#I feel bad for having emu so far behind but I wanted to reference the fact they had to convince her to join them as freelancers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

finn-nelson-for-the-win · 5 years

Text

The Good Life: Chapter 11

Hello, my lovelies! This chapter is very long and incredibly late, but it’s finally here!

Need to get caught up? The Good Life: Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4 , Ch5, Ch6, Ch7, Ch8 , Ch9 , Ch10

If you want to be added (or removed) from the tags list for this story, just feel free to let me know!

@pink-royaute @believethaticanandiwill @milllott @likeashootingstarfades @i-dream-of-emus @eveerez @saintsisterwriter

The Good Life: Chapter 11

Rae was laying on the couch, watching Rocky fondly as he played with his favorite squeaky toy before momentarily getting side-tracked with chasing his own tail, and idly scrolling through social media when she heard the front door open.

“Hello,” Finn called out as he walked through the door and relocked it behind himself.

“Hiya Finn,” Rae called back as she waited for him to walk into view, “How was work today?”

“Long and boring, but what’s new? How was your day?”

“Also long and boring,” Rae chuckled, “I feel like everyone at work today was either sick, on vacation, or just away from their desk and I had to pick of the slack to make sure the department overall finished what we needed to before the weekend.”

“I’m sorry. Has Rocky been pretty relaxed like this or has he been a complete menace?”

“He was really high-energy and kept jumping around when I was walking him earlier, but he’s calmed down a lot now.”

Finn lifted Rae’s legs up off the couch so he could sit down only to place them on top of his lap again.

“Have you talked to Anna about when she wants him back?”

Finn leaned forward to pick Rocky up off the ground and bring him into his arms to properly greet the puppy.

Even though they had only been taking care of Rocky for little over a week now, they had already established a reasonable daily routine and had gotten used to the sound of his quiet whines when he wanted attention and the constant, dull pitter-patter of his nails on their wood flooring.

“I texted her this morning and she said that her flight lands really late Saturday night, so I could bring Rocky over any time on Sunday.”

“Cool,” Finn mumbled before lifting Rocky up to rest him on his upper chest, “I’ve gotta admit, I think that I’m gonna miss the little bugger when he’s gone.”

“Yeah, I think I will too, but Anna dubbed me Rocky’s official aunt, so I think we could at least ask to hang out with him and take him off her hands from time to time.”

“That would be nice,” Finn mused as he sat quietly on the couch for a few moments until Rocky began to squirm and try to climb off of Finn.

Finn lifted Rocky and placed him on the floor and the puppy immediately walked over to the black and gray dog bed they had bought for him.

“You must have really tired the little guy out on that walk,” Finn mused when he saw Rocky curl into a comfortable position on the dog bed and fall asleep almost immediately.

The two sat in comfortable silence as they watched the puppy fall deeper and deeper asleep until his gentle snores could be heard even from across the room.

“We should do something tonight,” Finn said suddenly.

“Uh, like what?”

“I dunno, what do people our age normally do on a Friday night?”

“Party, go drinking, hook up with strangers only to regret it the next day,” Rae suggested, earning a laugh from Finn.

“Let’s do that then,” Finn said before continuing, “Drinking or partying, I mean. My coworkers are always talking about different bars they’ve gone to, so maybe we could try going to one of them.”

“I’m not sure that the ‘Friday night bar scene’ is really for me. I’m not even a fan of going to the pub on the weekends with the gang if I have a choice because it gets so busy there!”

“Well we don’t have to go to one of the crazy bars or night club-like bars.”

“What did you have in mind then?”

“There’s a place that my coworkers are always raving on about where it’s part-bar-part-coffee-shop and then you can play unlimited board games and card games while you hang out.”

“Huh,” Rae mused as she considered the idea, “that might not be all that bad.”

“Perfect, we can check that place out and if we’re miserable we can go somewhere else. Sound good?”

“Yeah, that works for me!”

“Cool, are you gonna change your clothes?”

“Should I change my clothes? Are you changing your clothes or do I just look that bad?”

“No! You look fine, you look great,” Finn backtracked, “I just wanted to know when you wanted to leave or how much time you needed to get ready.”

“Oh, I guess I could change. I wore these clothes to work, but they’re all covered in puppy hair now,”

“Alright. I’m gonna change too, but whenever we’re ready we can go.”

Finn and Rae both walked down the hall in the direction of their respective bedrooms before Finn hesitated and turned around.

“What are you gonna wear?”

“I dunno. Are we trying to dress nicely or just comfortably? What were you thinking?”

“Maybe we could dress up and look a little nice today. Nothing too fancy, just a bit nicer than I’d usually dress going to the pub.”

“Like what you’d wear if you were going on a date to a bar, casual but nice.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I suppose,” Finn stuttered out.

Finn turned around and walked into his room, quickly closing the door behind him to avoid letting Rae see how red his cheeks had gotten at the suggestion that they were going on a date.

When Rae had changed clothes and spent just a few minutes fixing her hair and putting on a little bit of makeup, she left her room, closing the door behind her.

“Are you just about ready to g—oh my god,” Finn began before trailing off into silence.

“What? Is there something wrong with what I’m wearing?” Rae asked as she looked down at her outfit.

Her navy-blue dress fit her well in the chest but was just the right amount flowy and loose around the hips so that the fabric swayed lightly with each step she took. The dress was simple, decorated only by subtle metallic embroidery throughout all the fabric and a diamond shaped cut out just below the bust to show off a small bit of skin. The dress was a bit short, only hitting mid-thigh on her tall frame, but she had paired it with a cozy, dark-gray cardigan that was only slightly shorter than the dress itself. Though Rae had yet to put them on yet, she was carrying in her hand her gray suede ankle boots with a chunky heel that she had been waiting for the right opportunity to wear them.

“No, there’s nothing wrong with your outfit,” Finn choked out after he realized he had been staring at Rae in awe for entirely too long, “You look incredible!”

“You clean up pretty well yourself, Finnley,” Rae replied with a smirk as she reached for the collar of his buttoned shirt and gave it a playful tug, “And would you look at that, our clothes even match!”

Finn looked down at his own clothes and noticed that the dark blue shade of Rae’s dress was almost identical to the color of his own shirt. He was wearing his favorite pair of dark wash jeans that he has been told makes his butt look particularly good, but the outfit was completed with his matching distressed gray leather boots and leather jacket in a similar color.

Finn chuckled nervously as Rae sat down on the couch to put on her shoes and as she zipped up the zipper on the back of each of her boots, she looked up at Finn with a cheeky smile.

“Now it definitely looks like you and I are going on a date!” She said, adding a wink when Finn sputtered audibly.

“Did you want to drive or take a taxi to the bar?” Rae asked when Finn had yet to say anything intelligible for a few moments.

“Oh, well I could drive, if you’d prefer. I was planning on us just taking a taxi so we can drink and not worry about having to drive home afterwards. But I can definitely be your designated driver for the night if you’d rather that.”

“No, we can take a taxi! I just was wondering. Are you ready to head out now?”

Rae walked into her room to make sure she had her phone and her purse while Finn ensured that Rocky’s water and food bowls were full in case he woke up from his nap and was hungry while they were gone.

Rae met Finn at the front door and the two left their apartment and headed towards the street side where the taxi would pick them up.

They only had to wait a few minutes for their ride to pull up to the curb in front of them and before long Finn and Rae were sitting side-by-side in the back of the car on the way to the bar Finn had suggested they try.

When they pulled up to the bar, they could see that there were a lot of people and most of the tables were full, but even on first glance it was clear to see that this was no ordinary bar.

Once they walked inside the building, Rae could see that in the center of the room was a massive circular bar area with shelves of just about every type of alcohol imaginable. The music playing was fun and energetic, but it was a far cry from the thumping bass and loud remixed pop songs that are played at most bars she had been to thus far.

“Hello there! Is it going to just be the two of you tonight?” ask the red headed hostess who had tattoos covering both arms almost entirely.

“Yes, just two. Thank you,” Finn replied with a polite smile.

“Perfect! Leslie will show you two to a table,” the hostess replied before turning to the petite blond waitress nearby, “can you please show this couple here to table number 65? Thank you!”

Rae looked at Finn when the hostess referred to them as a couple and mouthed the word “couple” before raising her eyebrows suggestively, causing Finn to turn away to hide the blush creeping into his cheeks.

“How are you two this evening? As she mentioned, my name is Leslie and I’ll be your waitress for the night. Have you two been here before?”

“No, we have not,” Rae said as she took a seat on one side of the booth that they were led to and Finn sat down opposite from her.

“Oh! First-timers, huh? Well you’re gonna have a great time, I promise! Pretty much how it works is that you pay a set price and you can play all the games you want to for however long you want to. You’re also more than welcome to order any food, drink, coffee...pretty much, you name it and we’ve got it. I’ll give you two a moment to get settled and I’ll be right back to see if you wanted to order any food or drinks, alright?”

Rae and Finn took a couple minutes to look through the menus that had been placed in front of them.

“Are you going to start off with a drink or did you want to get some food?”

“I’m not really hungry, so I’ll probably just start with drinks for now and maybe get something to eat in a bit.”

Finn and Rae both continued to look over the menus until Leslie returned to their table carrying a handheld tablet to input their orders.

“Alright, are you two ready to place an order for some food or drinks?”

“I think we can go ahead and order some drinks,”

“Perfect, what can I get you, love?”

“Uh, let’s see,” Rae mumbled, “can I get a Moscow mule, please?”

“Good choice! And for you, handsome?”

“Uh, I’ll start off with an old fashioned, please”

“Sounds good! I’ll go ahead and bring both of those right out!”

Rae and Finn stood up from the table and began to peruse the massive shelves stacked nearly from floor to ceiling with every board game imaginable, most of which neither had ever heard of before, that covered two walls of the building.

Finn and Rae continued to drink, play games, and have fun until they were both sufficiently drunk and noticed that the bar was less than an hour from closing for the night.

“Are ya ready to get ride home?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty tired and it’s getting late, I think,” Rae said as she and Finn began putting the most recent game they had played into the box to return it to the shelf it came from.

While Rae went to put away the board game, Finn paid their tab and waited for Rae to join him near the exit of the bar.

“How much do I owe you for my portion of the check?” Rae asked as they waited on the sidewalk outside the bar for the taxi they had ordered to arrive.

“Don’t worry about it. It was my idea to go out to the bar tonight, so it’s the least I can do!”

“Oh wow! That’s so gentlemanly of you,” Rae replied with a dramatic flutter of her eyelashes, “you’re the kind of date that every girl dreams of!”

“I try,” Finn replied with a sleepy smile as he pulled Rae into a one-armed embrace.

Before long the taxi arrived to pick them up and took them back to their apartment.

Unlocking the door and trying to enter the apartment while being as quiet as possible was no use when they opened the door and saw Rocky sitting just inside the doorway wagging his tail in barely contained excitement at their return.

“Hello baby boy! Did you miss us?” Rae asked as she walked into the apartment and brought Rocky into her arms while Finn shut the door behind them and locked the door.

Rae carried Rocky into her bedroom and set him down beside her on her bed while she removed her shoes and changed out of her dress and into a comfortable pair of leggings and an oversized band tee.

“It was fun getting dressed up and all, but I’m not sure that it’s worth all of the effort,” Rae huffed as she walked into the kitchen where Finn was currently grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator with Rocky following right at her heels.

“You looked really nice tonight,” Finn began before pausing to consider his words, “but I don’t think you need all of that. The hair, makeup, fancy clothes...that sort of stuff. They’re nice, but they’re not very ‘you’.”

“I’m not so sure that something being ‘me’ is actually a good thing,” Rae joked.

“I’m serious, Rae. You’re great. I like ‘you’,” Finn added with a smile.

“You’ve had too much to drink,” Rae said as she shook her head and took Finn’s bottle of water out of his hand to take a drink.

“Pehaps, but I still mean what I said,” Finn stated.

“Did it really bother you that much whenever I referred to tonight being a date or us being a couple? I didn’t mean anything by it, but you really didn’t seem to like it very much,” Rae mused aloud after she handed his water bottle back to him.

“On the contrary, I probably liked it too much,” Finn chuckled lightly as he rubbed the nape of his neck with his free hand.

Rae and Finn stood quietly in the kitchen for a moment before Finn glanced at the clock over his shoulder.

“Are ya still tired, Rae?”

“Not really. Are you?”

“No, not anymore. Do you wanna have a few more drinks with me?”

Rae shrugged and walked towards the cupboard where they kept their bottles of liquor.

“Pick your poison, Finnley,” Rae replied with a cheeky smirk.

A few rum and cokes later, Rae was sitting on the couch next to Finn with her legs sprawled across his lap while Finn was nursing his third beer after having decided to lay off the hard liquor for the rest of the night.

“Alright, your turn, Finnley. Truth or dare?”

“Uh, truth,”

“Alright...why did you really want to move in with me?”

“What do ya mean?”

“No one seems to believe the whole ‘I’ve been wanting to move out but hadn’t found the right opportunity’ explanation you’ve been giving,” Rae said in her best imitation of Finn’s voice, “least of all Archie and Chloe, but I’m sure they’ve been harassing you about it as much as they have been bothering me about it, huh?”

“Yeah, Archie has been keeping a really close eye on me for the last couple months since I initially volunteered to be your roommate, so he’s definitely not buying my story. It’s true, though. My story that is,” Finn replied.

“‘But…’ I sense there a lot more to the story than just that. So, spill.”

“Fine. I guess I just,” Finn began before rubbing his hands over his face as he gathered his thoughts, “I didn’t like the idea of you living with anyone else.”

“What do ya mean?”

“I just heard you talking about all the people you had considered living with and how you were starting to get desperate to find somewhere to live or roommates. I didn’t like the idea of you living with people you didn’t know but it just dawned on me that if I moved out of my da’s house sooner, I could be your roommate since no one else you knew of was looking for a roommate.”

“So you just didn’t want me living with a complete stranger?”

“Pretty much. Especially not when I had the means and desire to move out and get an apartment.”

“Wow, that’s really nice of you,” Rae said with a smile, “and here I was thinking that you just liked hanging out with me so much that you wanted to live together to take it a step further!”

“That was just an amazing perk of living with you,” Finn replied with a smirk, “Enough about me. Truth or dare, what will it be this time, Rae?”

“Uh, I’ll go with truth this time.”

“Alright, what have Chloe and Archie been saying to you about us living together?”

“Oh, nothing particularly surprising, really. Chloe is just overprotective and worried that living with you will make me realize that you’re a total slob and make me hate you as a person. I’ve had too many shitty roommates in the past, so Chloe just wants to make sure I don’t hate where I’m living and who I’m living with yet again.”

“And Archie?”

“I think he’s just confused because you never mentioned anything about it to him beforehand. I think he might feel like you were keeping secrets from him and he’s your best mate, so he might be a bit hurt.”

“Oh, I didn’t think of it like that, but maybe you’re right.”

“Yeah,” Rae replied as she leaned forward to grab her drink off the coffee table in front of the couch and finished the remainder of it in one gulp, “I think the gang in general is convinced that we’re secretly shagging though.”

“What?” Finn sputtered at Rae’s blunt statement, causing her to giggle.

“It’s true! Every time I see Izzy, she’s disappointed to find out that we’re neither dating nor secretly hooking up. I think Izzy has been spending a bit too much time online or watching shitty romantic comedies,” Rae chuckled.

“Why would they think that though?”

“I dunno why exactly, but to be fair, I know why Izzy might think there’s something going on between us.”

“Why is that?”

“Ugh, this is so embarrassing,” Rae began with a groan, “but when I was about sixteen and I first met you and all the gang, I had a bit of a crush on you.”

Finn raised his eyebrows in surprise and Rae lifted her hand up in front of him to stop him from speaking just yet.

“Now before you say anything, just know that I was young and naive and you were too fit for your own good and had half-decent taste in music, so teenage Rae fancied you a bit, obviously. But as long as I’m being honest, I technically had a crush on Archie before I developed a crush on you.”

“I see,” Finn replied as he tried to suppress the smile pulling at his lips, “but just between you and me, you fancied me a lot more than Archie, right?”

“And this is why I didn’t wanna tell ya,” Rae scoffed and rolled her eyes at Finn.

“Sorry, Rae. I’ll drop it, I swear. Just one question though: do you still think I’m fit?” Finn replied with a suggestive eyebrow raise.

“You’re such a dickhead,” Rae muttered as she turned her head away from him as he continued to smile at her and try to get a reaction out of her.

“Oh, you know that you love me,” Finn pleaded when Rae removed her legs from his lap and scooted over to the far side of the couch away from him.

“I think you mean ‘loathe’.”

“Please Rae, don’t be like this. I was only joking,” Finn begged as he moved over on the couch to close the distance between them again.

“Go away. I just decided that I hate your face and no longer want you to be Rocky’s unofficial uncle. Effective immediately,” Rae pouted as she lightly shoved Finn’s chest to get him away from her.

“Anything but the dog! I can’t stand the thought of him growing up without a proper family. We can make this work, I promise,” Finn replied in mock desperation as he reached out to grab Rae’s hands after they left his chest.

“Fine, but I’m still mad at you.”

“Please don’t be mad at me, Rae!” Finn begged as he scooped Rae up off of the couch and set her on his lap in one quick movement, “I love you!”

Rae rolled her eyes at Finn’s overly dramatic gestures and chuckled, signifying that she had in fact already forgiven him.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Finnley. I think it’s time for both of us to get some sleep.” Rae added as she reached a hand up to run her fingers through Finn’s hair absentmindedly.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Finn replied with a sleepy smile as Rae climbed off of his lap and sat down on the couch beside him, “good night, Rae!”

Finn leaned forward just as Rae began to stand up from the couch, grabbing one of her hands to bring her closer to him and placing a tender kiss on her lips.

A/N: Ok, so this chapter was actually REALLY hard for me to write, haha. I had the entire chapter mapped out and mostly written over a week ago, but then I decided that I didn’t like the direction that I was taking the chapter in and y’all didn’t deserve the kind of drama and sad feels that I was going to dish up in the chapter, so I had to re-write like 3/4 of the entire chapter to keeps things a bit lighter. I’m still not totally happy with the chapter, but I was too determined to get something (anything) posted soon rather than spending an eternity nit-picking my writing like I know that I am capable of doing.

A lot of stuff has been changing in my personal life as of lately—some good, some not so good—but I’m just trying to hold myself together and go with the flow as much as I possibly can. With that being said, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep any semblance of a normal posting schedule or not until somethings in my life settle down a bit, but I just ask that you please bear with me while I try to get my shit together.

I know when I teased that there would be some crazy stuff happening in the next few chapters it might have scared/alarmed a few of you, but I can assure you that I’m not going to make this story take a complete 180 and introduce anything too crazy that I don’t think you all can handle, so fear not my darlings!

The next few chapters are going to have some fun stuff, some minor drama, and some other stuff that is going to help set up the story for what I want to come up next, but I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and those to come.

Until next time: Stay awesome, my friends! :)

#mmfd #my mad fat diary #mmfd fanfic #my mad fat diary fanfiction #my writing #finn-nelson-for-the-win #The Good Life #the good life: ch11

12 notes · View notes

writingpaperghost · 2 years

Text

There is a Me Who Can Become Strong (Chapter 35)

Chapter 35: Judgement Received!

The CR learn more about just how Chronicle works. There's only three Bugsters left to defeat, but someone new seems to... join the game.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32857183/chapters/87149896

There had been a rising tension in the CR, this knowledge that they were making strong progress and soon enough they would have gathered the Gashatrophies of all the low and mid-tier Bugsters. That would mean they’d soon have to fight the high-tier Bugsters, Lovelica, Graphite, and Parad. While Emu looked forward to not having to deal with Lovelica, it would be hard to get rid of him, given Taiga was their main Ride Player and… well Taiga can’t harm Lovlica. They’d… have to figure out a solution to that.

Of course, Emu supposed that the impending fight would at least give him the opportunity to try to reprogram Parad, like he’d done Poppy. Hopefully it would work. And as for Graphite… well Emu was just glad he hadn’t had to deal with the Bugster sooner. It would… hurt, even if it wasn’t likely to be Emu’s Graphite, given Emu’s Graphite wouldn’t participate in this game.

At the moment, Emu had only Graphite for company, Kuroto having gone out with Taiga to help fight Bugsters and gather the last Gashatrophies they needed (Emu had wanted to come along, but they both insisted he stay behind, to make sure his shoulder had healed). Saki and Poppy were doing their jobs, and Nico was… well she was somewhere, surprisingly not helping Taiga. He thinks Taiga said something about her being with “Yuko”. Emu might have heard that name at some point or another, but he’s not entirely sure.

Or well, he wasn’t sure until Nico strolls in, another woman in tow, this one dressed in navy and green, with a bright pink scarf, a flash of bright green in her hair, and a pair of sunglasses in hand. She has a bag slung over her shoulder, in the midst of conversation with Nico.

“I mean, other than it all being a mad house,” She says, “It sounds like everyone hated the guy anyway, but we both know they’re both bad.”

Nico shoves her hands in her pockets, “I feel like it means something…” Then she looks up, seemingly remembering that Emu and Graphite were they, “Oh, hey.”

In response, the woman turns to look towards Graphite and Emu, “Huh? Oh! You look so cute like that,” Presumably, she was referring to the way that Graphite sat, having pulled Emu against him, partially in his lap, arms wrapped around him. “And you look way less terrible than last time I saw you.”

“H-huh?” Her last comment had startled Emu. The last time she saw him? What did that mean?

With a huff, Nico grabs the back on the woman’s scarf, “Seriously, Yuko?” She tugs on the scarf.

The woman, apparently Yuko, takes a step back, prying her scarf free of Nico’s grasp. She frowns for a moment, then blinks in a startled manner, “Oh, right, you were unconscious for that. That probably sounded weird…”

“Yuko…”

“Sorry?” Yuko shrugs, “In my defense, things have been wild recently and I think we’re all a little frazzled.”

Hands now on her hips, Nico eyes Yuko, “Oh really? Just what have you been up to, then?”

Yuko waves her off, “That’s not important,” Though at Nico’s unimpressed glare, she rolls her eyes and adds, “Mostly, I’ve just been… doing some poking around, don’t worry.”

“When you say it like that, I can’t help but worry,” Ultimately, Nico just sighs, shaking her head and looks at Emu, “Anyway… so good news, I think, Lovelica isn’t acting as president of Gemn, anymore.”

Emu figured he knew what would follow that, given he’d always known that Lovelica being president was only temporary. Enough to get Chronicle off the ground and going, but never permanent. This was only confirmed by Yuko grumbling, “No, now it’s just back to where it was before.”

The fact that Masamune was returning to act as Gemn Corp’s president was worrisome, though. That meant that things had progressed far enough that he was probably ready for the next part of his plan, something that didn’t exactly bode well. Emu… didn’t want to know what would come next, had been hoping to avoid it. But, of course, probably the only way to end Chronicle would still end up helping move along Masamune’s plan, whatever it was.

It certainly made Emu worry, because… well he wasn’t exactly keen about having to see Masamune again anytime soon. Though, given how Masamune usually functioned, he was probably safe from having to worry about it, so long as no Ride Player or Bugster succeeded in taking him back to Gemn Corp. After all, Masamune wasn’t the type to get his hands dirty, so long as he had someone to do all the hard work for him, he would just observe from the sidelines.

That was at least something he could take solace in. Safety from having to face Masamune again, when the realization of his betrayal, of Masamune having manipulated Emu into all that pain, was still rather fresh. Though the bruises Masamune himself had inflicted had long since faded – the only bruises he had now were the ones from Parad’s attack before, most notably the handprints around his neck again – so much of what Masamune had done still hurt.

He knew he couldn’t avoid seeing Masamune forever, but for now, at least, he’d be content with not. With the apparent safety of the CR, with the almost strange warmth that they seemed to bring… It occurred to Emu, that perhaps the only thing stopping him from fully trusting the CR was a worry that always filled him when he thought of it. There was some part of him that was certain that they’d leave him, or hurt him, or something like that. That the nice and warm feeling they bring is all an act, a lie, like Masamune’s. The rational part of his brain told him they wouldn’t, but… but he couldn’t shake that feeling.

Maybe the problem was still something caused by Masamune. If only Emu knew how to fix it. Because he, by all means, wanted to trust the CR, felt that he could to some degree, but… but the reason he’d gotten injured on the shoulder was because he couldn’t bring himself to trust them. How could he get himself to trust them as much as he wanted to, as much as they were seemingly willing to trust him?

“Kin?” Snapping out of his thoughts, Emu noticed the concerned looks that Nico and Yuko were giving him, and the tightened grip Graphite had on him. “Is everything alright?”

Taking a deep breath, Emu nods, “Y-yeah. It’s not like he’ll actually c-come out and try to do something. He’ll p-probably just send the Bugsters to d-do it.”

“Still…” Graphite didn’t seem entirely convinced, given how well he knew Emu, it was understandable. It wasn’t like he was wrong, because Emu was a bit worried, a bit anxious. Whether or not he was going to be directly involving himself, Masamune was still seemingly stepping back into the game. “He’s closer now, than before.”

If nothing else, Emu appreciated the concern, “I’ll be o-okay,”

Before anyone else had the chance to say anything – and it looked like Nico had been about to – their attention is drawn to what sounds like Taiga and Kuroto returning. Though it didn’t sound like they were alone, if Taiga’s annoyed voice was anything to go by. “What would Saki think?”

That alone was a strange comment, since whoever it was that the two had found must have been someone Saki knew. Though why Taiga sounded so annoyed at them was unclear. Judging by Nico’s expression, she was just as curious, though perhaps that was simply because she recognized the tone of voice. Either way, without being able to see the person who had managed to bring Taiga such annoyance, they weren’t able to be sure just what exactly was going on.

At least, they weren’t sure until Taiga and Kuroto come up the stairs, Director Kagami in tow. That was certainly strange, after all, Taiga looked rather annoyed, but it wasn’t exactly like Director Kagami was someone who was able to find a lot of trouble. Still, even Kuroto looked concerned.

It was about that time that Saki arrives, before anyone can ask just what it is exactly that’s got Taiga so annoyed, or what it had to do with Director Kagami. She seems tired, though at this point that seemed to be constant – or maybe she always had been and Emu had never noticed. Regardless, she pulls her doctor’s coat off and drapes it in her arms, before noticing that something seemed to be off. “Is something wrong?”

Director Kagami looked sheepish, while Taiga sighed, sounding terribly frustrated, “Guess who decided it was a good idea to play Chronicle?” As he spoke, he looked directly at Director Kagami. That… didn’t bode well.

Saki frowned, “What do you…” Yet it seemed that Director Kagami’s strange behavior did not go unnoticed. “Haima?”

Looking away, Director Kagami answers, “I… just wanted to… bring Hiro back.” He looked away, slightly.

The reasoning seeps in. Saki looks… unsure, like she can’t decide whether she should be upset or not. Taiga continues to look annoyed, while Kuroto has a strange expression, seemingly unsure of what to think. Graphite lets out a quiet scoff, for reasonings that Emu doesn’t really understand. Emu himself, though… he thinks to some extent he understands. While it was easy for him to bring Graphite back, had never taken very long, he knew that if things were different, he would have done almost anything to bring him back. Just like he’d be willing to do whatever he had to, if it meant he might be able to save Poppy and Parad (he may have succeeded in saving one of them, but he still had a way to go before he saved Parad, it seemed).

Finally, Saki sighs, “Haima…” She pauses, not entirely sure what she wants to say, “I… understand the desire, but… but it’s not worth it. Chances are, Lovelica lied about being able to bring people back.”

“I-if nothing else,” Emu chimes in, against his better judgement, “It’s p-pretty likely that C-Chronicle would not… b-be easily w-won…”

Kuroto nods, “Yes… I’m not even sure if we’ll be able to defeat the boss.”

That comment seemed to have caught Nico’s attention, “What makes you think that?”

“Ah, well…” Kuroto began, hesitant, before finally explaining, “The final boss, Gamedeus, is able to be summoned only with all thirteen Gashatrophies. Yet… there’s another aspect to that boss, one that I’m worried may make it harder for us to defeat him at all.”

“Another aspect?” Saki warily echoes, “You didn’t mention this sooner?”

Sighing Kuroto says, “Well it’s rather… specific.” He closes his eyes, like he’s thinking, “There’s a power specifically designed to defeat Gamedeus, the power of Cronus.”

Taiga crosses his arms, “So what? We gotta find that power too?”

“No, not exactly. The thing is, though Cronus is powerful enough to easily defeat Gamedeus… not just anyone can use it.” As he continued to explain, Kuroto seemed to get more and more nervous. “The only way someone can use it, without suffering potentially life-threatening repercussions, is if they were infected with all strains of Game Disease.”

At that notion, Emu couldn’t help but stiffen. Had there… had there been a reason for what Masamune had done to him? He’d assumed, ever since he was told how many strains he’d been infected with, that it was just another part of Masamune seemingly senseless punishments. But… maybe it hadn’t been? But if it was on purpose, then why?

“So like M?” Nico asks what everyone seemed to be wondering.

“Well… Emu isn’t infected with all the strains; he doesn’t have Toki Meki Crisis…”

It was Yuko who finished his thought, though, “But since it didn’t seem hard to give him the other ten, it wouldn’t be hard to give him that last one.”

“…Well, yes…”

Quickly, Nico adds, “Not that we’re gonna let that happen, like hell we’re letting Emu go back to that.” There was something reassuring about hearing her words, her declaration that they wouldn’t let him go back. Emu didn’t want to go back, but so many people were trying to bring him back, the Bugsters, the Ride Players, and Masamune himself. Knowing that the CR wouldn’t let that happen… was nice.

Shaking his head, Taiga says, “We can worry about the boss when we get there. For now, we should focus on trying to stop the Bugsters.” He pulls out a Game Scope and scans Director Kagami, “Guess we’re going after Lovelica, first.”

Going after Lovelica first was probably the best idea even if Director Kagami hadn’t been infected. One, he was annoying, probably just the most annoying of all of the Bugsters. Two, he was probably the weakest of the three high-tier Bugsters. Parad was Level 99, and Graphite was, most likely also high leveled. Lovelica was technically the youngest of the three Bugsters, so it stood to reason that he would be the lowest level of the three, too. Three, no one would really notice if something happened to him, now that Masamune was back to being president of Gemn Corp.

“Then I guess we have our plan,” Saki nods, “We’ll look for Lovelica… Haima, why don’t you stay here and keep Emu company, since his shoulder is still healing?”

Of course, Emu wasn’t exactly fond of the idea of being sidelined again. Not when they were potentially going to be dealing with high level Bugsters, “Hold on,” He said, “I- I can’t just stay here…”

Judging by the look on Kuroto’s face, it was clear that he wasn’t thrilled at Emu’s protests, “Emu, your shoulder is still injured.”

“It’s- it’s healed p-plenty,” Emu was pretty sure that it wouldn’t open again. If it did, then he probably had more to worry about than just a gash on his shoulder.

Pursing her lips, Saki reminds, “If we’re trying to fight Lovelica, your attack probably wouldn’t do any more than last time…”

“You don’t know that it will only be Lovelica,” Emu points out, “Parad could be there, or Graphite.” While Emu would rather not fight either of them, he just didn’t like the idea of having to stay here while everyone else is fighting. Not when this was all his fault to begin with. Besides, if he was going to reprogram Parad, a big if, really, he’d need to get close.

Despite what should have been a good enough argument, Saki still hadn’t given in. She sighs, then leans towards Emu, whispering, “Someone needs to make sure that Haima stays out of trouble,” She certainly sounds concerned, “I’m worried that he might try to play Chronicle again.”

That was certainly a better reason, in Emu’s eyes, than just some worry that he’ll reinjure his shoulder. Still though, he wasn’t quite sure he understood, “B-but why me?” He asks, whispering just as Saki was. Director Kagami and him had barely ever interacted, so why would she want him to stay behind to make sure nothing happened?

“You’re the only one we have an excuse to stay here,” There’s a plea in her voice, “Please, Emu.” She does sound genuinely worried, at the very least.

“What about Graphite? He stays here anyway so he doesn’t get mistaken for the other Graphite.”

At the very least, Saki considered it for a moment, “He… well I’ve seen how they interact it’s…” She glances at Graphite, who seemed to not really care about what she’s saying, “It’s a bit too tense, I think.”

Emu isn’t sure what to say, because he wants to help but… well he’d like to help ease Saki’s worry, but he just doesn’t think he’d be much help. After all, Emu wasn’t exactly great with people, especially now. Of all of the CR, Director Kagami was probably the one he interacted with the least, so he wasn’t as comfortable around him as anyone else. Emu really felt that he would be more help fighting the Bugsters, but…

“Okay,” He finally acquiesced. In response, Saki gives him a small smile, then turns to leave.

Soon enough, it’s just Emu, Graphite, and Director Kagami. Instead of thinking too much about the general feeling of discomfort in the room, Emu just pulled out his game and started playing. Director Kagami chose to take a cupcake from the fridge, sitting at the table and beginning to eat it. Graphite adjusts his grip on Emu, seemingly watching Director Kagami closely.

It wasn’t like socializing was really Emu’s strong suit in the first place, so keeping to himself was probably the best decision, really. Although Emu was curious why Graphite seemed to be acting so strange around Director Kagami. For the most part, they all kept to themselves, which wasn’t entirely unusual for Emu or Graphite. It was more likely for Emu and Graphite to talk to each other than it was for them to talk to others, particularly Emu. It was just that they were more used to each other.

Eventually, Director Kagami breaks the silence, asking, “How has your stay with the CR been, Emu?”

The sudden break in silence startles Emu, ever so slightly. He pauses, setting his game down in his lap and looking over towards Director Kagami. “A-ah, well…” Emu’s not entirely sure what to say. It certainly could have been worse, at the very least, but Emu’s standards have been significantly lowered over the past few years. “F-fine, I- I guess. B-better than… b-before, at least…”

“That’s good,” Director Kagami nods, “It seems like you’ve been getting along with everyone. I’m… glad. I know Nico can be a bit much and Taiga a bit… intimidating.”

“N’s… Well s-she play g-games with me s-so… And Mr. Taiga’s… not… t-too bad, I-I guess. Ms. Saki and N s-seem to like h-him…” He tugs at his sleeves, eyes shifting away from Director Kagami, “E-everyone’s r-really nice so…”

Once again, the silence falls, awkward. Shifting once more, Graphite pulls Emu closer, positioning him so that Graphite can rest his chin on Emu’s shoulder. It was just enough of an odd movement that it caused Emu to glance over at him. Outwardly, nothing seemed to be wrong, but it was still strange that Graphite seemed a lot more… tense, now. Thinking back to what Saki had said, did it have something to do with being around Director Kagami?

But why would that make Graphite so… nervous wasn’t really the word. It really was just tense, like he distinctly won’t relax while around Director Kagami. There had to be a reason, since this behavior was so odd for Graphite, but Emu wasn’t really sure what. Maybe it was nothing, but it was still strange.

Soon enough, though, Emu remembers something. Why Director Kagami had tried playing Chronicle, possibly even why Graphite was so tense. Or at least contributing to it. “H-Hiro… was your son, r-right?” He’d always tried so desperately not to call him by his name. It made it easier. Easier to ignore what had happened, his role in it. The reminder that Graphite came at the cost of another person’s life. So often, it was “Graphite’s host” more than it was “Hiro”.

The question seemed to have startled Director Kagami, ever so slightly. Still, he answers, “He was,” Emu doesn’t miss the sadness in his voice.

Emu looks down, “Y-you… you m-must r-really miss him…” He couldn’t help the sad tone his own voice had taken. “I- I’m sorry.” Because it was his fault, wasn’t it? He was the one who infected Hiro, after all.

For one reason or another, whether it was because he knew where the conversation was going, knew what Emu was thinking, or simply his gut instinct, Graphite tightens his grip once more. “Kin,”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Director Kagami assured, the sadness leaving his voice.

“But…” Emu shakes just a bit, resisting the urge to pull his hood up and try to hide. He didn’t know whether or not Director Kagami knew… “I was- I was the one w-who… infected h-him…”

There’s a moment of silence, before Director Kagami asked, “Did you do it on purpose?”

“N-no…?”

“Then it isn’t your fault.”

Emu doesn’t know what to say to that. While there was some wiggle room in his blame for Zero Day, enough that he could believe easy enough that he hadn’t been the cause, there wasn’t so much in this. Because he still remembered the brief glance of the face of Hiro, of the person who’d reached out and tried to help him. Remembered when only a few days later Graphite had appeared, with the same face. The moment that Hiro had touched Emu, that day, he was doomed.

How could Director Kagami pretend that he held no responsibility, when there was no one else who did? The fault was on Emu, and there wasn’t a single other person it could go to, because Emu was the one who infected him. So it was Emu’s fault, wasn’t it? Hiro would still be alive if Emu had never infected him – if he’d kept himself together and hadn’t freaked out when he saw the Bugsters, or if he hadn’t let Hiro touch him, if he’d noticed Hiro had been so close sooner.

“D-don’t… don’t lie,” Emu manages to say, hands tightening into fists in his lap. “It’s my fault.”

“Emu…” The chair moves, presumably Director Kagami is standing. Then footsteps coming closer, Graphite becomes even more tense. A hand falls on his shoulder, “Don’t blame yourself. It was an accident, and you didn’t mean to.”

“It’s still my fault.”

A hand finds it’s way to Emu’s hair, judging by the familiarity of the movements, it was probably Graphite’s. He huffs slightly at Emu’s statement, “That’s not true,” He says, “I keep telling you that.”

If there’s one thing Emu’s learned, it’s when he isn’t going to win something. He isn’t going to win this argument, so he stops trying. “O-okay…”

The hand removes itself from his shoulder, “Alright then,” Director Kagami begins, almost cheerful, certainly more lighthearted than you’d expect, coming off a conversation like the one they just had. “Would either of you like some sweets?”

Graphite makes a disinterested sound, and Emu thinks he might have rolled his eyes. Before Emu can answer, though, he’s suddenly overcome with a strange, almost sharp feeling. A sudden stab of anger, blunt and startling. It wasn’t Emu’s though, he’d have no reason to be feeling such things. So where had the feelings come from?

A tug, and Emu knew he had to follow it. Like there was a link between himself and someone else, like that other person was trying to bring him to them. He couldn’t explain it but… he had to follow it. Though there was only one person he could think of that would be able to do such a thing. Parad.

Though it brought the question as to why he’d only really felt it now, it was the only answer Emu could come up with. He knew that if it was Parad, it could be dangerous, after all, Parad still wanted to bring him back to Masamune. Yet Emu still felt that he needed to follow it.

Emu stands, prompting a startled sound from Graphite, “Kin?”

“I need to go,” He says, then bolts out of the room. He had to follow this feeling, now, instead of standing there and trying to explain it. He had his Gashat and Driver, and while it occurred to him the others wouldn’t exactly be happy he’s run off like this, he doesn’t really care. Follow the anger, the burning feeling that was coming to him from someone else. That’s all he could really feel he needed to do.

Normally, using just a feeling – however strange it may be – is probably not the best way to try to guide you somewhere. But the way that this feeling seemed to tug at Emu, he knew it would lead him to wherever he needed to go. He didn’t know what he’d find when he got there, he just had a strong feeling that it wouldn’t be good, not if it was Parad he was heading towards.

Soon enough, Emu found his destination, being faced with a fight. In one spot, Taiga as a Ride Player and Saki at level 50 fought against what appeared to be Graphite, though he was now red, instead of green like usual, or black when he’d been using the Proto Gashat. In another area, Nico and Asuna fought against Lovelica, though they still appeared to be struggling around Lovelica’s gimmick. Then, lastly, fighting alone against Para-DX, was Kuroto, utilizing what looked like the Dangerous Zombie Gashat, though combined with a Gamer Driver. Were it someone other than Kuroto, Emu probably would have questioned it more.

At first, Emu wanted to go help Kuroto, since he was facing Para-DX alone. But, he remembered what Saki had said, earlier. That they needed to focus on defeating Lovelica, so they could cure Director Kagami. It seemed the major hold up against Lovelica was his gimmick… so maybe Emu could just get rid of it?

While Poppy and Nico fought against the Bugster grunts in maid dresses, Emu transforms. In theory, if he could reprogram out Lovelica’s gimmick that makes him immune to physical damage, then it would make it way easier to fight him. Kuroto would just have to hold out a little longer.

Maximum Mighty Critical Finish!

Though the attack itself did no damage, Emu hoped that it would have worked as he’d hoped.

He hears Poppy make a startled sound as Lovelica’s Bugsters disappeared, while Nico calls out, “M? How did you-?”

Her question was cut off by it suddenly becoming dark, like it was nighttime. Then a bell begins to ring, over and over. The Bugsters stop their fighting, the three withdrawing, placing distance between themselves and the Riders. It left the Riders to only wonder why, what had caused them to suddenly start fighting.

Silence, until a voice cuts through, “The game can’t end yet, now can it?” Emu freezes, a feeling of pure terror pulsing through him, seemingly stronger than it should have been. Poppy and Nico, the closest to him, place themselves in front of him, as Masamune walks behind the Bugsters.

“We weren’t going to lose,” Graphite – god it seemed so wrong to be on the opposite side to Graphite – scoffed.

“Perhaps,” Masamune considered, taking a step forward, “But there’s still so much left to be played, we don’t want the players to miss out, certainly not because of some who don’t want to follow the rules.”

There was something off about Masamune, not that Emu could place what. Or maybe he was just imagining it? He hadn’t expected to see Masamune again so soon and could already feel the panic rising. This wasn’t going to go well, oh god. Masamune – he had to be mad, had to be angry. They were in trouble, weren’t they? What would he do to them? He’s desperately trying to keep his breathing somewhat even.

Saki takes a step forward, her grip on her sword tight, “What are you doing?”

The tone Masamune’s voice takes when he answers only scares Emu more, “Preparing for the next stage of the game, Taddle Fantasy,” Yet he doesn’t even look towards Saki. Instead, he’s looking at Emu. Emu’s not sure how to react, instead just freezing. “Now, you’ve had your fun, Emu. It’s time to come back.”

Breath hitching, Emu’s throat tightens. The look that Masamune was giving him was chilling, filled with an annoyance that had terrified Emu for years. Then, Emu’s brain starts to catch up with what’s going on, trying desperately to reach an answer.

Somewhere in him, there was this surprisingly strong desire to do what Masamune said, to go back with him, despite the fact that the thought terrified him. After all, that part said, it would be safer, he wouldn’t have to worry quite so much about Masamune harming him, he knew how to avoid upsetting Masamune, at least to some extent. Maybe he could even convince Masamune not to hurt the others, maybe could convince the others to stop, to give up. Or something safe.

Yes, that had to be the best option, to return to Masamune.

“…I…” He begins, his voice shaky and quiet. Why was it so hard to talk? To breath?

He doesn’t get to finish his answer, cut off by Kuroto, “You’re not harming Emu more,”

The denial is only met with a laugh, “That isn’t your choice, Dangerous Zombie. I own him,” He sounded smug, “If I say he returns, he returns. Everyone must play my game, must play the roles I give, and he will too.”

Is Emu shaking? It’s hard to tell with all of the armor of Maximum Mighty X’s suit, but he thinks he’s shaking. For some reason, Masamune seems so much more terrifying than before. Maybe’s it was knowing, now, that all the things that he went through had been unnecessary, had pretty much been torture for the sake of seeing him suffer.

“You know,” Lovelica huffed, “We were close to defeating them. Graphite’s stronger than Brave and the Ride Player, Para-DX is far stronger than Gemn, and I was right on course to bring Poppy back and get rid of Snipe. I’m sure we’d have been able to beat Ex-Aid, too.”

That thankfully brough Masamune’s attention off of Emu, over to Lovelica. “Ah, yes, that reminds me,” He pulls out a Bugvisor, the sort of teal colored one, like what Poppy had. Placing it on his waist, he then pulls out a Gashat, green and black. A Chronicle Gashat.

Kamen Rider Chronicle!

Unlike the Ride Players, the Gashat begins to float out of Masamune’s hand, inserting itself into the Buggle Driver.

Buggle Up! Ten wo tsukame Rider! Kizame chronicle! Ima koso toki wa kiwamareri!

The Rider that now stood before them was black and green. Despite being from a Chronicle Gashat, it was clear that this Rider was strong, even Emu could tell.

“Kamen Rider Cronus…?” Kuroto gasped, then shook his head, “How? Only Bugsters can use the Bugvisor II.”

“Emu was not the only one infected, sixteen years ago,” Was all Masamune answered as he begun to stalk forward. “Now… Toki Meki Crisis… You have been discontinued.” He turns to face Lovelica.

In a blink, Lovelica disappears in a flurry of pixels, and the other Riders are knocked to the ground, their armor disappearing. Emu still stands, though his own transformation has disappeared, the Maximum Mighty X Gashat falling to the ground. What had just happened?

Parad startled, “What? Why did you go and kill Lovelica?”

Masamune turned his head towards Parad, “Do you question my actions, Perfect Knockout?”

It seemed even Parad, for all the changes Masamune had made to him, was still scared of Masamune’s ire. “N-no…”

Seemingly satisfied, Masamune returned his attention towards Emu, walking forward, slowly and surely, until he stood a mere foot from Emu. Emu had wanted to move, to run, to do something but… he was frozen. The only thing he could feel was fear, immobilizing fear.

“Now, Emu, this is your last chance. Return to me, you owner.”

Wide-eyed, Emu’s mind swirled. He had to answer, quick, before Masamune grew too upset with him. He had to go back, that was his only option. Even transformed, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Masamune, now. Not with how easily he defeated everyone else.

“Well?” Masamune sounds impatient. Emu needs to answer.

He opens his mouth, but feels something grab his leg. Looking down, he sees Taiga, who’d pulled himself close enough to grab ahold of him. “Don’t, Emu.” It was like he knew what Emu was thinking.

Whispering, Emu manages just one word, still to scared to truly speak, “I…”

Annoyed, Masamune kicks at Taiga’s arm, forcing him to let go, “Quiet, Bang Bang Shooting!”

Emu had to answer, but the answer that he wanted to give out of fear was dangerous. So was the answer that he wanted to give regardless of fear. Yet… despite how scared he was, how much he wanted to give up and go back to Masamune… the idea of throwing away the CR’s kindness hurt. It tugged at him in a way that he didn’t quite understand, but knew he didn’t want to feel. He didn’t want something bad to happen to them, didn’t want them to be hurt by Masamune. But Masamune would probably hurt them even if he went back so…

Despite what his fear told him to do, Emu knew what his answer had to be. He could feel Masamune’s expectant gaze, despite not even being able to see his eyes. The hard part, now that he had his answer, was to voice it. Finally, though, he found the voice to speak his answer:

A quiet, “No,”

Instead of any of the expected responses, Masamune simply stares for a moment, before turning around. “Perfect Knockout, Drago Knight Hunter Z, we have other matters to attend.”

Parad and Graphite both seemed startled, but clearly weren’t willing to question it. The three leave.

Staring for a moment, at where the three had been – no, where Masamune had stood moments before – Emu begins to shake. He shakes and starts to take sharp breaths as tears well in his eyes. He knows he should be worried about the others, but he can’t. Instead, he falls to his knees and cries.

He stays like that for a moment, before someone kneels beside him and hugs him. All he can do is sob out apologies, held close by the person. At first he thinks it may be Kuroto, but no, this shirt is different.

“Shh, it’s okay, Emu,” It was Saki, that’s who it was. “Just take deep breaths…”

“I thought- I thought I was- was ready to- thought I c-could-“

A hand reaches into his hair, running through it, “You’re safe,” It was Kuroto, “He- he didn’t hurt you.”

Saki adds, “I promise we won’t let him hurt you again,”

“He- he hurt y-you…”

“We’re okay, Emu,” Poppy answers, “We’re all okay, including you.”

“I-“ Saki shushes him again. They stay like that, for a while, before Emu’s finally calmed down enough to return to the CR. At the very least, Director Kagami should be cured, since it seemed that Masamune had defeated Lovelica.

#kamen rider ex aid #kamen rider exaid #kamen rider #my writing #there is a me who can become strong

0 notes

finn-nelson-for-the-win · 5 years

Text

The Good Life: Chapter 8

Hello, my lovelies! I’m so happy to see that many of you enjoyed the last chapter and the chapters leading up to it. We’re at an interesting point in the overall story and I’m going to try to post at least once per week (maybe more often than that?) to keep the story moving along. So let’s just get on with this story, yeah?

Need to get caught up? The Good Life: Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4 , Ch5, Ch6, Ch7

If you want to be added (or removed) from the tags list for this story, just feel free to let me know!

@pink-royaute @believethaticanandiwill @milllott @likeashootingstarfades @i-dream-of-emus @eveerez

The Good Life: Chapter 8

The waitress brought over their food on a large round tray and placed the plates on the table in front of Rae and Archie before promising to check on them a little while later.

“So Arch, what’s new?”

“Nothing much, really. Is there anything new going on with you?”

“Ah, just the usual stuff, I suppose. Life is boring again now that I’m done moving and more or less settled into the new routine and living with a roommate again.”

“I know what you mean. I’ve gotten stuck in a rut as well, so I’ve been trying to keep busy and I even have a coffee date with a friend of a friend on Sunday!”

Rae scoffed lightly as she took a bite of a chip from her plate, earning a sigh from her friend sitting opposite from her.

“Don’t scoff at me, Rae! Maybe you need to get out more too. Go on some dates or something!” Archie added as he used the end of his fork to point at her before taking a bite of his food.

“Ugh! My coworker said the same thing to me a few weeks ago! What is it with everyone trying to meddle with my love life? I’m plenty busy with work and Uni as it is and I’m just not looking for a relationship right now!” Rae huffed as she angrily bit into another chip.

“But I haven’t even heard you take an interest in anyone recently. You almost act like you’re already in a relationship...although I suppose you sort of already do have a man in your life that takes up all your free time,” Archie trailed off with a suggestive eyebrow raise.

“Are you referring to Finn? Seriously?”

“Yes, Rae. I feel like anytime me or the gang talk to you or see you, Finn is never far behind. It’s like you two are a packaged deal since becoming roommates and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not yet.”

“Look Arch, I really don’t know why you and the gang are giving him such a hard time about us being roommates, but it’s getting pretty old. Is there a reason why you’re all treating him like shit or...?”

“We don’t mean to treat him like shit, but...” Archie paused to consider his words before continuing, “You do realize that I’m aware you used to fancy Finn, right?”

“Everyone and their mum know that, I’m sure. He’s funny and attractive, obviously, but we’re just friends. I swear,” Rae assured him.

“We’re just all looking out for you, Rae. It’s just a bit confusing...Finn refused to share a dorm with Chop and I in Uni because he said he doesn’t like to share his personal space like that. Yet out of nowhere, he moves out of his dad’s house and wants to live with you. It’s odd, don’t you think?”

“I suppose I could see why that’d be confusing, but I don’t know. I don’t know what reasoning Finn would have to want to be roommates other than us being friends and both needing people to live with. We’re both single, so it just sort of makes sense that we live together, since neither of us have a significant other to live with.”

“And I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Finn’s in love with you, right?” Archie replied with a smirk.

“For fuck’s sake, Arch! He’s not in love with me,” Rae replied with a laugh.

“Maybe, maybe not...but you’ve gotta admit, he’s been super clingy with you and acting particularly domestic since you two became roommates, right?”

“Yeah, sort of. But I don’t mind it. I sort of like it, actually, it’s nice after living alone for a year. Things were really tough to handle all on my own and it nice to have someone to keep me company. Someone to take care of me...It’s nice having Finn around.”

“I remember how bad things were getting last year and don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that you’re happy now, I’m just trying to be cautious. Have you talked to him about—”

“No, not yet, but it’s bound to happen when the time is right. I just don’t want him to think differently of me or change the way he treats me, you know?”

“That makes sense. I know you’re happy living with Finn, so I’ll stop bringing it up and I’ll ask the rest of the gang to do the same. But that doesn’t mean we’ll stop looking out for ya, Rae!”

“I appreciate that and you know I’d never ask that of you all. You’re my best mates for a reason!”

After they had finished eating their lunch, Archie walked with Rae from the small cafe where they meet for lunch from time to time towards the building where her next Uni class would be starting shortly.

“Do Finn and I honestly look that much like a couple?” Rae asked after the two had been walking in silence for a couple minutes, “You commented on it today and Izzy brought it up at the party last weekend.”

“When he’s hanging all over you and kissing your cheek and basically doting on you, it’s easy to get that impression.”

“Huh...I’m sure sixteen-year-old Rae would be dying at the prospect of her and Finn Nelson being confused for dating and even living with each other!”

“And you claim to have moved on from your crush on Finn…”

“I did, honestly.”

“Maybe, but Finn is still probably in love with you. He’s too proud to admit it out loud just yet and too shy to make a move, but Uncle Archie knows what he’s talking about,” Archie added with a shrug.

“What did I tell you about calling yourself that?” Rae groaned, “Not to mention, if Finn really liked me like that, I’m sure he’d think of a way to let me know.”

Rae and Archie were chatting outside the lecture hall for her next class when Archie suddenly gasped and turned away from the open doorway nearby.

“What is it?”

“You didn’t tell me that Blue was in your class!”

“He’s not, at least I don’t think he is…”

“Oh, well he’s coming over here right now! Quick, quick! Say something funny so we can pretend that we’re talking and laughing when he gets over here!”

“I thought we were talking…?” Rae mumbled before chuckling and shaking her head at Archie’s desperate attempt to act natural as Blue approached them.

“Hiya Rae! You probably don’t remember, but my name’s Blue. You were the celeb shot for our beer pong game at the party Saturday!” He said, grinning.

“I remember. You have a pretty unique name, so you’re kinda of hard to forget,” Rae chuckled.

“Oh, uh, thank you...I think? I’m just getting out of class now, but I saw the two of you over here and wanted to come over and say ‘hi’!”

“Ah! I knew I didn’t recognize you from my Greek mythology class! You’re in the class before mine, it seems.”

“Heh, looks like it, yeah. I should probably get headed to my next class but, I was wondering if you might want to get a drink with me sometime this week?”

“Like a date?” Rae blurted before she was able to stop herself.

“Yeah, I sorta meant it as a date, but if you’re seeing someone already or would prefer just to go as friends, that’s fine too.”

“No, as a date is fine with me,” Rae added quickly to reassure him. “Does tomorrow night work for you?”

“Yeah, tomorrow’s perfect. Here, you can put your number in my phone and I’ll text you back so you have my number too and then we can text to work out the details,” Blue said as he handed Rae his phone to input her cell phone number.

When the two had exchanged numbers, Blue said goodbye to Rae and Archie and walked across the hallway to meet up with his group of friends that had been waiting for him to catch up to them.

“See Archie? I don’t know what you were talking about. I go on dates all the time.” Rae added with a cheeky smirk as she walked into the lecture hall and looked over her shoulder to shoot Archie a wink before he walked away to go to his next class as well.

A/N: So I know some of you have been freaking out about why the gang is so suspicious of Finn and I can go ahead and let you all know that he does not have some crazy dark past that he’s hiding, so no need to worry about that. The next couple chapters are gonna delve into slightly more serious aspects of the story and I’m stirring up a little drama by keeping Blue in this story, but what can I say? I live for the drama!

This chapter is another sort of short chapter, but I have a feeling that the next one(s) will be pretty long like the previous chapter, so if you like long chapters, you’re in luck!

I love hearing what all of you have to say about each chapter or what you think might be happening next in the story, so thanks for always making me smile with your likes/reblogs/replies! Until next time: Stay awesome, my friends!

#mmfd #my mad fat diary #mmfd fanfic #my mad fat diary fanfiction #finn-nelson-for-the-win #My writing #The Good Life #the good life: ch8

15 notes · View notes