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cmk418Title: A Subtle Shift
Fandom: Resident Alien
Pairing: D'arcy Bloom/Asta Twelvetrees
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1308
Summary: After they'd survived their fall, D'arcy realized her feelings toward Asta had changed
A/N: Written for LadiesBingo prompt Pre-femslash
Whoa.
What just happened?
Asta smiled at me as I came back to the table with a round of beers.
Now don't get me wrong, Asta smiled a lot. That wasn't out of the ordinary.
What was out of the ordinary was my reaction to it.
Maybe I was drunker than I thought.
Whatever, just play it off.
She leaned toward me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded as she took the beer out of my hand. She had really nice fingers.
“We should get our nails done,” I suggested.
“I’m sure the patients would be thrilled.”
“Better than you coming at them with jaggedy nails. I could do them for you.”
“Not at the moment, you can’t.”
“Nah. Later. Maybe Tuesday. I’m not working. Are you free Tuesday?”
“You know I am. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Right as rain. Steady as… whatever’s steady.”
I think it was us landing in the crevasse that did it. My thoughts didn’t go to a whole lot of people. Yeah, I thought of Ethan. He’s a hottie and yeah, I might have cut things short, but it wasn’t going to go anywhere. I know that now. It was just a fleeting moment of what-if before I dropped off the face of the earth for good. I didn’t think of Ben. I guessed I’d finally put him behind me. What got me moving was Asta. She was always good for that. I was willing to sacrifice myself, to give it all up, but Asta… I didn’t want to see that. I didn’t want her to be sentenced to die for something I did or didn’t do.
It was Asta’s voice in my head, encouraging me on as she did back when I had shattered my leg. As she had since the moment the two of us met.
I knew I couldn’t lose her again. I couldn’t go on without letting her know how I feel.
“You know, I really love you,” I said.
She looked me in the eye and then snorted a laugh. “You are so drunk.”
Shit.
I actually was, but that didn’t mean my feelings weren’t real.
Maybe she was right. Maybe in the cold light of day, everything would be back to normal. That might be something that I needed to explore a little more.
Two days later, I walked into the doctor’s office carrying a plate of chocolate chip cookies. They were Asta’s favorite. Of course, she liked when her dad made them, but I was actually getting better at baking. I even had a test cookie (okay, three test cookies) to make sure that they were good.
Ethan was there.
“Are those cookies?” he asked.
They let this guy go to medical school? “Yes,” I said, handing over the plate.
“For me?”
“More like for the office,” I didn’t want to play my hand too quickly.
“Got it,” he said.
I didn’t think he did.
“Is Asta here?” I asked.
“No. She went to check on Harry and then she’ll come in.”
“Oh.” I had no idea what had gone on between Harry and Asta when they fell, only that Asta was very protective of him when I pulled the two of them to the surface.
“I can tell her you stopped by. Unless you want to stick around.”
I could hear Mrs. Phillips hacking up a lung in the waiting room. “Thanks, but you’ve got patients. I’ll pass.”
“Okay. Thanks for the cookies,” he said.
Tuesday rolled around and I spent most of the day cleaning the house. I wasn’t much of a cleaner, but I didn’t let it get too messy either. It would be too much of a turn off for people coming in. On the rare occasions that people did come in. Usually I went out. Asta had seen the house at its worst. She’d come to terms with it early in our friendship.
I had a six pack of her favorite beer in the fridge and what was left of the cookies. I didn’t want to cook anything.
I did put on a pair of my tightest jeans and a t-shirt that read “Hokey Pokey Anonymous - A Place to Turn Yourself Around” that always made her laugh. I was trying for a comfortable vibe here. I didn’t want to dress up too much because I didn’t want Asta to feel uncomfortable.
There should be only one of us who was feeling like she was crawling out of her skin.
There was a knock at the door and then Asta opened it and came inside.
“Hi,” I said, backing into the kitchen.
“Ready to do this?” she wiggled her fingers in my direction.
“Sure. I’ve got everything at the table. You want a beer?”
“Alright.”
I got a beer from the fridge and turned around. She was right there, holding an empty plate.
“I thought you might want this back.”
“Did you get any?”
“They left me one.”
“Those bastards! There were a dozen cookies there.”
“It was good. Better than the coffee I had it with. Ethan cannot make a pot of coffee.”
“Watered down or sludgy?”
“Watered down.”
“Ugh. The worst. Well, I have more if you want them.”
“Maybe after.”
“Sure. How’s Harry?”
“Fine. He’s fine. Looking… more like the Harry we know.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Things… aren’t going to go any further between you and him, are they?”
“Nah. We’re not right for each other.”
Asta mumbled something I didn’t catch. She wasn’t… oh crap.
“You’re in love with him,” I said. How did I not see this sooner? I was such an idiot.
Asta snorted a laugh. “No.”
“He’s not that bad,” I protested. I felt like she was judging me.
“It’s not that.”
“Oh. Okay.” I handed her the bottle of beer that I clutched in my hand.
She glanced at the beer. “This is my brand.”
“Yeah.”
“You hate this beer.”
“Well, hate is a pretty strong word. It’s just… not my favorite.”
“D’arcy, what’s going on?”
“Well, you’re here and I’m going to do your nails and I didn’t want you complaining about my far superior beer when I was working on them.” There, that sounded a lot better than I realized that I’ve got a terrible crush on your and I’m trying to do things you like so that maybe you’ll notice me and think of me as something other than your friend.
“Fair enough.” She walked into the other room and sat down at the table. “We can’t paint them.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just not a good idea. But a nice manicure I can get behind.”
“Okay.”
“Come on. I’ll let you hold my hand for a few minutes.”
I’m glad I didn’t have any of her crappy beer or else I would have spit it across the room.
Her jaw dropped as she saw the look on my face. “Oh.”
“I know. It’s weird because… we’re not that. I mean, we haven’t been that.”
“But maybe we could be that.”
“Maybe. Would it be weird?”
“I just know that when I heard your voice and I knew that you were ok that I was happy. Happy to know that you survived. And I knew that if I survived that maybe I’d do something about it. You beat me to it, you bitch.”
“I’ve always moved a little faster than you.”
“Sometimes.”
“All the time.”
“So are you gonna do my nails or what?”
I smiled at her and reached for her hand.
Fandom: Resident Alien
Pairing: D'arcy Bloom/Asta Twelvetrees
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1308
Summary: After they'd survived their fall, D'arcy realized her feelings toward Asta had changed
A/N: Written for LadiesBingo prompt Pre-femslash
Whoa.
What just happened?
Asta smiled at me as I came back to the table with a round of beers.
Now don't get me wrong, Asta smiled a lot. That wasn't out of the ordinary.
What was out of the ordinary was my reaction to it.
Maybe I was drunker than I thought.
Whatever, just play it off.
She leaned toward me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded as she took the beer out of my hand. She had really nice fingers.
“We should get our nails done,” I suggested.
“I’m sure the patients would be thrilled.”
“Better than you coming at them with jaggedy nails. I could do them for you.”
“Not at the moment, you can’t.”
“Nah. Later. Maybe Tuesday. I’m not working. Are you free Tuesday?”
“You know I am. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Right as rain. Steady as… whatever’s steady.”
I think it was us landing in the crevasse that did it. My thoughts didn’t go to a whole lot of people. Yeah, I thought of Ethan. He’s a hottie and yeah, I might have cut things short, but it wasn’t going to go anywhere. I know that now. It was just a fleeting moment of what-if before I dropped off the face of the earth for good. I didn’t think of Ben. I guessed I’d finally put him behind me. What got me moving was Asta. She was always good for that. I was willing to sacrifice myself, to give it all up, but Asta… I didn’t want to see that. I didn’t want her to be sentenced to die for something I did or didn’t do.
It was Asta’s voice in my head, encouraging me on as she did back when I had shattered my leg. As she had since the moment the two of us met.
I knew I couldn’t lose her again. I couldn’t go on without letting her know how I feel.
“You know, I really love you,” I said.
She looked me in the eye and then snorted a laugh. “You are so drunk.”
Shit.
I actually was, but that didn’t mean my feelings weren’t real.
Maybe she was right. Maybe in the cold light of day, everything would be back to normal. That might be something that I needed to explore a little more.
Two days later, I walked into the doctor’s office carrying a plate of chocolate chip cookies. They were Asta’s favorite. Of course, she liked when her dad made them, but I was actually getting better at baking. I even had a test cookie (okay, three test cookies) to make sure that they were good.
Ethan was there.
“Are those cookies?” he asked.
They let this guy go to medical school? “Yes,” I said, handing over the plate.
“For me?”
“More like for the office,” I didn’t want to play my hand too quickly.
“Got it,” he said.
I didn’t think he did.
“Is Asta here?” I asked.
“No. She went to check on Harry and then she’ll come in.”
“Oh.” I had no idea what had gone on between Harry and Asta when they fell, only that Asta was very protective of him when I pulled the two of them to the surface.
“I can tell her you stopped by. Unless you want to stick around.”
I could hear Mrs. Phillips hacking up a lung in the waiting room. “Thanks, but you’ve got patients. I’ll pass.”
“Okay. Thanks for the cookies,” he said.
Tuesday rolled around and I spent most of the day cleaning the house. I wasn’t much of a cleaner, but I didn’t let it get too messy either. It would be too much of a turn off for people coming in. On the rare occasions that people did come in. Usually I went out. Asta had seen the house at its worst. She’d come to terms with it early in our friendship.
I had a six pack of her favorite beer in the fridge and what was left of the cookies. I didn’t want to cook anything.
I did put on a pair of my tightest jeans and a t-shirt that read “Hokey Pokey Anonymous - A Place to Turn Yourself Around” that always made her laugh. I was trying for a comfortable vibe here. I didn’t want to dress up too much because I didn’t want Asta to feel uncomfortable.
There should be only one of us who was feeling like she was crawling out of her skin.
There was a knock at the door and then Asta opened it and came inside.
“Hi,” I said, backing into the kitchen.
“Ready to do this?” she wiggled her fingers in my direction.
“Sure. I’ve got everything at the table. You want a beer?”
“Alright.”
I got a beer from the fridge and turned around. She was right there, holding an empty plate.
“I thought you might want this back.”
“Did you get any?”
“They left me one.”
“Those bastards! There were a dozen cookies there.”
“It was good. Better than the coffee I had it with. Ethan cannot make a pot of coffee.”
“Watered down or sludgy?”
“Watered down.”
“Ugh. The worst. Well, I have more if you want them.”
“Maybe after.”
“Sure. How’s Harry?”
“Fine. He’s fine. Looking… more like the Harry we know.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Things… aren’t going to go any further between you and him, are they?”
“Nah. We’re not right for each other.”
Asta mumbled something I didn’t catch. She wasn’t… oh crap.
“You’re in love with him,” I said. How did I not see this sooner? I was such an idiot.
Asta snorted a laugh. “No.”
“He’s not that bad,” I protested. I felt like she was judging me.
“It’s not that.”
“Oh. Okay.” I handed her the bottle of beer that I clutched in my hand.
She glanced at the beer. “This is my brand.”
“Yeah.”
“You hate this beer.”
“Well, hate is a pretty strong word. It’s just… not my favorite.”
“D’arcy, what’s going on?”
“Well, you’re here and I’m going to do your nails and I didn’t want you complaining about my far superior beer when I was working on them.” There, that sounded a lot better than I realized that I’ve got a terrible crush on your and I’m trying to do things you like so that maybe you’ll notice me and think of me as something other than your friend.
“Fair enough.” She walked into the other room and sat down at the table. “We can’t paint them.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just not a good idea. But a nice manicure I can get behind.”
“Okay.”
“Come on. I’ll let you hold my hand for a few minutes.”
I’m glad I didn’t have any of her crappy beer or else I would have spit it across the room.
Her jaw dropped as she saw the look on my face. “Oh.”
“I know. It’s weird because… we’re not that. I mean, we haven’t been that.”
“But maybe we could be that.”
“Maybe. Would it be weird?”
“I just know that when I heard your voice and I knew that you were ok that I was happy. Happy to know that you survived. And I knew that if I survived that maybe I’d do something about it. You beat me to it, you bitch.”
“I’ve always moved a little faster than you.”
“Sometimes.”
“All the time.”
“So are you gonna do my nails or what?”
I smiled at her and reached for her hand.
