Hello, my beauties. Well, school's finally out, graduation is over, and I have a new laptop :D All is well with the world. And, to make it even better, I have a new story for you. Hope you all read it and enjoy. :)

Disclaimer.

"I'm getting married."

2D choked on a mouthful of beer and had to pound his chest to start breathing right again. Noodle was leaning over the back of the sofa, watching with a contemplative expression. She waited calmly for him to finish dying. When his airway had cleared and he was breathing heavily, he looked at her with wide eyes and the funniest expression Noodle had seen in a while.

"Married? Wh- what? Yew're only twenty-one, love. Yew can' get married!" She rolled her eyes and hopped over the back of the sofa, landing beside the singer with a light bounce.

"Toochi… plenty of people get married at twenty-one." 2D set his beer on the lopsided coffee table and mopped up what spilled beer he could with a nearby newspaper.

"Yeah, but… yew don' afta." He mumbled to himself. The image of Noodle in a wedding dress wasn't what was bothering him. He rather liked that image. What bothered him was the irrefutable fact that it would probably not be him waiting her her at the alter. He had never told Noodle his feelings for her, and now it seemed he was paying the price. "Who're yew gonna marry anyway?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Noodle shrugged.

"I'm going to ask my boyfriend." 2D's eyes widened but he remained silent. He picked at a hole in his jeans.

"Oo's yeh'r boyfriend?" He asked very quietly.

"Darren? Don't you remember him? I brought him home at least three times before… the thing." She was referring to El Mañana, of course, "I got hold of him when I came back and I… snuck out to see him. We've been seeing each other for a while now. I really like him." 2D racked his brain, did he remember a Darren? He felt like he should have remembered the lucky bastard who had Noodle's heart.

"Yeah, but shouldn' he be askin' yew? Tha's 'ow I'd do it." Noodle tilted her head at him. He quickly backtracked, "I mean, if I was- if it wos me- I'd jist- er- I… uh- yeah." She raised an eyebrow but let it go.

"Anyway, you think it'd be a good idea?" 2D felt his heart screaming that no, there was no way in hell that was a good idea, but he held his tongue. This wasn't his place. She clearly didn't desire him, should he hold her back from the thing she wanted? He was torn between shouting out his confession of love then and there, or just sulking to his underwater bedroom. He looked up at her, she was waiting for his answer expectantly. She had come to him as a friend, seeking advice. That's all he was to her. He sighed and tried his best to force a smile.

"If… tha's wot yew want…?" She nodded happily. He ran his hand through his hair.

"Then… do it, I suppose." He got up and left the room, leaving his beer behind, forgotten.

…

2D had been waiting for this day for a while. Noodle planned to tell Murdoc and Russel her marriage plans today. She was currently in the small kitchen with them, chatting casually. 2D sat against the wall outside of the space, listening. He knew he didn't have the heart himself to stop her from something that made her happy, but he also knew that Murdoc would have no trouble with it if it meant keeping his band together. He heard a lull in the conversation. He turned his head towards the kitchen and waited, not daring to breathe.

"Murdoc, Russel… I was wondering what you thought of me getting married." That was it, very straightforward. Not the bombshell that had been dropped on him. He grinned tightly and waited for the outburst that would most definitely come from Murdoc. He waited. It never came. Russel spoke first.

"Who're you getting married to, baby girl?" Murdoc started, but at a lower volume than 2D expected.

"Is it to the dullard? I swear, I won't have-" Noodle cut him off.

"It's to my boyfriend," That word still tugged at 2D's heart strings, "Remember Darren?" The two murmured their recognition.

"Ok… I guess, it's up to you, baby girl. Don't know if I even have any say anymore, do I?" There was no reply, but 2D could imagine Noodle was shaking her head and smiling sadly. Murdoc spoke again.

"When do I get to meet the swotty boy again? I want him to know exactly who he's getting as an uncle." 2D heard the musical tinkle of Noodle's laughter and he sighed. He heaved himself off the floor and slumped to the door, one hand in his pocket, the other twirling a knife between his fingers.

2D settled himself on the top of Melancholy Hill. This was his favorite spot to sit and think. He could sit here all day of he wanted and watch the storm clouds roll in. For some reason, the sky always looked ready to downpour, but it never did. 2D sort of liked it. He could get all the song-inspiring views of the stormy clouds without the drenching rain. He propped his legs up close to his body and rested his arms on his knees, flipping the knife between his fingers. His thoughts were as unruly as the clouds above.

His only perceived allies had betrayed him. He was counting on Murdoc or Russel to put up a fight against Noodle getting married. He figured at least one of them would have a problem with it, but no. Neither of them seemed to have any issues with the fact that Noodle was throwing her life away for some degenerate they didn't even know. 2D glared at the grass. And Noodle. She didn't even care about how he felt. She was running off and leaving him alone. In 2D's eyes, this strange boy was taking Noodle away from him forever. He felt he had only just got her back and she was being ripped from his side again. 2D wracked his brains. Had he ever see this "Darren" bloke? He vaguely recalled Noodle introducing a boy with jet black hair and grey eyes, but he had been slightly stumbling drunk at the time, so he couldn't be sure.

A gull flew by 2D's perch. There weren't that many birds around here, save the pelican and the seagull that always hung out around the entrance to the main house. 2D wondered what it was doing here. 2D forgot about it as soon as it left his sight.

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He supposed that he should quit, smokers never tended to do well later in life. As he lit up, he shrugged. Old habits die hard. He inhaled deeply and blew his cares away with the carcinogen-laced smoke. He slowly relaxed. What did he care if a girl he fancied was getting married, happened all the time. Of course, usually, the woman getting married was drunk and out on her bachelorette party when he met them. A few drinks and a wild night later, and the blushing bride-to-be was on her way again, smart enough to never speak of that night again. This was a bit different. He had never been on this end.

He heard footsteps behind him, lightly climbing the hill. He knew who it was, but he didn't look up. Noodle sat next to him on the grass and stuffed her hands in her pockets. 2D hadn't noticed the chill before now. He didn't look at her, he just waited for her to speak, flipping his knife expertly between his fingers.

"I know you were creeping around outside of the kitchen." He shrugged and tossed the blade up in the air, catching it at the last possible second.

"S'at a problem? Ih's my kitchen too." Noodle looked at him, surprised at his tone.

"No… I just wondered why you were just sitting there." Again, he shrugged.

"'Eard yew tell Muds an' Russ 'bout yew're little… marriage." She smiled. She looked at him again, and nudged his arm with her elbow.

"Are you mad?"

"S'none of my business, love." No matter how much he wanted it to be his business.

"I know. But you seemed a bit upset when I told you."

"I jist fink yew're too young. 'At's wot I fink. Too young to do somefin 'at drastic wiv yeh'r life." She smiled sadly at him.

"I'm twenty-one, 2D." 2D turned and snapped at her.

"Exactly!" Noodle looked down at her hands.

"Darren's really great, you know… he's really a gentleman." 2D resisted the urge to snort. How much of a gentleman could this bloke be if he was taking Noodle away? "I think you and he would get along. You both have that same…" She trailed off. 2D turned his head. How dare she compare him to that stupid slimy git that had his girl on a string?

"… wot?" She grinned down at her hands.

"You both have the same kind of spirit… that same spark, you know?" 2D blinked. He wished she wouldn't make him fall so in love with her if she had no intention of falling too. He wondered if all of his past affairs and whatever else he had gotten up to was finally coming back to bite him. The one girl he wanted after all this time, was the one who wanted to get married to someone else. He took his cigarette and blew the smoke out to the sea.

"'Ave yew asked 'im yet?"

"Yes."

"Wot did 'e say?" He knew the answer. Who wouldn't say yes to Noodle? He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He wanted her so badly, it felt like an ache. She gently smiled and spoke very in a very matter-of-fact fashion.

"He said yes." 2D's fist clenched.

"Did 'e get yeh a ring yet?"

"Soon. Murdoc's letting him come over so he can pick me up. We're going to the mainland to look at rings." 2D took a drag of his cigarette, bitterly.

"Why did yew come out 'ere?" He didn't look at her. He knew his question was a bit rude, and he wasn't surprised at her expression. He was hurting, though. And it was hard to forget about the girl you want when that girl is sitting two feet away.

"… I wanted to see if you were alright." She managed to stammer.

"Why?" His question was sharp and demanding. She stared at the ground, trying to find the answer written in the fake grass. She had heard his light breathing outside of the kitchen and saw the reflection of the glass door opening. She cared for the singer very much. He was practically her brother.

"Because I care about you." He closed his eyes. 'Such lies', he thought, 'you don't care about me or my feelings at all, you selfish bi-' but he couldn't cuss her out, even in his own thoughts. He felt so tired of this. This stupid game. This stupid game where 2D found new things to like about her every day and Noodle would seem to reciprocate his feelings before turning around and doing something that shattered his heart again. He didn't know how much more he could take.

"Wotever." Noodle flew into a fury.

"Look, why are you being so hostile all of a sudden? I just came to see if you were alright!"

"Well, I'm absolutely peachy, are yew satisfied?"

"No! Because you're still being an arse and I don't know why!" Noodle was standing now and 2D stood as well. His height didn't make her back down.

"I'm being an arse? Me? Wot about yew?"

"What about me?"

"Yew jist…dropped a bombshell on me, not two days ago! 'Oh, by the way, 2D. I know I just got back an' everyfing, but I'm going to get married!' Wot about that?"

"What about that? What's wrong with it? I can do whatever I want! Don't try to tell me you're going to try and tell me what to do!"

"Even if I did, yew would jist go off anyway!"

"Because you're not the boss of me!"

"Oh, well, excuuuuuuse me! Don't mind me, Noodle. I'm jist lookin' out fer yeh and all. But don't let it bover yew, yew do know what's best, after all."

"Yes! I do! I do know what's best! And I'll thank you to just be a bit happy for me instead of moping around!" A long silence followed. 2D hadn't known that she had noticed his sorrow. He figured she didn't know what caused it, though. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.

"Look, can I jist… be by meself for a while? Please?" He knew he was being an asshole, but he didn't know what else to do. She sighed and got up, brushing his arm as she walked away. He shivered when he felt her touch and hated himself for doing so. Before she walked back down the hill, she stopped and turned around.

"I hope you get over whatever mood you're in really soon… because I'm going to need someone to walk me down the aisle." 2D felt himself sway as she disappeared. His day couldn't get any worse. Now he was expected to peacefully and personally hand over the girl he loved to another bloke. He sat on the grass and put his head in his hands.

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