Pairing: Raleigh Becket/Chuck Hansen
Promt: Chaleigh from seven to twenty seven, a romance 20 years in the making.
Well you sick, masochistic bastard I came through, as all my usual readers are aware, I have an intense penchant for angst, so look out readers. Here we gooooooooo...
A couple of times in your life it happens like that. You meet a stranger, and all you know is that you need to know everything about him. - Lisa Kleypas, Sugar Daddy.
Chapter One: Your Seven Years old...
Your seven years old, just moved here from Australia and all the kids here are pale, loud-mouthed and rambunctious. Your father tries to urge you to make friends after your teacher calls to tell him that you spent your first day happily sitting in the corner, reading the lower level books by yourself – because big words are hard – and staring out the window at the spot you'd been dropped off this morning. After four days of the same phone call your father brings it up over lukewarm soup and slightly stale crackers. You try to tell your dad you miss Oz and mum and your old house with the tire swing in the back and the hot sun on your face but it sticks in your throat because even at seven your communication skills suck when it comes to your father. So instead you promise to try harder tomorrow to make some friends.
The next day the kids are still as pale, loud-mouthed and rambunctious as the day before. Despite your better judgement, you throw yourself into the fray instead of retreating the corner like you've done before. You try to keep up but you get tired easier, or maybe it's because your heart isn't in it all the way, but you tire of playing and yearn for the corner again. Except this time, when you get back to the corner, there's a little blonde boy sitting in your spot with a reading book from a higher level. You notice him mouthing the words confidently to himself, and wonder sullenly why this boy is allowed solitude and you are not.
"You're sitting in my spot." Even at seven you sound like an asshole.
Big blue eyes peer up at him, blinking owlishly. "Sorry?"
"You're sitting in my spot," you repeat, with a little more fire as you feel your face get hot because who does this doorknob think he is. "Didn't mummy and daddy ever teach you manners, Yankee?"
Blondie puts down his book; creasing the corner of the page he was on to keep his place, and stands. He's taller than you, and you suddenly wonder if you're about to get into another fight. At least tonight's call to your father won't be as monotonous as the earlier ones.
Tears gather in those blue eyes, and before the guilt has time to settle in your stomach, a half closed fist flies at you and hits you right in the nose.
Your father gets the phone call later that night and yells at you at dinner, telling you that little boy hasn't got any parents and that he shouldn't make other kids cry, and doesn't he have any regard for other people's feelings, and what would his mum –
And Herc freezes because those are words he never says, and your chest tightens to the point that you can barely breathe, and your suddenly crying into your arms without warning while the wrong parent stands by your side, unsure of whether to touch you or not. You wish he would, you need the physical comfort that only a parent can offer to their children, but unfortunately it is not mom standing beside you or you'd already be wrapped up in her arms, her mouth whispering comforts in your hair. Dad remains distant and try as you might to not ache for his arms, you do anyways.
The next day at school, you split your cheese sandwich, Swiss cheese, the good cheese, the kind of cheese you usually hoard to yourself, and all is forgiven. Raleigh Becket suddenly begins to follow you around like a lost little puppy dog but you don't mind much because now you're not the last picked for partners and Raleigh turns out to be pretty decent at freeze tag, because together you're an unstoppable team and the fastest runners in the class.
Dads a bit bemused the first time Raleigh shows up on the step, dropped off by his foster parents Mr and Mrs Reed, who insist that Chuck call them James and Bonnie. Raleigh turns out to be obsessed with soda, all kinds of soda. Anything you can name – Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Root Beer – because Bonnie's a dentist and the only unhealthy treats in that house are the ones Raleigh hides in his laundry hamper. So now there's always soda in the fridge, and Hercs so goddamned happy you've made a friend that it embarrasses you a bit the way he fawns over Raleigh, attending him more closely than he does with you. So you spend most of your time at Raleigh's house, avoiding his little sister Jazmine because Raleigh adores her and at two she just gets in the way and rolls on top of your play station controllers.
You pretend you don't hear the yelling when Raleighs older brother Yancy comes home late from hockey practice without calling. Raleighs smile wobbles when Yancy screams at their foster parents and you take his hand and crawl into Raleighs small little closet and you burrow yourselves in the pile of unfolded shorts at the bottom. You reach out and kick the wooden door closed and now the voices are muffled.
"s'okay Ray. It's okay." You whisper, snuggling closer to your best friend and you stay there until Bonnie calls you down for dinner.
There you are, chapter one. Let me know what you think!