Paid in Full
AN: So I was going to write chapter 1 of that multi-chapter thing I've been talking about, but then my brain said "Hmm, you know what, NO. Here, have this." So here it is, a third part in what I've decided to call the 'Winding Road' series, taking place after 'The Definition of Insanity' (after all, 'Love is a winding road'…or something like that…lol).
Disclaimer: I don't own Coraline: talk to Neil Gaiman/Laika Studios.
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"Give her something she'll really love…diamonds."
Click.
"--every woman's dream: a rich guy who buys her lots of presents!"
Click.
"My man takes care of me. Look at what he bought me--"
"Augh!" Throwing up his hands in surrender, Wybie gave up on his planned afternoon of lazing in front of the television, switching the set off. "First the radio, now this…nothing is safe anymore!" Rolling onto his back, he thought of the reason for his frustration: Coraline Jones.
He and the blue-haired, spider-stomping girl of his dreams had been best friends for over four years and a couple for over four months. There had been misunderstandings here and there, but overall he couldn't be happier being with her.
However, he also couldn't help feeling a little--or maybe a lot--insecure.
Sure, Coraline had shown him she didn't care what he looked like or how geeky he was: preferred him that way, actually. Yet despite her rather persuasive arguments (which involved a lot of lip action but very little talking), Wybie still felt the need to prove himself, to show her she'd made a solid investment.
Wybie Lovat needed to get a job.
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So he did, at the local mechanic's shop.
The pay was good enough, the work enjoyable, and the access to parts and equipment not available in his own garage invaluable. 'Best of all,' he reflected, rifling through the wad of crinkled bills in his hand, 'now I can afford to take her out, buy her nice things--like a man should.' After all, wasn't that a man's role: to pay for and provide things for his girl? A goofy grin stretched across his face at the thought. 'My girl…'
Wybie would do anything for Coraline--
Even if she didn't want him to.
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The first time Wybie surprised her with a present, Coraline was thrilled. A sparkling silver star, strung on a delicate chain no wider than a thread, which he had given her one night with a blush and a small--but proud--smile. She'd fussed and fawned, and he'd offered to clasp it around her neck for her.
And the way he had let his velvety fingertips trail along her throat, tracing the necklace's path from collar to nape, had left her all a-quiver long after he had gone.
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Wybie climbed out from under the green sedan he'd been working on, filthy and spattered with oil. Wiping a greasy hand across his brow, he breathed deeply; he ached down to his bones, his head was throbbing, and by the time he got home he'd be too tired to tune up his motorcycle as planned…
A smudged and wrinkled envelope was pressed into his hands; the wages earned for his labor. Remembering Coraline's face, glowing with delight as she turned the little star pendant this way and that under the table lamp's light, he stuffed the money in his pocket and crawled back under the car.
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Coraline sat on the weathered steps of the Pink Palace, bored out of her mind. Cat stretched beside her, watching as she kicked up the dirt with her toes, then blew the dust clouds away with a huff. "God, this place is dull. I haven't felt this bored since…"
Cat looked up at her, prompting. 'Since…?'
Toying with the necklace absently, she stared in the direction of the old well. "Since before I met Wybie."
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The second time Wybie had surprised her, it was to invite her out on a dinner-date to an expensive restaurant. Excited to spend time with him after so long, Coraline had readily agreed and dressed up for the occasion, punching him in the arm when his flattering stare began to sour into blatant ogling. He'd said that driving a motorcycle to such a place would be unseemly and had borrowed his Grandma's old but well-kept Cadillac, and while Coraline understood his reasoning she couldn't help but miss the wind in her hair, the heat of Wybie's body as she clung to him tightly…
The enclosed space of the car was stifling, and neither one said much as they drove into town.
The restaurant had been beautiful, the food delicious--but the atmosphere was rigid. Coraline felt out of place and uncomfortable; her dress did little to protect her from the crisp air of the dining room, the other patrons were all at least twenty years older than her, and the hushed volume meant she couldn't laugh and joke as she loved to do. She found herself longing for the toasty comfort of Wybie's living room, eating pizza out of the box and horsing around before settling in for a movie and maybe a kiss or two (or five, if she could swing it).
The ride home was just as quiet as before, and she felt that even though they'd been out for over an hour they hadn't spent any real time together. Wybie walked her up the Pink Palace's front stair; catching her reflection in the door's glass paneling, Coraline saw that her unhappiness was etched all over her face. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she schooled her features into a placid expression and turned to him. "Well, Wybie, thanks for the, um, great night out."
He beamed at her. "Wasn't that place nice? You liked it, didn't you?"
Coraline's freckled nose wrinkled despite her best efforts to smooth it. "Sure."
Grasping her hands in his, Wybie pulled her close; placing his finger under her chin, he tilted her head back. "I'm glad. You deserve the best, Jonesy."
His slouch deepened, closing the distance between them. "Only the best for my girl…"
As their mouths met, parted, and rejoined softly, Coraline knew her efforts were only half-hearted at best.
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Wybie was so pleased with the success of his 'fancy dinner' plan he could've danced the whole way to work the next day--that is, if he hadn't been so tired. 'School, work, repeat…it's a brutal schedule. But it's worth it,' he thought, recalling the sight of Coraline on his arm, wearing that very fetching dress with the star he'd bought her strung about her lily-white neck. She was a vision, and he was more than happy to look his fill…
Blushing, he grabbed a wrench and went about keeping himself busy--and his mind out of the gutter.
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Coraline was lying on her back in the middle of the flowerbed Wybie had planted for her not so long ago. It was their secret garden, but right now she was very much alone--aside from Cat, who contented himself with a particularly bat-able blade of grass. Staring up at the endless blue of the sky above, Coraline reached out and picked a nearby daisy, plucking at its soft petals. "He loves me…he loves me…I know he loves me. So why isn't he here with me now…?"
Tossing the stripped flower aside, she stroked the trinket resting on her throat; the metal was chill to the touch. 'But Wybie's always warm…'
It was a mild spring day, but Coraline reached for her sweater, suddenly shivering.
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The next morning found Coraline waiting impatiently for Wybie to come pick her up. "We're gonna be late for school! What's that big dork waiting for, anyway?" she grumbled, foot tapping a quick rhythm on the floorboards. Finally she heard his bike start up in the distance, and not long after he came into view, swerving along the path toward her. Squinting, Coraline saw that he was steering with one hand; the other arm had some kind of large box tucked up underneath it. 'What…?'
Slowing to an unsteady stop, Wybie swung back his mask and cocked his head, waving. "Heya Jonesy, got something for you!"
Clucking her tongue, Coraline reached out to accept the package. "Wybie, seriously, you've already done so much…and what were you thinking, carrying this that way? You're a crazy enough driver as it is!"
Yawning widely, he covered his mouth and motioned at the parcel. "Just open it."
Doing so, Coraline's scowl softened into an 'o' of surprise; inside was a glossy black bike helmet, brand new and obviously pricey. The logo printed on the side told her it was from a high-end outfitter's store that Wybie frequently window-shopped at but couldn't afford to actually buy from--until now, apparently.
"Thanks…" she muttered, not quite sure why she didn't feel more grateful. He gave her that proud, preening smile again and set about helping her pull it on and adjust the straps to the proper fit.
Glancing at his own headgear, a re-worked welding mask decorated with a toothy white skull, Coraline felt oddly mismatched. Her eyes drifted down to his face, noting his tired look. "Are you okay? You've been working too hard, dummy…" The punch she aimed at his shoulder was gentler than usual.
He laughed it off, helping her climb on the bike. "It's nothing, just a little out of it. Off we go!"
Wrapping her arms around his waist, Coraline went to rest her head against his back--only to find herself bumping off the helmet's wide visor. She was forced to sit back stiffly the whole way to school, feeling as though they were miles apart.
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Shuffling up the driveway a few nights later, Wybie couldn't remember a time he'd felt more exhausted. 'Can't the people around here keep from wrecking their cars for five minutes…?' He didn't even notice the garage door was already up until he'd walked through it. He was surprised to see Coraline sitting on his workbench, fiddling with her necklace, new helmet resting on her stocking-clad knees as Cat observed from his roost on a shelf above. Eyes seeming to glow in the dusk, she wiggled her fingers at him in greeting. "Hi there, Why-were-you-born."
Walking over, he gave her a one-armed squeeze, wanting to gather her up in a bear hug but afraid of getting her dirty with the grime that came along with his job. "Jonesy. What's up?"
Frowning, she held up the helmet. "We had plans to go on a cruise today--remember? I've been waiting here for ages…"
"I'm sorry," he sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face tiredly, "I must've forgotten. It's been crazy at work. I'm totally beat."
Standing quickly, Coraline let the helmet drop to the floor with a noisy clatter. "Fine. Guess I'll be going then--and you can keep that," she snarled, jabbing a finger at the discarded headwear. "I won't be needing it, after all." Storming out, she paused in the doorway, the light from the setting sun shadowing her face. "Give me a call when you aren't too busy for me."
Bewildered, Wybie sat heavily on the bench. Picking up his abandoned gift, he turned to Cat. "What did I do?"
The haggard feline dropped his head to his paws, exasperated. 'These two…'
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The following day, Wybie arrived at the Pink Palace at the usual time to find Coraline was not in her usual place, waiting for him. 'She must be running a little late…'
After ten minutes had passed with no sign of her, he finally knocked on the door. Coraline's mother answered, looking harried. "Oh, hello Wybie. Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
His eyebrows shot up. "W-what…?"
Mrs. Jones folded her arms, obviously anxious to get back to her work. "Coraline told us you were sick today--we drove her to school almost twenty minutes ago."
Suddenly, he did feel rather ill.
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Throughout the school day Wybie tried to catch Coraline's eye while she studiously ignored him, even ducking into the girl's bathroom whenever he started towards her: 'Ugh, what a sneaky move! She knows I can't follow her in there…' He was deeply disturbed by her behavior; aside from being upset that he was getting the cold shoulder, it was unlike her to avoid a problem. Where was his arm-abusing spitfire? Wybie didn't know how to handle Coraline when she was being evasive, but he knew one thing for sure--
It was making him angry.
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"Three days, Cat. It's been three whole days of her dodging me. And I'm not even sure why!" Wybie ran a hand through his exceptionally frizzy locks, growling when his fingers caught in the tangled curls.
Cat remained impassive, letting the teen bluster. 'It seems there's something she wants.'
Wybie picked up the helmet she'd left behind, turning it over as he thought aloud. "Didn't I give her nice things? I've been busting my hump to make money, for her! It goes against all logical reasoning…"
Cat sunk his claws into the workbench, scratching at what little age-old paint remained on its surface; his purr of satisfaction seemed to say 'There are some things money cannot buy.'
Staring hard at the helmet's shiny black surface, Wybie tried to divine the answer.
All he saw was his own image, distorted by the cold, curved plastic.
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Coraline couldn't stop the shudder that swept through her at the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance, ominous dark clouds sweeping across the horizon heralding the oncoming storm. She hated rainy days…
Tugging on her yellow raincoat and boots, she absently reached for the star around her neck, wistful. 'Wybie…'
Unsure how to tell him she'd much rather have his companionship than his presents without sounding like an ungrateful brat, Coraline had been eluding him all week. 'I'm acting like a big baby, but I just don't know what to do…'
Closing her eyes, she prepared herself for another unbearably long nine hours of class, alone in the crowd.
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The dreary day had been spectacularly uneventful, the grey skies and dim light making the school feel even more like a prison than usual. Putting her textbooks away at her locker, she didn't notice the presence at her back until it was too late.
"Coraline."
Whirling around with a hand over her pounding heart, she found Wybie looming over her, expression blank. "Jeez! You scared me…"
His eyes narrowed. "Now you're afraid of me?"
With a nervous giggle, she went to brush past him. "I meant surprised--"
A long, leanly-muscled arm blocked her escape. Shocked, Coraline turned to go the other way, only to watch his other arm lock into place, both of his hands now braced on either side of her head.
Wybie leaned in close, invading her personal space, face grim. "What's going on, Coraline?"
To say she was astounded was a massive understatement. Wybie never got pushy with her, always content to let her do the bullying; had he really changed so much in the few days they had been apart?
Trapped beneath his burning gaze she felt small and exposed, but perhaps most frightening of all, excited.
Without her noticing, geeky little Wybie was becoming a man-- and the woman within her was stirring for the first time, reacting strongly to him.
It scared her out of her wits.
Fight-or-flight instincts kicking in, Coraline braced her palms against his chest and pushed, hard. "Back off, Wybourne, I don't--"
"Not until you tell me why you've been avoiding me." She pushed again but he stood his ground, solid as a brick wall.
"Well, it's your own fault!" she retorted, getting mad. "You ditch me all the time to go play at the garage!"
"I go there for you!" he protested indignantly. "I work so I can buy things for you, and this is how you act--"
"I don't want your dumb gifts," she roared, "I want YOU!"
One moment they were facing off, glaring, tempers running high.
The next they were kissing, Wybie's mouth crashing against hers in a ferocious attack that drove the air from her lungs. Too dazed to resist, Coraline went limp as he gripped her chin with one hand and her waist with the other, his lips prying hers open forcefully, tongue plundering, taking without asking…so unlike the Wybie she loved.
Coming to her senses, she shoved him away with all her might.
His face was flushed, his breathing ragged. "Y-you said--"
"I do want you, Wybie. But not like this."
As he watched her retreating form disappear down the hall, Wybie slumped against her locker, defeated.
Outside the rain fell, fast and furious.
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It was the weekend, and Coraline spent the time at home, passing the hours in quiet solitude. Having made her stance clear, the ball was in Wybie's court now: 'And I hope he makes his move soon…it's lonely without him, even if he is a jerkwad.'
Remembering that the secret garden was in need of its weekly weeding, Coraline dressed, grabbed her tote full of supplies, and made her way up the mountain trail. It was a bit of a hike, but it wasn't as though she had a motorcycle…"Think about something else for once," she chided herself sternly. She glanced around the forest as she walked, seeking a distraction. A patch of lichen stood out on the trunk of a large tree; 'Mossy green, like Wybie's eyes…oh.'
She noted a ray of sunlight that had managed to break through the leafy canopy, illuminating the earth beneath her feet as she crossed its path. 'Burnished amber, like Wybie's skin.'
Irritated, she decided to count her gardening tools instead--and found that her left hand was already occupied, tinkering with the silver star Wybie had bought for her.
Shaking her head, Coraline finally reached the clearing; setting her bag down, she looked up and saw Wybie standing before her, hands behind his back. "Great, now I'm imagining him everywhere."
He blinked and tilted his head, giving her a strange look. "Um, I-I'm standing right here…"
Straightening up quickly with an embarrassed cough, Coraline crossed her arms over her chest and sized him up. "What do you want, Wybourne?"
He gave her his patented crooked smile, the one that made her feel all melty inside. Pursing her lips, she--with much effort--resisted his dorky charm and waited.
"I thought you might come up here today, and I have something I want to give you."
Her jaw dropped. "After all that the other day, you bought something--"
"No. I made something…I hope you like it," he said shyly, shuffling his large feet in the grass. Drawing his arms from behind his back, he presented her with a cardboard box.
Coraline peeled back the top flaps…and gasped.
Inside was a beat-up old welding mask, the protective glass panel refitted with a set of three blue lenses, the rest painted to look like a skull--with a large blue bow decorating the left side.
He'd made her a helmet like his own…they were a matching set.
"I quit my job the other day, and used the last of the money I'd earned to buy that old mask off my boss," he explained, nervous at her silence. "It's probably not as safe as the other one I got you, you don't have to use it--"
She grinned up at him, heart about to burst with elation. "I don't care. This is perfect." Launching herself at him, Coraline wrapped her arms around his waist. "Wybie…"
He hugged her tight, face pressed into her soft blue hair. "I get it now, Jonesy. I just wanted to be able to give you everything…"
Turning to graze her lips against his, she smiled, countenance serene. "You already have."
This time his kiss was everything that had made her fall for him in the first place; soft, sweet, unfailingly gentle--with an edge of ardor and heat that had her legs turning to jelly and her hands clinging to his slouched shoulders for support. Her last thought before she was totally swept off her feet was 'Nerds really do it better…'
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Wybie Lovat was an unemployed, socially awkward, self-proclaimed geek with terrible posture who still hadn't grown into his hands and feet.
And as he pulled the girl he loved closer, he couldn't have been happier with his life.
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AN: ….oh, the DRAMA! The FLUFF! Each one of these is longer/fluffier/more dramatic than the last…but I hope you like them despite this. XD
Part of me wants to proof-read this another 4 billion times, but a person like me just has to set these things free or otherwise keep them locked up forever :P I tried to imagine what a desperate, confused, angry Wybie would be like--I hope I came somewhat close to the mark!
This may/may not be the last of this particular series--probably not, since I do have at least one other story idea for this set. Plus, have you noticed that in each one of these the, ahem, love scenes get a little more intense? It'd be a shame to make them stop here….hormones! :D
And, I know 15 is young to be getting a job--but there are plenty of under-the-table opportunities for those who seek them, and Wybie's mad skills are too good to pass up just 'cause the law says no….LOL. Don't bother your pretty little heads about him driving a car illegally either--it's a fan fiction!
After I thought of the "spider-stomping" bit, I had this deep longing to see a picture of Wybie & Coraline (on a date ;) ) in an arcade and Coraline really getting into the Spider Stomping game…haha! (You know which game I mean, right…?) If only my drawing abilities were better!
Also, I DO have the multi-chapter thing written up…sort of…in skeletal form. I'm trying not to wuss out--it's rather intimidating…
Another giant THANK YOU to my reviewers--I love hearing from you all. Reviews make me write more, faster…*hint hint* lol!
As always, thanks and hope you enjoyed it!
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