Author: Kimmie Fandom: Daria Type: long fic, ongoing Rating: PG (so far)
Disclaimer: Daria was not written by me! I only wrote this fic.
Summary: A "What If?" What if Trent moved to Boston after the end of the canon timeline?
Trent woke up suddenly when dawn peeked over the edge of the windowsill and shot fire against his eyelids. Or, so it felt as he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. But with only some flimsy curtains over the windows, there was no ignoring the sunlight warming up his hair. With a groan, he hauled himself up to a slightly-hunched-over standing position from the air mattress and wandered toward the kitchen, pausing only briefly to make certain he was wearing clothes. His eyes fought to close themselves as he rummaged in cupboards and drawers for supplies for the coffeemaker, but he managed to get the machine loaded and hit the start button before needing to collapse in a nearby chair. The kitchen blissfully only had a single window on the west side, so he was spared the sun for a little while. Getting comfortable in the chair, Trent fell asleep to the gurgle of the coffee pot.
Twenty minutes later, Jane descended the staircase in the apartment and sniffed. "Coffee?" she said out loud. Drudging on toward the kitchen, she found Trent lightly snoring in her favorite chair, but there *was* coffee. She poured herself a cup after turning on the light over the stove and drank most of it straight back before rummaging in the cupboards for a cereal bar. She sat next to Trent and tried to figure out how she would sketch his hair if she were drawing this as she ate. She then grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl on the table and zoned out as she peeled it and broke off chunks to feed herself. She didn't even notice Daria enter the kitchen a moment later.
Daria was rolling her neck back and forth as she reached into the cupboard for a coffee mug, wondering how Tom managed to always luck out and not need an 8am class. She poured the coffee and added sugar before plunking it on the table. She grabbed a bowl, a box of cereal and a container a milk. She prepared her cereal and then added a splash of milk to her coffee. It was then that she noticed Jane and Trent. "Ah!"
Jane woke up from her reverie. "Eh?"
"Sorry. I'm still sleepy. I didn't think you were even in here yet. Normally you don't make the coffee."
"Don't look at me. I think Trent did it. I can't think of any other reason why he'd be in the kitchen this early." Jane poked Trent's shoulder softly which made the man mumble something about alien monkeys. Jane shook her head and turned back to Daria. "You are really cool with Trent here, right?"
"How long was he planning to stay?"
Jane shrugged. "I don't know? I assume he would need to stay until he could actually afford a place, otherwise he'd probably try to sleep in his car, and that isn't good when you're attempting to be gainfully employed."
Daria spooned cereal into her mouth and chewed for a moment. "I don't really see a problem with that. I mean, it *is* good to see him again, and I'm sure it's nice for you to see a family member you don't abhor."
Rolling her banana peel up into a ball, Jane tossed it toward the trash can and smiled when it made it in. "I still sometimes wonder what it would have been like if you'd asked him out sometime."
Her eyes wide, Daria blushed slightly. "No. Don't think like that."
"Yeah, but are you telling me or *you*?"
"I like Trent. He's a great guy, but he has roughly the amount of maturity as a brand new wheel of cheese. Yeah, some part of me still recognizes that he's, well, attractive, but I need someone I can have a conversation with, and someone who wants things out of life and actually tries to achieve them."
"So... it was conversation you were having with Tom the other night?"
Daria's blushed grew darker. "None of your business."
"Trent moved here because he realized his life was going nowhere. He sold a guitar to get here. If nothing else, can we agree that he's moved onto the right path?" Jane glanced at her brother and smiled.
"Yes, Jane, but that doesn't mean I'm going to tear off my top and press my breasts in his face and beg him to take me. I'm with Tom. I'm happy."
Jane grabbed her cereal bar wrapper and mug and stood up. "I never said you weren't." She took care of the items, then left the kitchen, bidding Daria a goodbye over her shoulder.
Daria leaned her head back and sighed. "I'm with Tom. I'm happy. Ugh. That sounds pretty defensive, even to me." She looked over at Trent and felt a hint of a smile pull at the corners of her lips. She glanced at her watch and noticed the time, then hurried to finish her breakfast and clean up after herself. She was out the door only a few minutes later.
As the door closed, Trent startled awake. Smelling the coffee, he turned as though on autopilot and made a cup for himself. He moved out into the living room with his mug and sat on the couch, trying and failing to find a truly comfortable spot. As he drained the last drops from the cup, Tom came down the stairs. "Hey, Trent."
Trent nodded. "Hey."
"How'd you sleep?"
"Um... I don't really know. What time is it?"
Tom glanced at his watch. "Almost 8?"
"Uh, so, I guess I got about 3 hours?"
Sitting down on the couch beside Trent, Tom raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you go to bed around midnight when the rest of us did?"
Trent nodded. "Yeah. But I woke up a few hours later and wrote a song. It was in my head and wouldn't leave."
"Yeah? What's it called?"
"It Was In My Head And Wouldn't Leave."
Tom smiled half-heartedly. "Is that coffee I smell?" He was off to the kitchen.
Trent willed himself to get up and avail himself of the bathroom. He showered, brushed his teeth, and got dressed. By the time he was done, Tom had also left for school. He'd left a note for Trent on the coffee table though, along with a key to the apartment. With a nod, Trent made sure his wallet, keys, a guitar pick, and a pack of gum were in his pocket before leaving. It was earlier in the day that he'd planned to start looking for a job, but maybe it would look good to whoever did the hiring.
An hour later, Trent had a stack of applications from a few gas stations, a few bars, and a coffee shop. On his way back to the apartment, he saw a grocery store up ahead and decided to stop for beef jerky. As he reached the front door, he saw a NOW HIRING sign. Figuring it might be a sign from the universe, he went up to the customer service desk. "Um, hey. I saw you guys have a sign up. About hiring. Can I get an application?"
The woman behind the desk looked a little frazzled. "Do you have any felony convictions?"
Trent shook his head. "No."
"Will you work for $8.50 an hour?"
Trent shrugged. "Sure."
"Can you start now?"
"Uh, I guess."
The woman gestured toward a door to the right of the customer service desk. "Just step in there and say you're the new bagger."
Trent wondered for a moment whether the universe liked playing games with him.
End: Chapter 2.