Title: Stationary

Author: Claddagh Ring

Disclaimer: I do not own Lemonade Mouth or anything recognizable in this story.

AN: Takes place immediately after Wen brings Olivia her new kitten.

Wen/Olivia friendship, pre-romance; ONESHOT.

"Thank you Wen," Olivia sighed happily, stoking the soft fur of the sleeping kitten in her lap.

"I actually brought you something else," Wen said hesitantly as he pulled a thin, slightly crumpled box from the waistband of his jeans. The lid was made of a cheap, clear plastic that had cracked down the length on on side, but Olivia could still see the smattering of flowers that decorated the otherwise white writing paper that rested inside. Bound together by a pink ribbon, a small stack of envelopes of the same design were bundled together in a corner and rolling around the bottom of the box was a dainty green pen, glittering in the afternoon sun.

"You bought me a stationary kit?" Olivia asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Sydney bought it anyway," Wen said hurriedly. As he grew more and more uncomfortable, a faint blush crept onto his cheeks and he imagined the tips of his ears turning red and fading into his hair. Suddenly this didn't seem like such a great idea anymore. It really wasn't his business to begin with and if she didn't want to, why should she?

"Wen?" Olivia whispered, her voice soft and low.

It's just that she looked so sad sometimes, without even meaning to.

"Yeah, well I just thought... I don't know, that maybe you would want it," Wen stammered, wanting to kick himself in the head. "You know, to... write with."

A small smile spread across her lips and Wen nearly collapsed in relief as Olivia took to box from his hands. Carefully, she peeled away the tape from the sides and began unwinding the ribbon from the stack of envelopes. She dropped it back into the box, but Wen picked it up and wrapped it around her wrist, tying it loosely so that the ends draped down, tickling her knee.

"I thought you could write to you dad," Wen said in a sudden surge of confidence.

Olivia stiffened; her back was rigid and her shoulders tight, her jaw locked and she stared down at her frozen hands in her lap. Wen expected her react this way for she nearly always did when her father was mentioned. He reached over and grabbed her hand, the one with the ribbon, and laced his fingers through hers with a gentle squeeze.

They sat like this, in silence, for quite a while. If he listened carefully, Wen could hear the kitten's soft purring or Olivia's grandmother humming in the kitchen. He wished he knew what to say, something strong and inspiring, something to make her feel better, something to erase all her bad feelings. But nothing came to him, so he resigned himself to just holding her hand and hoping she would forgive him.

With a small sniffle, Olivia turned to look at him. He was surprised to see that her eyes were relatively clear. There was a little tinge of red in the corners, but there were no tears threatening to spill over her lashes or mascara running down her cheek.

"I'm not sure I can do that," Olivia admitted. "I haven't spoken to him in years. At all. Sometimes it takes me weeks to read his letters after I get them."

"I bet he understands that," Wen said kindly.

"And sometimes I'm afraid that he doesn't want to hear from me," she added.

That startled him a bit and his hand in Olivia's went slack. She must have noticed because she pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around her waist as if she were trying to protect herself. She was retreating, Wen realized. She thought he had rejected her, or that he was angry, or... whatever she thought, she was wrong, he knew that immediately. He leaned in closer to her and rested his chin on her shoulder, gazing up imploringly at her. He waited until she turned to look at him before he said what he so desperately wanted to.

"I think I would die if you ever stopped talking to me," he said, as serious as he had ever been in his life. "So, I know for a fact that your dad would want to hear from you."

"You don't," Olivia argued.

"No, I do," Wen insisted. "Why else would he keep writing even when you don't write back?"

"I don't know," Olivia sighed.

"I think he misses you," Wen suggested.

"What would I even say to him?" Olivia asked. " 'Hi dad, I think I failed a biology test last Monday.' I can't do that."

"Well, tell him about Lemonade Mouth," Wen suggested. "It's more interesting than a biology test."

"I don't think he's going to care about our band Wen," Olivia groaned.

"Sure he will. We're the most exciting thing to ever happen to this town," Wen grinned. In a more serious tone, he added, "and it would be all about you, Olivia. Your life and friends, how you're doing, if you're happy. That's probably all he wants to know about."

Olivia didn't respond immediately, just started playing with the ends of her bracelet. The kitten's ears twitched slightly as the ribbon caught a whisker, and Olivia chuckled slightly. An easy smile graced her lips and Wen instantly knew that she would be alright.

"If you want," he said, "I'll help you write it."

She shook her head and said, "No, I think I need to do this myself."

"Then my work here is done," Wen said as he stood up and stretched his back, arms high over his head. Olivia stood up too and wrapped her arms around his waist, taking him by surprise. He left his arms fall until they were around her shoulder, hugging her small body closer to his chest.

"Thank you Wen," she said for the millionth time that day and as far as he could tell, she truly meant it.

AN2: I kind of love Wen and Olivia and I thought since Olivia helped Wen get a grip on the changes in his family, then Wen should help Olivia rebuild her family.