Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to Queen and Ben Elton. On a similar note - Happy birthday Mr May :)
A/N: This came out angsty than I wanted. Either way, this genre is definitely not my forte so I hope you guys don't hate it too much!
"You are the best thing about this place."
Scaramouche smiled sadly at Galileo from her position on the floor. She leant back against the tree trunk, letting her head fall back and her eyes flutter shut. The wood from the willow tree dug into her bony shoulder blades but she didn't complain, not even when an icy wind ran straight through her veins. Galileo sat down beside her, his arm carefully sliding around her shoulders. Scaramouche was grateful for the pain relief, in more ways than one. Gaz was her pillar of strength in her times of need, he was her support system and she was so thankful for him it was unbelievable.
"No-one else thinks that," she told him quietly, letting her head rest on his shoulder – a welcome relief from the hard bark of the tree.
"When have you ever cared what anyone else thought?"
Scaramouche shrugged. Like she'd ever admit that Galileo had turned her soft. His love affected her in ways she couldn't believe, he had broken down the barrier that she had in place for everyone else. He had seen through the façade of her previous life and had given her the opportunity to become everything she ever wanted to be.
"I don't," Scaramouche stated, letting a small smile grace her features as she felt Gaz slide his fingers through hers.
Her deep brown eyes still closed, she lifted her free hand to twist a plait around her fingers, a nervous habit she had picked up in the last few weeks. She wasn't known for her nervous streak; at least she hadn't been until a few weeks ago. Pop had been recruiting new Bohemians and had managed to bring back five new people, nearly all girls (surprise, surprise) who were all ridiculously gorgeous.
Scaramouche had at first tried to stay away from the clique, fear of rejection addling her thoughts, until Galileo had convinced her that they were nothing like the Gaga girls she had been bullied by at school. He was right. All the girls had been lovely to her, happy to join in with the work that had to be done and more than keen to learn how to make musical instruments. They accepted her and made her feel like they'd been friends for years. It had been blissful to finally fit in with a group of girls, almost exactly how Scaramouche had imagined it would be.
Of course it was too good to be true, she should've known.
Scaramouche had found a good friend in June until said friend had grown a certain attachment to Galileo. And all of a sudden, June hated Scaramouche, turned all the other girls against her in a desperate attempt to change Galileo's mind. The girls would act sweet and kind when Gaz was in plain sight, but the second he was gone it was like Cyber School All Over again. Naturally, all of Scaramouche's defences returned and she slid back into her sarcastic, feisty self. It was hard to understand that she was pushing Galileo further away from herself and straight into June's arms, but it was the realisation that she would lose him, and really lose him, that snapped her back into reality. The thought that she could seriously lose the love of her life, the other half of her, the reason she breathed, shook her to her very core and Scaramouche knew she had to do something. Anything.
So she told Galileo exactly what had been happening, not telling him previously for fear of him not believing her. He had laughed and she had run; finding solace under the willow tree on the grounds. Which was where Gaz found her a short while later, her eyes closed, breathing even, tiny body wracked with silent tears which she hastened to wipe away at his approach.
"Why did you run away?" Galileo asked, pulling her fingers away from her hair so he could continue the tirade.
"You don't believe me, the girls, they hate me and you don't believe that," she responded quickly, on reflex Scaramouche tugged her fingers out of his almost immediately regretting the action.
"I never said that! Scaramouche, why wouldn't I believe you? I love you." The brunette beside her desperately tried to explain. "I laughed because you told me you didn't expect me to believe you, and I didn't understand how you could even think that." She didn't flinch when he reached for her hand and twined their fingers once again.
Scaramouche sighed in his arms. Galileo was far too good for her, too understanding, too loving, too kind, absolutely everything she wasn't. Sure she loved him, but was that enough to keep him? Didn't he deserve better? As much as she needed him, she was sure that she wasn't good for him. He needed someone to give him the same understanding, the same love and the same kindness. She had gone through this thought process many times and had always managed to shake it off, but now, now, it was so obvious that she was so wrong for him that Scaramouche wasn't sure there was anything else to do but break it off. As this thought echoed through her mind, a fresh wave of tears overcame her. She was about to lose the love of her life, once and for all.
Once again she tugged her fingers from his and sat up straight, leaning back against the tree trunk, a hard sigh emitting from her body.
"Don't you dare," Gaz whispered, his voice almost getting lost in the wind. Scaramouche snapped her eyes open to look in his direction and she was more than surprised to see him standing a little way from her, a pained yet weary expression on his face. "I know what you're going to do and don't you dare!" he repeated.
"Then you feel it too," she stated sadly, her head tilting to the side as she watched him.
"No, Scaramouche! Stop doing that!" he demanded, looking like it was taking all of his energy not to stomp his foot like a small child in aggravation. "I love you and I'm not leaving you. You are the best thing about this place and you are the best thing about me."
"But," Scaramouche began,
"Absolutely no buts!" Galileo cried loudly. He took two long strides and knelt before her, taking both of her hands in his. "Where are you?" he whispered, looking deep into her cinnamon eyes. "Where has your self-confidence gone?" He dropped her hands to gently brush away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. "I know you're in there." His long fingers carefully brushed away her purple fringe from her face and Galileo leant closer to place a soft kiss to her forehead.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall. "I don't deserve you."
"Well you've got me and you're never getting rid of me," he paused, waiting for her to open her eyes and look at him properly, "Scaramouche," he prompted, his fingers under her chin forcing her to look at him. "I love you."
A small smile found its way onto her lips, her eyes sparkling as she understood that he really wasn't going to leave her, not now, not ever. Galileo was staring back at her, pure love and devotion in his eyes. Scaramouche cleared her throat gently, taking a deep breath to stop the tears as she reached out her fingers to push back Gaz's hair from his face. He smiled at her, tipping his head to the side as he watched her inquisitively.
"I love you too," she told him finally. Galileo's smile split into a grin as he tugged her up onto her knees, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her softly. Her arms gently wound around his shoulders, fingers entangled in his soft locks. Galileo was wrong, she decided. He was the best thing about this place.