Opposites
By Myriddin

Author's Note: Concerns Tori/Jade romance, especially at the end, but a lot of the fic is Tori-Beck friendship/sibling relationship. I just had the random idea of how that scene at the vet's could have gone, if it was Tori's feelings for Jade being discussed instead, with Beck and Tori actually feeling like brother and sister, and Beck reassuring and encouraging Tori to go after Jade.

"Well," Beck announced as they walked back out into the waiting room of the clinic, "I'd say this is the perfect way to end our opposite date."

"Yep," Tori said with a smile, gesturing with her arm to empathize the sarcasm in her voice, "Waiting for dog ointment."

As they neared a set of empty chairs, Beck turned to her with a mischievous expression. "Actually, we're going to have an even more perfect ending."

Tori gave him a confused smile as they sat down. "What do you mean?"

Beck's grin grew. "Applying ointment to the affected area," he elaborated, rotating his thumb in a circle to make his point as she made a disgusted face in response.

"Mmm-mm," she agreed, folding her hands in front of her. "Well, I think this has been a great little experiment."

"Experiment?"

"Yeah. We proved that you and I can hang out, y'know, just the two of us, and not have it turn into a datey thing," she put air quotes around the word "datey" and though it was a bit cheesy, Beck got her point.

"No doubt," he said matter-of-factly, "In fact, when I take you home later, I'm going to punch you in the arm." As she stared at him with an arched brow, he gave a soft jab to her upper arm, to which she protested and clutched the limb. They got caught up in their play, laughing as they did so, only interrupted by the strange man in the corner asking a very obvious question. Yes, it was a dog.

"Are you two brother and sister?" came the question from a woman nearby.

Both Tori and Beck gave her confused looks and quickly refuted the question, though Tori had to admit that evening had felt good for that very same reason. Hanging with Beck must have been what having a brother felt like.

"Nah," Beck said, "We're just buds."

They went through a small little explanation of their situation with Jade and as Tori finished with, "It'd be weird if he and I dated."

"Why would that be weird?" The dog man again.

Beck pointed his thumb at the small distance between him and Tori. "Because we all hang out together." Catching the interested look coming from the earlier woman, Beck leaned forward, as if to share some great secret, "We wouldn't work anyway," he told the woman, "She already likes someone else."

Tori's mouth dropped, and she slapped his shoulder indignantly. "Beck! I told you that in confidence!"

He pouted, rubbing the sore spot. "It's not like I said who."

"Still!" She lowered her voice, hoping to keep things just between them. "Isn't it a little strange for you to be teasing me about that considering it's your ex I have a crush on?"

His mouth cocked into that same knowing smirk. "Relax, Tor."

Unfortunately for Tori, she hadn't spoken quite as softly as she thought. That, or everyone in that waiting room had super-hearing. A Hispanic man in the opposite corner slightly raised his hand. "Um, if I could chime in. Isn't it weird knowing a girl you're friends with has feelings for your ex-girlfriend?"

Beck shrugged. "Not really. Jade's the one that broke up with me, so it's not like I would have any reason to be mad or anything."

Meanwhile, Tori was flushed a deep red, sinking down in her seat as if to make herself smaller.

A long-haired man with a leather jacket and a tank in his lap shifted over to join the conversation. "I think we're ignoring the obvious question. She's got feelings for this Jade, but how's Jade feel about her?"

The Hispanic man beside him nodded. "Yeah, does she still have feelings for the boy with the hair?"

Tori groaned, burying her face in her hands. Beck consolingly patted her on the back, looking up again when he was asked why his relationship with Jade had ended. He hummed thoughtfully, "Jade and I were together a long time. We just kinda burned out after a while. I'll always love Jade, as a friend, but that's it. And it wasn't just me. Her attention kept drifting off to someone else toward the end." He gave Tori a pointed look, though she didn't see. His audience caught his drift, however, and nodded sagely.

Tori forgot her embarrassment long enough to glance up at her friend, searching for something in his eyes. "Are you sure? It'd make sense if the feelings were still there, and you just got tired of the fighting. It was no secret that Jade freaked out over every little thing."

"Sometimes girls do that," a little girl with pigtails remarked from the other side of the room, "Cause we get scared." She shot Tori a disparaging look. "You're a girl. You should get that."

"I do!" Tori hissed, frustration rising as she folded her arms defensively. "I just meant that Jade's intense. She's a lot to handle."

Beck put an arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer. The move felt right and natural, as if she was his little sister, his best friend, in need of reassurance. "But she's worth it," he said softly.

Tori sighed, letting her head fall to his shoulder. "I know. She's worth everything."

Beck smiled softly. "And you can handle her. You're strong."

She peeked up at him vulnerably. "You think so?"

Beck nodded firmly. "I know so."

Suddenly, the topic of their strange conversation came crashing through the door, with a distressed-looking Cat at her heels. Tori's heart caught in her throat at the sight of Jade standing there proud and defiant, beautiful as ever in black. She found herself gulping, however, at the pissed-off look the raven-haired beauty was sporting. They were in such deep shit.

"There they are!" Jade announced, waving her arms around as if to start up some show.

Beck and Tori quickly shot to their feet as Cat tried to vainly diffuse the situation, quickly giving up after a few stuttering attempts. Tori eyed Jade nervously as Beck stood calmly at her side, staring down his ex-girlfriend.

"Jade," he said mildly after a flurry of arguing went on around the room over the merits of whether he and Tori were truly on a date, "You don't have any reason to be angry. We're just out as friends."

Jade gave him an unimpressed look, but he knew better. They might not be together anymore, but nearly three years dating had taught him a few things about her. Underneath her façade, he could see she felt defeated and her anger had defused a long time ago. "Jade," he repeated patiently, hoping to dispel some of the tension radiating from the girl beside him.

Jade sighed, seeming to deflate as she did so. "I'm not mad," she admitted, looking away from them both with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not," she reinforced at the incredulous expressions given to her by Cat and Tori. A few more choice words about friendship, blah, blah, blah, and they were all okay again.

As the ointment was brought out and they gathered themselves to go, Beck sidled up to Jade, leaning down until he was level with her ear. "It wasn't me you were jealous over," he whispered, "And you know it."

She stiffened, shooting him a glare but he was hardly fazed, moving around to engage Cat in another random conversation about her brother. As they walked through the parking lot toward the cars, Tori fell into step with her frenemy and object of affection, glancing at the other girl out of the corner of her eye. "Jade?"

"What, Vega?"

Tori fidgeted, raising a hand to nervously fiddle with her hair. "Beck…he wasn't lying. I'm really not interested in him that way."

Jade sighed, softening slightly as she moved to release the death grip the half-Latina had on her brunette locks, not bothering to release Tori's hand as she let her fingers fall away. "I know," she replied simply.

Feeling unusually daring, Tori entwined their fingers. Holding her breath in fear of Jade rejecting the touch, she was startled when the raven-haired girl instead squeezed her hand. Tori bit her lip and ducked her head, color dusting her cheeks as she squeezed back in return.

And Jade let herself smile ever so slightly, unseen by any of her friends.