Comfy Clothes
Alely7
Summary: A C&M alternate hook-up.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters and this is purely for enjoyment. No profits will be made.
Foreword: I don't think this has already been done, but if it has, I am sorry and I did not know. This is my first fic, so it might be kind of bad. This takes place in season 4, after Chandler breaks up with Kathy, so he is in the sweatpants phase. Also, let's say that Monica works at a really great restaurant.
Chandler woke up very late on Monday morning, and then he remembered: Kathy cheated on him. He pulled the blankets over his face and started to feel the effects of all of the alcohol from the night before. Why did he always get hurt? he thought. He was a good guy, but people, especially girls, always walked all over him. He heard someone out side in the living room, and he knew that this person was going to come into his room. He figured that it was Monica; she was always checking up on him. It was pretty endearing. They had always had a special connection. Nonetheless, Chandler did not want to face anyone and explain his latest relationship woes, so he pretended to still be asleep. Someone opened the door and entered his room. Right away, he knew it was Monica by the familiar smell of her perfume. She stood there watching him "sleep" and right away she noticed his pained expression. She took some paper and a pen from his bedside table and quickly scrawled the following note:
Chandler,
We are all going to dinner tonight. Meet us at Central perk and 7:00. Have a good day.
Love,
Monica
She silently watched Chandler for a few moments before leaving and heading to work. During the whole cab trip, she was a little worried about Chandler.
A soon as Monica had left, Chandler reached for her note and noticed how she signed it "Love, Monica". He let his mind wander for a little while until he dismissed the thoughts and went to put on his sweatpants. He was prepared for the day ahead of him, which included wallowing in self-pity, and a fancy dinner was definitely not part of his agenda. He figured he would stop by the girls' apartment later on and leave a note about how was wasn't in the mood to go out.
When Monica arrived at work, her co-workers seemed unusually distant. Not two minutes after depositing her coat, she was summoned by her boss. The next events were a blur for her, but in less than half and hour, she was back at her apartment, changing into her sweats. She decided to try Chandler's approach to recovery, but in her case, she was dealing with losing her job. She settled herself on the couch and wondered why she could never catch a break: in work or with men.
Later in the afternoon, Chandler, who was still in his sweats, wandered over to the girls' apartment looking for food and planning on leaving a note, but certainly not expecting to find Monica lying on the couch surrounded by junk food and tissues. He immediately knew that she had been fired; why else would she be home at three in the afternoon on a Monday? He also noticed that she was wearing sweatpants. He couldn't help thinking about how beautiful she was, even when she was upset.
When Monica heard the door close, she saw Chandler standing there, looking very cute with his disheveled hair and his traditional after-the-break-up outfit. Then it hit her, something must have happened with Kathy. Monica stood up and started walking towards him, just as he was walking towards her. They met in the middle and hugged, not needing any explanations, just because they knew each other so well. After what seemed like only seconds, but was actually several minutes, Chandler slowly pulled away and simply said,
"Mon, sweetie, it's ok. It will all work out. Don't you worry."
"But Chandler---," Monica began.
Chandler sharply cut her off, "No buts. Trust me. You are a good person, and good things happen to good people."
"But Chandler, you're a good person, and bad things happen to you. I mean, look at you. You're in the sweatpants phase, which can only mean that something happened with Kathy. What happened?"
"She cheated on me," Chandler solemnly stated, holding back tears.
Monica quickly embraced him and whispered condolences in his ear. She knew how awful he must feel; after all, he thought Kathy was the love of his life. He was a great guy and anyone would be lucky to have him. After a few minutes, Monica broke away.
"Don't you see? Good people like us keep getting screwed."
"I know Mon, things may suck now, but I think we will be repaid in the future, you know. Like we will both fall in love with these amazing people and it will last forever, to make up for our horrible love lives now. Plus, our crappy jobs now, or lack there of, must mean that something great will happen for us in the future career wise."
"I don't know Candler, something pretty incredible must be in store for us, because my life is pretty sucky right now. Oh, and how did you know about my job?"
"Mon, you're in your sweats, you have tissues everywhere which you have not cleaned up, you have eaten three boxes of those fudge cookies, and you are home at three on a Monday. I think we know each other a little too well."
Monica smiled and Chandler looked lovingly at her. He was glad that at least they were together now.
Chandler continued, "Hey Mon, I have and idea. Why don't we blow off dinner tonight, rent some sappy movies, buy some real ice cream and hang out together?"
Monica smiled again, marveled at how sweet Chandler was being. She had never seen him so considerate. She gave him a big hug and they walked out the door, arm in arm, fully aware of how comfortable they were together.
When they arrived at the video store, Chandler had his arm protectively draped over Monica's shoulders while Monica had her arm wrapped around his waist. This was not uncommon for them, as they were always very close, and they thought nothing of it. Together, they picked out three movies, and they were surprised at how they had completely agreed on the choices. When they approached the counter to pay, they had not moved their arms from this position, and the clerk noticed. He looked the two up and down and couldn't help thinking what a cute couple these two made. Both looked disheveled in their comfy clothes, but the way that they looked at each other and the way their arms were wrapped around each other made it seem like they were totally in love. Their choice of ultra-romantic movies topped it off and the clerk just had to say something.
"You two make the cutest couple."
Without thinking, Monica hastily replied, "Thank you, that is so sweet."
Then she kissed Chandler on the cheek. Chandler was stunned, not only because of Monica's reply, but by the kiss. He felt rather happy, and was ashamed for felling this way. But still, he decided to play along because it might be fun and because he wanted to save Monica the humiliation of admitting they were not a couple.
Monica immediately regretted what she had said and done, even though it felt so natural. She didn't know what had prompted her to do this. Maybe it was the fact that she did not have a boyfriend and so she was trying to make up for it, or maybe she was attracted to Chandler. But no, Chandler was only a friend, a sweet, handsome, funny, and smart friend, but still only a friend. She was desperately afraid that Chandler would freak out and she silently prayed that he wouldn't go all "Chandler" on her. Her fears were allayed when she noticed he was playing along.
"Awww, I love you sweetie," Chandler had said and he tightened his grasp of her.
Monica smiled at him, her eyes giving him a silent "thank you" and "I'm sorry". They gazed at each other for a few moments until they were interrupted by a question from the clerk.
"How long have you two been together?"
Chandler quickly replied, "Ten months, but we had been very good friends for years before we finally got together."
Both Monica and Chandler were shocked at how quickly Chandler had responded and how he answered with such ease.
"Well the, I am sure it will last forever. I have always heard that the best and truest love grows from a solid friendship as a foundation."
With that, the clerk handed them their change and the movies while wishing them the nest of luck.
Monica and Chandler left the store absorbed in though, unaware that they still clung to each other. All the way home, they thought about what the clerk had said about friends who become lovers. It certainly did not work out for Ross and Rachel, but then again, they were not as close of friends when they took that leap. Both Monica and Chandler did not want to risk their friendship, especially because that was the only stable thing in their lives right now. Still, they wondered what it would be like to have something more. They also both thought about what they must have looked like, in order for the clerk to mistake them for a couple in love. Was it in the looks they gave or was it because of the way they held on to each other? Sure they had always been pretty touchy. Monica had often laid her head on Chandler's shoulders, and Chandler had sat numerous times with his feet up in Monica's lap. Not any of their friends had ever mentioned their closeness, so it was second nature for the duo. Now Monica and Chandler paid close attention to this, yet their arms stayed in place.
They walked in comfortable silence all the way home, yet it was uncomfortable too, considering the events of the video store. Neither one of them wanted to bring up the subject, but when they reached the door of the girls' apartment, Monica felt that something, anything needed to be said.
"Chandler, I'm so sorry about before. I don't know what I was thinking."
"Don't worry about it Mon, it was actually kind of fun."
"So no "weird" feelings?"
" No "weird" feelings. I promise. So let's start the movies."
"Okay!!!"
The rest of the night they laughed and enjoyed themselves. They both forgot about the reasons for their distress earlier that day. But sill, they both could not stop thinking about what had happened in the video store. By the end of the second movie, Monica had fallen asleep with her head in Chandler's lap. Chandler looked at her sweetly and couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such a great friend. She looked so peaceful sleeping there, so he decided against moving her. He watched her sleep for a while and then he fell asleep too.
When Rachel arrived home after dinner, she couldn't believe what she saw. Chandler and Monica lay asleep on the couch. They were huddled together and Monica was practically on top of Chandler. His arms were protectively wrapped around her. Rachel thought they looked extremely cute together, but this hadn't come as a complete surprise. The first time she had seen them together, after her almost wedding, she had thought that they were in fact a couple. She didn't know what it was about them, but they just sort of fit together. They were very close and were always looking out for each other; helping with problems and making each other laugh. They were each other's other halves. When she thought about it logically, she couldn't understand why they were not together. They were both neurotic, but together, they might be able to mellow each other. Chandler could help Monica with her obsessive tendencies and Monica could help Chandler with his commitment issues. Plus, they both had similar interests. And to top it off, Rachel knew that Monica once had a major crush on Chandler, so there must be some attraction, and Chandler had offered to be her boyfriend many times. Whether or not he was joking, Rachel hoped his offers were based on a foundation of attraction, trust, and caring for Monica. Right then and there, Rachel developed a plan to bring them together. She would definitely need the help and cooperation of their friends, but there was no way this could backfire. Operation Monica and Chandler was about to get into action.
Chapter 2 is coming soon!!!!!
Please review and remember that this was my first fic, so it might not be good.