled, flopping back to land on his bed. Well aware that she was invading his ‘personal bubble’, Sunset burrowed deeper into the covers and lazily threw an arm over her eyes.
Damian shrugged, before he moved to sit on the edge of the bed with a chuckle. “Me either. Because holy gonads, I’m a catch.”
Sunset gave a snort of amusement and peeked out at him. After a moment, she grinned in a lopsided and mischievous way that made Damian very wary. “Well, you could always date me. I mean, I’m already in your bed.” She answered, half purring as she fluttered her eyelashes.
He only gave a nervous, somewhat hysterical laugh before (very quickly!) standing and heading for the bedroom door. “Think I might go see what we’ve got for eats...”
As soon as the door was shut, Sunset’s grin immediately fell and became a grimace. Not for the first time, she considered just stripping down naked and letting it go from there.
Right beyond the cigarette and the devilish smile
You're my crack of sunlight
I’m Not Dead | Pink
July 2008 - Andy is 24, Oz is 22.
Andy could pinpoint the exact moment he knew Oz was more than another boyfriend. He had been at work when Oz had stopped by during a few hours between classes and asked him out to lunch. Usually, Andy would have said no. When he was on shift, his work always came first unless it was some sort of catastrophe that involved injury or imminent death.
But all it took was for Oz to grin in that crooked and wicked way that he did, and Andy suggested a nearby restaurant before he could even process what had happened.
And no where else has ever felt like home.
And I can't fall asleep when I'm lying here alone.
Retrace | Anberlin
December 2017 - Rayne is 29.
Rayne’s thoughts drifted as she stared at the clock and watched the numbers go by. She never quite settled on one train of thought, at most only thinking random phrases that were barely connected and made even less sense. Eventually, the dead of night turned into the break of dawn, and a few hours after that her decision was made.
A year and two months to the day of Angie’s funeral, there house was put on the market. The day after, Rayne reluctantly called Sarah and asked if she knew any good apartment buildings in her neighborhood.
I will not bow, I will not break
I will shut the world away
I Will Not Bow | Breaking Benjamin
August 2004 - Angie is 17.
Lighting her second cigarette with the first, Angie very blatantly ignored her mother as she called for her daughter to come inside. She knew she’d get in trouble for that, which would probably add another ten licks from the belt to whatever punishment Daddy Dearest decided to give her for smoking. It’s not that she even liked smoking. She just knew it would piss them the fuck off.
But they could get hit by a bus that’s on fire, for all she gave a rat’s ass.
Take whatever you can girl
Leave the rest for the crows
One Blue Sky | Sugarland
March 2007 - Sarah is 18.
Sarah violently shoved her last bag into the trunk of the car that she had saved for the past two years to buy. It was a piece of shit, but it drove and had a legal inspection sticker. The damn thing could fall apart under her and she wouldn’t care, as long as it at least got her to the next big city. There, she could worry about finding a job that was better than the grease covered hell that was her old one and finding somewhere to stay, and saving up to make her way to somewhere else.
She didn’t know where ‘there’ and ‘somewhere else’ was, exactly. But where ever they were, it was sure to be better than this hellhole. As she wrenched the driver’s door open, Sarah didn’t bother giving her old house one last look. It and her parents could rot.
Author: askingxalice
Title: Feel Good Drag
Summary: Happy birthday to Angie.
Story: Phase
Timeline: April 2003 - Angie is 16.
Challenge: Starfruit #11 (don’t make me laugh), Strawberry #14 (stairs), Soy #12 (rumor)
Word Count: 615
Rating: PG-13
If there was one thing Angie was certain of, it was that she didn’t want to be here. Parties in this little bumfuck of a town were always the same - a few kegs, some red plastic cups, and a bunch of teenage jackasses like herself. The only reason she was even at the damn thing was because it was better than being at home. Anything was better than being at home, with the mood her father had been in lately, and at least most of the party goers had enough brains to leave her alone.
She gave it another hour before she’d have to get into a fight with some dumbass redneck. They never did remember the fact that she had won the majority of her fights since the seventh grade once they started drinking. Fuckers. But if they wanted to get their asses kicked by a girl - again - they could bring it on. Not only did it give her a good chance to work off some anger, but it gave her reasons for bruises. Nobody even questioned them anymore. That didn’t mean there weren’t rumors, but that just gave her more reasons to fight someone. It was a bit of a cycle that worked out just fine, in her opinion.
Drinking what was left of the now warm beer in her cup, Angie didn’t bother getting up from her spot in the stairwell before she threw the cup in the direction of what she could only assume was the kitchen. It was close enough to the garbage can. Content to stay in her bubble of solitude, the blonde leaned against the stair railing to watch the crowd with a thoroughly bored expression. It was only a few moments later that someone stumbled up the stairs and collapsed next to Angie, looking about as disgusted with the party as she was. “Christ, you’d think these cockmonkeys would have something other than beer, huh?”
Slowly, she turned to incredulously stare at the redhead that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The stranger stared right back, and Angie knew that she was taking in every half healed bruise and scrape along her jaw and cheekbones. The odd part was that it didn’t even make her blink. Eventually, Angie had to speak. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Hannah Schwartz. You must be the infamous Angie everyone’s been talking about. Seems like you got the right look for it at least; bruised up butch.”
“Just cause you’re a chick doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass if you give me the right motivation.” Angie grumbled, anger flashing through blue eyes.
“So, are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Butch. Doubt you look that much like a guy on accident, and I doubt you just happen to have pecs. Let me guess... Originally flat chested, but then you found the gym?”
Angie quickly felt her good mood deteriorating. “Maybe I’m just that naturally fucking pretty.”
“Aw, cheer up, buttercup. From what I hear, it’s your birthday. Shouldn’t you be more... ‘Fuck yeah, birthday.’?”
“What? You think this party is for me, princess? Please. These people would use a successful cow tipping as an excuse to throw a party.” Surprisingly Hannah laughed, and Angie found that she (unfortunately) liked the sound. “What the fuck are you doing talking to me, anyway?”
“Well, I figured if you were, maybe I could give you a birthday present or something.”
“...If I was what?”
“Butch.”
The lapsed into silence, with Hannah looking out at the party and Angie looking her over. Eventually, she shrugged and stood, reaching down to take Hannah’s hand in hers to lead her upstairs. “Bedrooms are this way.”